Former Orange coach Dick MacPherson (center) and Syracuse All-Americans Don McPherson (left) and Art Monk (right) are on the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
MacPherson, McPherson and Monk Color College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Orange
3/26/2008 2:32:29 PM | Football
Three Syracuse football greats are on the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Former Orange head coach Dick MacPherson and All-Americans Don McPherson and Art Monk are among 75 former players and eight coaches on the ballot of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
MacPherson and McPherson were vital parts of SU’s remarkable 11-0-1 record in 1987. With ‘Coach Mac’ on the sidelines and McPherson as the signal caller, the Orange finished the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record, the second undefeated season in school history. Syracuse tied Auburn, 16-16, in the Sugar Bowl and was ranked fourth nationally in the final polls. Monk, one of the top receivers to play for the Orange, led the team in receiving each of his three seasons and earned All-America honors as a senior in 1979. A member of Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees, Monk will be enshrined in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in August, 2008.
The 2008 College Football Hall of Fame class will be announced live on ESPNEWS from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on May 1. The inductions will take place at The National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on December 9 in New York City and official enshrinement ceremonies be held at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. in the summer of 2009. Voting, which is open to all members of the National Football Foundation, closes March 31 and the National Football Foundation Honors Court makes the final decision on the induction class.
Dick MacPherson, Coach
MacPherson became Syracuse’s head coach in 1981 and during his 10 seasons as the Orange leader, Syracuse compiled a 66-46-4 record, including three bowl victories in five post-season contests. After leading the Orange to the 11-0-1 record in 1987, MacPherson was honored with several National Coach of the Year awards. Following the 1990 campaign, MacPherson left the Orange to become head coach for the NFL’s New England Patriots. MacPherson mentored 10 All-America selections, 38 NFL Draft picks and 12 members of Syracuse's All-Century Team.
In his 17 years as a head coach, MacPherson amassed a record of 111-73-5. He spent seven years at Massachusetts (45-27-1) before coming to Syracuse in 1981. He began his coaching career at Illinois where he served as an assistant freshmen coach. From there, he went to Massachusetts as the head coach of the wrestling and freshman football team. MacPherson also spent time with Cincinnati, Maryland, and the Denver Broncos before being hired at UMass as the head coach. Before coming to SU, he was the linebacker coach for the Cleveland Browns.
Don McPherson, Quarterback
The 1987 campaign was McPherson’s finest. The Maxwell Award winner as the college football player of the year and the Heisman Trophy runner-up, McPherson led the nation in passing efficiency with a 164.3 mark and set 22 Syracuse records, including the single-season marks for passing yards per game (212.8), touchdown passes (22), and most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (10).
McPherson finished his SU playing career in 1987 with the program’s all-time passing yards, completions and pass attempts records. After graduating, McPherson, who continued his football career with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Oilers, currently works in the SU athletics department with the Life Skills program for student-athletes and as a consultant with the Orange Club. He is also an independent consultant and vice president of The Hopewell Group, Inc., a philanthropic advising and consulting company located in New York City. Previously, McPherson served as Executive Director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University, which he founded in 2002. For more than 20 years, McPherson has used the power and appeal of sport to address complex social issues.
Upon retiring from pro football in 1994, McPherson joined Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society as director of Athletes in Service to America. During this time, McPherson turned his focus to the issue of “men’s violence against women,” as director of Sport in Society’s Mentors in Violence Prevention Program. Since 1995, McPherson has emerged as a national leader and advocate for the prevention of sexual and domestic violence. He has conducted workshops and lectures for more than 200 college campuses, community organizations and national sports and violence prevention organizations, and was a facilitator at the first NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference in 1997. His programs and lectures have reached more than one million people.
McPherson has worked as a college football analyst for ESPN, BET and NBC and currently provides regular expert analysis on XM Satellite Radio. In 2000, while a board member of the Nassau County Sports Commission, McPherson created the John Mackey Award, which recognizes college football’s most outstanding tight end.
He has served in a consulting and advisory capacity for several national organizations and currently sits on the board of directors of the Family and Children’s Association, Stop It Now! and the Ms. Foundation for Women.
Art Monk, Wide Receiver
Monk is one of the top receivers to ever suit up for the Orange. He led the Orange in receiving yards in each of his three seasons and earned All-America honors in 1979. Monk is tied for sixth on SU’s career receptions list (102) and seventh (1,644) on the career receiving yards list. He also holds the school record for most receptions in a game with 14 against Navy in 1977.
In 1977, he caught 41 balls for 590 yards and four touchdowns. In 1978, he caught 19 passes for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As a senior, Monk recorded 40 catches for 716 yards and three touchdowns to earn first-team All-America honors.
In 1980, Monk was drafted 18th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles and enjoyed tremendous success in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors three times en route to setting the league’s all-time receptions record. He was selected for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Feb. 2, 2008. During his professional career, Monk scored 68 touchdowns and gained 12,721 receiving yards on 940 catches, averaging 13.5 yards per reception.
Monk, who was named to the Syracuse University Board of Trustees in 2007 and is involved with the Orange athletics program, was instrumental in the recognition of the Syracuse Eight during the 2006 football season. Syracuse University honored the courage and commitment of members of the 1970 SU football squad for their extraordinary courage and commitment by calling for the equal treatment of student-athletes and a diverse coaching staff. These men stood up for the principles of fairness and equality. The athletics department annually awards the Syracuse Eight Courage Award to a current or former student-athlete who has overcome a socially, economically or otherwise disadvantaged background or serious injury and has demonstrated uncommon bravery or highly principled behavior in the face of adversity.
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