Consensus All Americans
*Unanimous All-American
Marquis Bill Horr
The first All-American in the history of Syracuse football, Horr anchored a young offensive line on a team that opened newly-built Archbold Stadium with a win against Hobart in 1907. The next year, Horr led the Orange to a 6-3-1 record and the first victory in school history against a team from the Western Conference (now Big Ten) when SU topped Michigan 28-4 in the season finale. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, Horr won a silver medal in the Greek-style discus throw and a bronze in the free-style discus throw. Horr served as the head football coach at Northwestern in 1909 and the head coach at Purdue from 1910 to 1912, compiling a career record of 9-14-2.
Harold White
White and fellow All-American Christopher Schlacter were the guards on a line that helped Syracuse’s offense overpower its opponents by the combined score of 331-16 in 1915. The Orange scored more than 30 points on five occasions and topped the 70-point mark in victories against Mount Union (73-0) and Rochester (82-0). The team finished with an impressive 9-1-2 record and was invited to play Washington in the Rose Bowl, but declined because an earlier West Coast trip (the first by an Eastern school) to Oregon State had used up the travel budget. Standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing more than 270 pounds, White was one of the largest players of his era and captained the Orange in 1916.
Alfred Cobb
A 1917 team captain, Cobb was the anchor for an offensive line that led the Orange to an 8-1-1 record, including six straight wins to end the season. Cobb played in the early days of the NFL, when it was still known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). He suited up for the Akron Pros and the Cleveland Bulldogs. In 1920 with Akron, Cobb was a member of the very first NFL championship team. Over three APFA/NFL seasons, Cobb played in 21 games as a lineman, starting 16 of them.
J.A. Joe Alexander
Alexander and Ernie Davis are the only two players in Orange history to earn multiple consensus All-America honors. Alexander starred for Frank O’Neill’s SU teams from 1918-20. He also captained the lacrosse team for one season. Alexander graduated from medical school and began practicing in New York City. He specialized in lung treatment and helped found one of the first tuberculosis centers in New York. For seven seasons (1921-27), he played in the National Football League on weekends while practicing medicine. A center in the NFL’s early days for the Rochester Jeffersons (1921-22), Milwaukee Badgers (1922) and New York Giants (1925-27), Alexander was a consensus All-American for the Orange in 1918 and 1919. He earned All-America honors again in 1920 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Louis Usher
Usher and fellow offensive lineman Joe Alexander were consensus All-Americans, anchoring the line for the 5-1 Orange in 1918. Usher went on to play professional football for five years for the Rochester Jeffersons, Chicago Stanleys, Chicago Bears, Hammond Pros and Kenosha Maroons. He was tragically killed on Jan. 1, 1927 in an automobile accident near Calumet City, Ill.
Evander Pete MacRAE
Usher and fellow offensive lineman Joe Alexander were consensus All-Americans, anchoring the line for the 5-1 Orange in 1918. Usher went on to play professional football for five years for the Rochester Jeffersons, Chicago Stanleys, Chicago Bears, Hammond Pros and Kenosha Maroons. He was tragically killed on Jan. 1.
Vic Hanson
A three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball, Hanson was a consensus All-American on the gridiron in 1926 after leading the Orange to a 7-2-1 record. That winter Hanson powered the Orange basketball team to a 19-1 mark. Following his college career, Hanson played briefly with the Cleveland Rosenblums in the American Basketball League and then formed the Syracuse All-Americans basketball team. The New York Yankees also signed Hanson upon his graduation from Syracuse in 1927 and he played one year in their farm system. Hanson served as head football coach of the Orange from 1930 to 1936, compiling a record of 33-21-5. He is the only player enshrined in both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.
Jim Brown
Brown set the Orange record for highest average yards per carry (6.2) in 1956 and broke the single-season rushing record with 986 yards. Against Colgate that season, he established school marks for the most rushing touchdowns (6) and most points scored in a game (43). After leaving SU, he played for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965 and scored 106 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. In addition to football, Brown excelled at basketball, lacrosse and track. He is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was an All-American midfielder on the Orange’s undefeated 1957 team. Brown is considered by many to be the greatest athlete of all-time, and in 2002 was tabbed by Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.
Roger Davis
Nicknamed “Hound Dog” because of his love for training hunting dogs, Davis helped fellow All-American Ernie Davis rush for 883 yards in 1959. He was a member of a Syracuse unit that led the country in total offense (451.5 ypg) on its way to winning the national championship. Davis played pro football for the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. He was a starter at right guard for the Bears in 1963 when they won the NFL championship.
