Orange All-American Art Monk will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2012.
Monk's Career Takes Center Stage
5/22/2012 11:14:23 AM | Football
Art Monk has never sought the spotlight. The bright lights, however, always shine on the Hall of Fame person and football player. His election to the College Football Hall of Fame focused the attention on Monk and his career once again. The Syracuse University graduate is one of 14 former standout players and three coaches who make up the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012. The group will be inducted at the 55th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on December 4, 2012, at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. They will be honored guests at the National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 2, 2013, and officially enshrined in the summer of 2013.
“I was a little surprised by the news,” Monk said. “When these things come up, I never put myself in the picture as being a candidate. Honestly, I don't know how to express my feelings about this honor. Certainly, I am thrilled and very excited.”
Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, Monk becomes the fourth Syracuse representative to be honored by both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. He joins Jim Brown, Larry Csonka and Floyd Little as former Orange standouts who are members of both elite groups.
Never a man of many words, Monk has always spoken through his actions. The White Plains, N.Y., native starred on the gridiron, earning all-state honors, and on the track, winning the New York state hurdles championship.
“The media attention is never something that I sought after, but it just came and I was able to handle it,” Monk said. “I was not hiding anything. I was always more of a background player, a supportive player rather than someone who was up front and rah, rah. The attention comes with success, so I take it as it comes. Later in my career as a professional, the spotlight was something I shied away from, but I never let it bother me. My focus was on the game. I did not want any distractions.”
In high school, Monk played on the offensive and defensive lines as a freshman and sophomore before finally getting his chance at receiver as a junior. His successful transition to running back as a senior attracted the attention of college recruiters. At Syracuse, he was prepared for any role the coaches offered.
“I was recruited as a receiver, but during my sophomore year the coaches needed someone to move to running back and I kind of flourished in my sophomore and junior year,” Monk said. “After my junior year, Joe Morris enrolled at Syracuse and I graciously stepped aside and the coaches put me back at receiver, which was great for me. That is where I really wanted to be.”
Monk was a key component to the beginning of the Syracuse football resurgence. He, along with classmates Bill Hurley and Craig Wolfley, in addition to Orange standouts Morris and Gary Anderson, led the team from a 3-8 record in 1978 to a 7-5 mark and an invitation to the 1979 Independence Bowl as seniors. The turnaround was more impressive given the fact that the 1979 Orange played all its home games at neutral sites due to the demolition of Archbold Stadium and the construction of the Carrier Dome.
“During the last two years of my career preparations were underway to tear down Archbold Stadium in order to build the Carrier Dome,” Monk said. “That was the starting point of the re-building of the program. We did not win that many games, but we were the building blocks of what was soon to come. We were just thrilled to end our senior year with a bowl game and to finish on a positive note with a winning season.”
In 1979, Monk's 40 receptions for 716 yards and three touchdowns earned him All-America honors and led to the Washington Redskins selecting him with the 18th overall pick in the 1980 National Football League Draft. His 14 catches against Navy in 1977 remain the most by any Syracuse receiver in a game, while his 102 career receptions ties for eighth on the Orange career record list, and his 1,644 receiving yards ranks eighth on the career chart.
“I just wanted to play. I love the game,” Monk said. “I was blessed to have the talent to be flexible enough to play wherever I was needed. I just wanted to play, to have fun, and to enjoy being out there. It worked out for me.”
When he retired from professional football after the 1995 season, his 940 receptions were the second-most in NFL history. Monk won three Super Bowls with the Redskins, and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1980s. Long before he retired from the gridiron, however, Monk was preparing for the next phase of his life. His career is focused on leadership in business, education, philanthropy, community service, motivational speaking, along with being a great family man. He formed Art Monk Enterprises, LLC and Art Monk Ventures, LLC to manage his personal and commercial interests, which includes an advertising agency, a credit card processing company and the “I Have A Dream” and the Youth Power Center, non-profit organizations working with youth in the Washington, D.C.
“One thing about sports is that it really teaches you a lot about life, teaches you about things that can easily be transferred over into the business world. How to conduct yourself, how to dress, being on time, working hard. A lot of those things just kind of carry over to the success in the board room. It has really helped me in terms of my business pursuits.”
In 2006, Monk, whose daughter, Monica, is a graduate of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, added the role of Syracuse University Trustee to his portfolio.
