Legacy of 44 Display to Honor College Football's Most Famed Number
11/20/2025 11:02:00 AM | Football
College football's most famed number is the #44 at Syracuse. It grew to prominence when legendary running backs Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little donned the number at 'Cuse and continued its legacy through other great players including Rob Konrad, Michael Owens and Terry Richardson, among others.
Thanks to the generosity of Konrad and his procurement of numerous artifacts, a new display in the JMA Wireless Dome will continue to showcase that legacy. The West End Zone Concourse outside Club 44 will now feature the Legacy of 44 display. The new fixture pays homage to the tradition and legacy of the players who wore it during their time at Syracuse and their accomplishments afterwards.
The display will have game-worn memorabilia – including helmets from Brown and Konrad, which celebrates the origin of the number's legacy with Brown through Konrad being the last to wear it. It also will showcase game-worn cleats from Davis' Heisman season, authentic uniforms, cards and more. The display will have a timeline of the number, honoring every player to have worn it, plus video and photo displays.
"The Legend of 44 was introduced to me as 'the standard of excellence," Konrad said. "When I wore it, I was personally taking responsibility to represent the No. 44's reputation on and off the field - compete, lead, and win with humility. My goal with this exhibit is to share the Legend of 44 with current students, alumni, and all of Orange Nation, honoring the men who created a standard and symbol of greatness, courage, hope, opportunity, overcoming adversity and breaking barriers, which many of us aspire to in sports and life."
The display will be unveiled at a private ceremony on Friday, Nov. 28 and fans can get their first look on Saturday, Nov. 29, when Syracuse hosts Boston College for the season finale. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
"No number in sports has the pedigree that the 44 has at Syracuse," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "We're grateful for Rob's generosity that we can display this incredible collection of memorabilia in the JMA Wireless Dome, to continue the lasting impact and legacy of those who donned the 44 at Syracuse."
The number means more than a jersey to Syracuse. So much so, that the University zip code was changed to 13244, and since 1988 the University's phone numbers have begun with 44 to continue to honor the number.
Brown started the legacy in 1954. Considered as potentially the greatest football player of all-time, in his three years, Brown led the team to a Cotton Bowl berth, went on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher and a member of the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. He led the league in rushing eight times in his nine years.
Davis played for the Orange from 1959-61. He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first African-American to do so, and was a starter on SU's 1959 national championship team. Davis also signed to play with the Cleveland Browns, but the devastating combination of Davis and Brown in the same backfield never came to pass. Davis died of leukemia in 1963. He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Little was a three-time All-America selection for the Orange. Little played for SU from 1964-66 and led the team to the Sugar Bowl in 1964 and the Gator Bowl in 1966 (teaming in the backfield with Larry Csonka in the latter). He is also a member of both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame.
After that, the legendary 44 was worn by others with varying degrees of success. Michael Owens led to the resurgence of the number as a member of the 1987 unbeaten team. He became Syracuse's fourth 1,000-yard rusher in 1989, totaling 1,018 yards. Terry Richardson was next in line, donning the number from 1990-93, running for over 1,523 yards in his career and averaging over five yards per carry.
Konrad became the first-ever fullback, and last Syracuse football student-athlete to don the special jersey from 1995-98 and he did not disappoint. He scored 23 touchdowns in his Syracuse career, tallied over 1,500 yards and went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he'd spend six seasons with the franchise.
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Thanks to the generosity of Konrad and his procurement of numerous artifacts, a new display in the JMA Wireless Dome will continue to showcase that legacy. The West End Zone Concourse outside Club 44 will now feature the Legacy of 44 display. The new fixture pays homage to the tradition and legacy of the players who wore it during their time at Syracuse and their accomplishments afterwards.
The display will have game-worn memorabilia – including helmets from Brown and Konrad, which celebrates the origin of the number's legacy with Brown through Konrad being the last to wear it. It also will showcase game-worn cleats from Davis' Heisman season, authentic uniforms, cards and more. The display will have a timeline of the number, honoring every player to have worn it, plus video and photo displays.
"The Legend of 44 was introduced to me as 'the standard of excellence," Konrad said. "When I wore it, I was personally taking responsibility to represent the No. 44's reputation on and off the field - compete, lead, and win with humility. My goal with this exhibit is to share the Legend of 44 with current students, alumni, and all of Orange Nation, honoring the men who created a standard and symbol of greatness, courage, hope, opportunity, overcoming adversity and breaking barriers, which many of us aspire to in sports and life."
The display will be unveiled at a private ceremony on Friday, Nov. 28 and fans can get their first look on Saturday, Nov. 29, when Syracuse hosts Boston College for the season finale. Tickets are available at Cuse.com/FootballTickets.
"No number in sports has the pedigree that the 44 has at Syracuse," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "We're grateful for Rob's generosity that we can display this incredible collection of memorabilia in the JMA Wireless Dome, to continue the lasting impact and legacy of those who donned the 44 at Syracuse."
The number means more than a jersey to Syracuse. So much so, that the University zip code was changed to 13244, and since 1988 the University's phone numbers have begun with 44 to continue to honor the number.
Brown started the legacy in 1954. Considered as potentially the greatest football player of all-time, in his three years, Brown led the team to a Cotton Bowl berth, went on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher and a member of the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. He led the league in rushing eight times in his nine years.
Davis played for the Orange from 1959-61. He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first African-American to do so, and was a starter on SU's 1959 national championship team. Davis also signed to play with the Cleveland Browns, but the devastating combination of Davis and Brown in the same backfield never came to pass. Davis died of leukemia in 1963. He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Little was a three-time All-America selection for the Orange. Little played for SU from 1964-66 and led the team to the Sugar Bowl in 1964 and the Gator Bowl in 1966 (teaming in the backfield with Larry Csonka in the latter). He is also a member of both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame.
After that, the legendary 44 was worn by others with varying degrees of success. Michael Owens led to the resurgence of the number as a member of the 1987 unbeaten team. He became Syracuse's fourth 1,000-yard rusher in 1989, totaling 1,018 yards. Terry Richardson was next in line, donning the number from 1990-93, running for over 1,523 yards in his career and averaging over five yards per carry.
Konrad became the first-ever fullback, and last Syracuse football student-athlete to don the special jersey from 1995-98 and he did not disappoint. He scored 23 touchdowns in his Syracuse career, tallied over 1,500 yards and went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he'd spend six seasons with the franchise.
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