Ernie Davis
Nicknamed the “Elmira Express” by sportswriter Al Mallette, Davis led Syracuse to a 26-5 record from 1959-61. As a sophomore in 1959, Davis scored two touchdowns against Texas in the Cotton Bowl to help the Orange complete a perfect season and capture the program’s only national championship. Two years later, Davis became the first African American and the only SU player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was selected first overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1962 NFL Draft and traded to Cleveland. Davis was diagnosed with leukemia the following summer and died in 1963 at the age of 23 without ever playing a professional game. The Browns retired his No. 45 jersey shortly after his death, and Davis was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In 2008, he was subject of the Universal Pictures film “The Express,” starring Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown and Charles S. Dutton. The film was based on the non-fiction book “Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express” by Robert C. Gallagher.
Larry Csonka
Csonka led the Orange in rushing in 1966 and 1967 and was named the 1967 ECAC Player of the Year. He teamed with halfback Floyd Little to form the most potent rushing duo in school history. He holds the Orange record for most carries in a game (43 vs. Maryland in 1967). Csonka ranks fifth on SU’s career rushing list (2,934 yards) and recorded two 200-yard rushing games, including 204 yards against Cal as a senior in 1967. Csonka went on to play for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. He was a member of the 1972 Dolphins team that went undefeated and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Two years later, in 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2007, Syracuse retired Csonka’s No. 39 jersey.
Tim Green
Green was a two-time finalist for the Lombardi Award, which at the time recognized the nation’s most outstanding lineman or linebacker. He was named the ECAC Player of the Year in 1985 and ranks first on Syracuse’s career sacks list with 45.5. He is the program’s top tackler among down linemen with 341 career stops. Green played for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. After his playing career ended, Green became a commentator for the NFL on FOX. A best-selling author and lawyer, Green won the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, given annually to six former student-athletes for distinguished career accomplishments on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation, in December 2011.
Ted Gregory
Gregory was a force during Syracuse’s 11-0-1 season in 1987. He captained a defense that only allowed more than 21 points once in 12 games. He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which at the time recognized the most outstanding lineman or linebacker in FBS football. Gregory completed his four-year career with 242 tackles, third all-time among Orange defensive linemen, and 17 sacks. He went on to play in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints.
Don McPherson
The Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1987, McPherson won the Maxwell (most outstanding player), Davey O’Brien (most outstanding quarterback) and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm (most outstanding senior quarterback) awards. McPherson’s 164.3 passer rating that season led the NCAA and stands as an Orange record. He also set the school single-season marks for most yards per pass attempt (10.2), most yards per completion (18.1). Upon graduating from Syracuse, McPherson spent seven seasons in the NFL and CFL. After retiring from football in 1994, he joined the staff of Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, before becoming the first executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University. McPherson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and Syracuse retired his No. 9 jersey in 2013.
John Flannery
With Flannery as the anchor of the offensive line from 1987-90, Syracuse posted a 3-0-1 record in bowl games. A native of Pottsville, Pa., Flannery started at left guard for Syracuse in 1987 before shifting to center. He was a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in both 1989 and 1990. He was drafted in the second round by the Houston Oilers and made the NFL All-Rookie Team in 1991. He later made stops with the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams, winning a Super Bowl title as a member of the Rams in 1999. The same year, Flannery was named to Syracuse’s All-Century Team.
Chris Gedney
A native of nearby Liverpool, N.Y., Gedney set the standard for Orange tight ends. He held the school records for most receptions by a tight end in a season (34) and career (91) until 2011. His 34 catches and five touchdowns during the 1992 season helped propel Syracuse to a 10-2 record and a victory over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. Gedney played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. He returned to his alma mater in 2008 and is currently a senior associate athletics director in the SU Orange Club. A member of Syracuse’s All-Century Team, Gedney was named a 2015 ACC Football Legend. He also serves as the color analyst for Syracuse IMG Sports Network football broadcasts.
Dwight Freeney
Freeney terrorized opposing quarterbacks from 1998-2001. He holds the Orange records for most sacks in a game (4.5 vs. Virginia Tech in 2000) and season (17.5 in 2001). He finished his career with 34 quarterback takedowns, second only to Tim Green on the Syracuse all-time list. Freeney was team MVP his junior year. As a senior in 2001, he was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection and shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also a finalist for the 2001 Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski awards. The Indianapolis Colts made Freeney the 11th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. In 2004, Freeney led the NFL with 16 sacks. He won a world championship with the Colts two years later when Indianapolis defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Freeney has also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons during his pro career. He ranks in the top 20 in NFL history with 122.5 career sacks.