“As a Trustee, our role is to oversee the operation and function of the University,” Monk said. “It has been a pretty rewarding ride for me to see how things work on the other side. Being a student and a parent of a child who attended Syracuse, you view things and see things from one perspective, but being on the other side you see how things are done from different perspective which gives more of an appreciation for the University and the people involved.”
“I was a little surprised by the news,” Monk said. “When these things come up, I never put myself in the picture as being a candidate. Honestly, I don't know how to express my feelings about this honor. Certainly, I am thrilled and very excited.”
Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, Monk becomes the fourth Syracuse representative to be honored by both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. He joins Jim Brown, Larry Csonka and Floyd Little as former Orange standouts who are members of both elite groups.
Never a man of many words, Monk has always spoken through his actions. The White Plains, N.Y., native starred on the gridiron, earning all-state honors, and on the track, winning the New York state hurdles championship.
“The media attention is never something that I sought after, but it just came and I was able to handle it,” Monk said. “I was not hiding anything. I was always more of a background player, a supportive player rather than someone who was up front and rah, rah. The attention comes with success, so I take it as it comes. Later in my career as a professional, the spotlight was something I shied away from, but I never let it bother me. My focus was on the game. I did not want any distractions.”
In high school, Monk played on the offensive and defensive lines as a freshman and sophomore before finally getting his chance at receiver as a junior. His successful transition to running back as a senior attracted the attention of college recruiters. At Syracuse, he was prepared for any role the coaches offered.
“I was recruited as a receiver, but during my sophomore year the coaches needed someone to move to running back and I kind of flourished in my sophomore and junior year,” Monk said. “After my junior year, Joe Morris enrolled at Syracuse and I graciously stepped aside and the coaches put me back at receiver, which was great for me. That is where I really wanted to be.”
Monk was a key component to the beginning of the Syracuse football resurgence. He, along with classmates Bill Hurley and Craig Wolfley, in addition to Orange standouts Morris and Gary Anderson, led the team from a 3-8 record in 1978 to a 7-5 mark and an invitation to the 1979 Independence Bowl as seniors. The turnaround was more impressive given the fact that the 1979 Orange played all its home games at neutral sites due to the demolition of Archbold Stadium and the construction of the Carrier Dome.
“During the last two years of my career preparations were underway to tear down Archbold Stadium in order to build the Carrier Dome,” Monk said. “That was the starting point of the re-building of the program. We did not win that many games, but we were the building blocks of what was soon to come. We were just thrilled to end our senior year with a bowl game and to finish on a positive note with a winning season.”
In 1979, Monk's 40 receptions for 716 yards and three touchdowns earned him All-America honors and led to the Washington Redskins selecting him with the 18th overall pick in the 1980 National Football League Draft. His 14 catches against Navy in 1977 remain the most by any Syracuse receiver in a game, while his 102 career receptions ties for eighth on the Orange career record list, and his 1,644 receiving yards ranks eighth on the career chart.
“I just wanted to play. I love the game,” Monk said. “I was blessed to have the talent to be flexible enough to play wherever I was needed. I just wanted to play, to have fun, and to enjoy being out there. It worked out for me.”
When he retired from professional football after the 1995 season, his 940 receptions were the second-most in NFL history. Monk won three Super Bowls with the Redskins, and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1980s. Long before he retired from the gridiron, however, Monk was preparing for the next phase of his life. His career is focused on leadership in business, education, philanthropy, community service, motivational speaking, along with being a great family man. He formed Art Monk Enterprises, LLC and Art Monk Ventures, LLC to manage his personal and commercial interests, which includes an advertising agency, a credit card processing company and the “I Have A Dream” and the Youth Power Center, non-profit organizations working with youth in the Washington, D.C.
“One thing about sports is that it really teaches you a lot about life, teaches you about things that can easily be transferred over into the business world. How to conduct yourself, how to dress, being on time, working hard. A lot of those things just kind of carry over to the success in the board room. It has really helped me in terms of my business pursuits.”
In 2006, Monk, whose daughter, Monica, is a graduate of Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, added the role of Syracuse University Trustee to his portfolio.
“As a Trustee, our role is to oversee the operation and function of the University,” Monk said. “It has been a pretty rewarding ride for me to see how things work on the other side. Being a student and a parent of a child who attended Syracuse, you view things and see things from one perspective, but being on the other side you see how things are done from different perspective which gives more of an appreciation for the University and the people involved.”
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