Four Elected 2009 Orange Captains
8/29/2009 4:13:38 PM | Football
The 2009 Orange football team elected defensive tackle Arthur Jones, tight end Mike Owen, quarterback Greg Paulus and punter Rob Long as team captains.
“I look forward to their leadership in helping to develop this team both on and off the field,” said head coach Doug Marrone. “It is an honor and a privilege to be elected by your teammates as a captain. Each of these players has demonstrated their ability to serve in this capacity through their actions.”
Jones, who is a pre-season candidate for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Outland Trophy, the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award, earned 2008 All-BIG EAST First Team honors. He ranks sixth on SU's career tackles for loss record list (31.5), including 13.0 in 2008. His 126 career tackles is 13th on SU's all-time list for tackles by a down lineman. In 2007, Jones ranked ninth nationally with 17.5 tackles for loss en route to earning second-team All-BIG EAST and ECAC All-Star honors. His 17.5 tackles for loss is the third-best single-season total in Syracuse history.
A returning starter at tight end, Owen has 24 career catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He came to Syracuse as a defensive player, playing both linebacker and defensive end, before moving to tight end after 2007 Spring practice. He has played in 35 of a possible 36 games during his Syracuse career.
Paulus, who earned the starting quarterback position one week into pre-season camp, joined the Syracuse program in July after a four-year basketball career at Duke. A CoSIDA Academic All-American and two-year team captain, Paulus finished his career tied for ninth with 139 games played and is one of just 20 Duke players to have started 100 career games. Paulus ranks 41st on the career scoring list (1,193 points) and ranks in the top 10 on the all-time record lists for assists (9th, 468), three-point field goals made (8th, 210) and attempted (9th, 527), and three-point field goal percentage (T-6th, .398). He earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2007-08 as the Blue Devils starting point guard.
Long is ranked among the top punters in Syracuse history. He is second in career punting average (42.8 yards per punt) and his 73-yard punt against South Florida in 2007 is tied for the longest at Syracuse. His 42.83 career average ranks sixth among active kickers in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In 2008, he ranked 14th nationally and third in the BIG EAST with 43.9 yards per punt average. As a freshman in 2007, Long earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors and was named to The Sporting News and College Sports Report Freshman All-America Team.
The Marrone era will kick off with a nationally televised game against Minnesota on ESPN2 in the Carrier Dome at 12:00 p.m. The Orange will celebrate Patriotic and Military Day in the home-opener against the Gophers. Tickets are available online and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (888-DOME-TIX).
Season tickets for the 2009 campaign start at $100 for the 2009 season. Adult Individual game tickets for all eight home games are $38 each. Youth tickets (ages 12 & under) for seven home games are $18 each. For the game against Maine on September 26, Youth & Senior Citizen day, all youth and Senior Citizens (ages 60 & over) tickets will be $15 each. Family Packs are available for all home games when purchased in advance, with the exception of games against Maine and Akron. A $99 Family Pack, which is a $28 savings, includes two adult tickets, two youth tickets (12 and under), $5 concession coupon and a $10 parking pass.
The Minnesota Two-Game Pack offers fans the opportunity to purchase a ticket to Syracuse's home-opener, which is Marrone's Dome debut, and any other home game of their choice ($66 adult/$26 youth). Fans are invited to save up to 40% on the ticket price by purchasing tickets in groups of 35 or more and 100 or more. For questions about Group Sales, please call (315-443-3212).
For further questions and details call the Carrier Dome Box Office during business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-888-DOMETIX.