| YEAR | NAME | POSITION |
| 1908 | Marquis (Bill) Horr | T |
| 1915 | Harold White | G |
| 1917 | Alfred Cobb | T |
| 1918 | J.A. (Joe) Alexander | G/C |
| Louis Usher | T | |
| 1919 | J.A. (Joe) Alexander | G/C |
| 1923 | Evander (Pete) MacRAE | E |
| 1926 | Vic Hanson | E |
| 1956 | Jim Brown* | HB |
| 1959 | Roger Davis* | G |
| 1960 | Ernie Davis | HB |
| 1961 | Ernie Davis* | HB |
| 1967 | Larry Csonka* | FB |
| 1985 | Tim Green* | DT |
| 1987 | Ted Gregory | NT |
| 1987 | Don McPherson* | QB |
| 1990 | John Flannery | C |
| 1992 | Chris Gedney* | TE |
| 2001 | Dwight Freeney* | DE |
Marquis Bill Horr
The first All-American in the history of Syracuse football, Horr anchored a young offensive line on a team that opened newly-built Archbold Stadium with a win against Hobart in 1907. The next year, Horr led the Orange to a 6-3-1 record and the first victory in school history against a team from the Western Conference (now Big Ten) when SU topped Michigan 28-4 in the season finale. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, Horr won a silver medal in the Greek-style discus throw and a bronze in the free-style discus throw. Horr served as the head football coach at Northwestern in 1909 and the head coach at Purdue from 1910 to 1912, compiling a career record of 9-14-2.
Harold White
White and fellow All-American Christopher Schlacter were the guards on a line that helped Syracuse’s offense overpower its opponents by the combined score of 331-16 in 1915. The Orange scored more than 30 points on five occasions and topped the 70-point mark in victories against Mount Union (73-0) and Rochester (82-0). The team finished with an impressive 9-1-2 record and was invited to play Washington in the Rose Bowl, but declined because an earlier West Coast trip (the first by an Eastern school) to Oregon State had used up the travel budget. Standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing more than 270 pounds, White was one of the largest players of his era and captained the Orange in 1916.
Alfred Cobb
A 1917 team captain, Cobb was the anchor for an offensive line that led the Orange to an 8-1-1 record, including six straight wins to end the season. Cobb played in the early days of the NFL, when it was still known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). He suited up for the Akron Pros and the Cleveland Bulldogs. In 1920 with Akron, Cobb was a member of the very first NFL championship team. Over three APFA/NFL seasons, Cobb played in 21 games as a lineman, starting 16 of them.
J.A. Joe Alexander
Alexander and Ernie Davis are the only two players in Orange history to earn multiple consensus All-America honors. Alexander starred for Frank O’Neill’s SU teams from 1918-20. He also captained the lacrosse team for one season. Alexander graduated from medical school and began practicing in New York City. He specialized in lung treatment and helped found one of the first tuberculosis centers in New York. For seven seasons (1921-27), he played in the National Football League on weekends while practicing medicine. A center in the NFL’s early days for the Rochester Jeffersons (1921-22), Milwaukee Badgers (1922) and New York Giants (1925-27), Alexander was a consensus All-American for the Orange in 1918 and 1919. He earned All-America honors again in 1920 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Louis Usher
Usher and fellow offensive lineman Joe Alexander were consensus All-Americans, anchoring the line for the 5-1 Orange in 1918. Usher went on to play professional football for five years for the Rochester Jeffersons, Chicago Stanleys, Chicago Bears, Hammond Pros and Kenosha Maroons. He was tragically killed on Jan. 1, 1927 in an automobile accident near Calumet City, Ill.
Evander Pete MacRAE
Usher and fellow offensive lineman Joe Alexander were consensus All-Americans, anchoring the line for the 5-1 Orange in 1918. Usher went on to play professional football for five years for the Rochester Jeffersons, Chicago Stanleys, Chicago Bears, Hammond Pros and Kenosha Maroons. He was tragically killed on Jan. 1.
Vic Hanson
A three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball, Hanson was a consensus All-American on the gridiron in 1926 after leading the Orange to a 7-2-1 record. That winter Hanson powered the Orange basketball team to a 19-1 mark. Following his college career, Hanson played briefly with the Cleveland Rosenblums in the American Basketball League and then formed the Syracuse All-Americans basketball team. The New York Yankees also signed Hanson upon his graduation from Syracuse in 1927 and he played one year in their farm system. Hanson served as head football coach of the Orange from 1930 to 1936, compiling a record of 33-21-5. He is the only player enshrined in both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.
Jim Brown
Brown set the Orange record for highest average yards per carry (6.2) in 1956 and broke the single-season rushing record with 986 yards. Against Colgate that season, he established school marks for the most rushing touchdowns (6) and most points scored in a game (43). After leaving SU, he played for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965 and scored 106 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. In addition to football, Brown excelled at basketball, lacrosse and track. He is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was an All-American midfielder on the Orange’s undefeated 1957 team. Brown is considered by many to be the greatest athlete of all-time, and in 2002 was tabbed by Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.
Roger Davis
Nicknamed “Hound Dog” because of his love for training hunting dogs, Davis helped fellow All-American Ernie Davis rush for 883 yards in 1959. He was a member of a Syracuse unit that led the country in total offense (451.5 ypg) on its way to winning the national championship. Davis played pro football for the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. He was a starter at right guard for the Bears in 1963 when they won the NFL championship.
Ernie Davis
Nicknamed the “Elmira Express” by sportswriter Al Mallette, Davis led Syracuse to a 26-5 record from 1959-61. As a sophomore in 1959, Davis scored two touchdowns against Texas in the Cotton Bowl to help the Orange complete a perfect season and capture the program’s only national championship. Two years later, Davis became the first African American and the only SU player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was selected first overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1962 NFL Draft and traded to Cleveland. Davis was diagnosed with leukemia the following summer and died in 1963 at the age of 23 without ever playing a professional game. The Browns retired his No. 45 jersey shortly after his death, and Davis was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. In 2008, he was subject of the Universal Pictures film “The Express,” starring Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown and Charles S. Dutton. The film was based on the non-fiction book “Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express” by Robert C. Gallagher.
Larry Csonka
Csonka led the Orange in rushing in 1966 and 1967 and was named the 1967 ECAC Player of the Year. He teamed with halfback Floyd Little to form the most potent rushing duo in school history. He holds the Orange record for most carries in a game (43 vs. Maryland in 1967). Csonka ranks fifth on SU’s career rushing list (2,934 yards) and recorded two 200-yard rushing games, including 204 yards against Cal as a senior in 1967. Csonka went on to play for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. He was a member of the 1972 Dolphins team that went undefeated and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Two years later, in 1989, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2007, Syracuse retired Csonka’s No. 39 jersey.
Tim Green
Green was a two-time finalist for the Lombardi Award, which at the time recognized the nation’s most outstanding lineman or linebacker. He was named the ECAC Player of the Year in 1985 and ranks first on Syracuse’s career sacks list with 45.5. He is the program’s top tackler among down linemen with 341 career stops. Green played for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. After his playing career ended, Green became a commentator for the NFL on FOX. A best-selling author and lawyer, Green won the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, given annually to six former student-athletes for distinguished career accomplishments on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation, in December 2011.
Ted Gregory
Gregory was a force during Syracuse’s 11-0-1 season in 1987. He captained a defense that only allowed more than 21 points once in 12 games. He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which at the time recognized the most outstanding lineman or linebacker in FBS football. Gregory completed his four-year career with 242 tackles, third all-time among Orange defensive linemen, and 17 sacks. He went on to play in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints.
Don McPherson
The Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1987, McPherson won the Maxwell (most outstanding player), Davey O’Brien (most outstanding quarterback) and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm (most outstanding senior quarterback) awards. McPherson’s 164.3 passer rating that season led the NCAA and stands as an Orange record. He also set the school single-season marks for most yards per pass attempt (10.2), most yards per completion (18.1). Upon graduating from Syracuse, McPherson spent seven seasons in the NFL and CFL. After retiring from football in 1994, he joined the staff of Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, before becoming the first executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University. McPherson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and Syracuse retired his No. 9 jersey in 2013.
John Flannery
With Flannery as the anchor of the offensive line from 1987-90, Syracuse posted a 3-0-1 record in bowl games. A native of Pottsville, Pa., Flannery started at left guard for Syracuse in 1987 before shifting to center. He was a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in both 1989 and 1990. He was drafted in the second round by the Houston Oilers and made the NFL All-Rookie Team in 1991. He later made stops with the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams, winning a Super Bowl title as a member of the Rams in 1999. The same year, Flannery was named to Syracuse’s All-Century Team.
Chris Gedney
A native of nearby Liverpool, N.Y., Gedney set the standard for Orange tight ends. He held the school records for most receptions by a tight end in a season (34) and career (91) until 2011. His 34 catches and five touchdowns during the 1992 season helped propel Syracuse to a 10-2 record and a victory over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. Gedney played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. He returned to his alma mater in 2008 and is currently a senior associate athletics director in the SU Orange Club. A member of Syracuse’s All-Century Team, Gedney was named a 2015 ACC Football Legend. He also serves as the color analyst for Syracuse IMG Sports Network football broadcasts.
Dwight Freeney
Freeney terrorized opposing quarterbacks from 1998-2001. He holds the Orange records for most sacks in a game (4.5 vs. Virginia Tech in 2000) and season (17.5 in 2001). He finished his career with 34 quarterback takedowns, second only to Tim Green on the Syracuse all-time list. Freeney was team MVP his junior year. As a senior in 2001, he was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection and shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also a finalist for the 2001 Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski awards. The Indianapolis Colts made Freeney the 11th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. In 2004, Freeney led the NFL with 16 sacks. He won a world championship with the Colts two years later when Indianapolis defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Freeney has also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons during his pro career. He ranks in the top 20 in NFL history with 122.5 career sacks.
