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The Four Faces Of Syracuse Football

Couple weeks back we tried to figure out who was on the Syracuse Sports Mount Rushmore (as well as who was on the bizarro version, Mount Cuseless, if you will).  Brian Bennett over at ESPN took a stab at trying to figure out the football-only version.  I think, based on the thoughts of most SU fans, he got it right:

Jim Brown: Probably the first name you think of when you hear the words "Syracuse football," and with good reason.

Ernie Davis: The only Syracuse player to have a movie made about him, the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner belongs on this list.

Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder: The legendary coach notched 153 wins in nearly a quarter of a century at the helm of the program.

Donovan McNabb: Modernizing Syracuse's Mount Rushmore a bit here, with clearly the best Orange player in the Big East era.

A couple names probably spring to mind that also warrant consideration...Vic Hanson, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, John Mackey, Art Monk, Marvin Harrison.  But at the end of the day, I think you have to go with these four.  Brown and Davis were good enough to make our all-sports version of the wall.  Schwartzwalder is the coach that turned SU into a national championship program and oversaw Brown, Davis and many other Hall-of-Fame players walk through the door.  And McNabb is the consummate "modern era" Syracuse player and the best SU player of the Big East Era.

So taken with McNabb was Bennet that he added him to the Big East Football Mount Rushmore as well, alongside Mike Tranghese, Miami and Pat White.  This one's probably up for dissection a little more. 

This all speaks to McNabb's greatness but nothing really says "legend" like having your jersey worn on a short-lived WB sitcom.  Colin W. sent this link over for tan episode of he TV show "Smart Guy" in which one of the cast-members is seen wearing an SU McNabb jersey (3:25 mark).  Obviously, the most important question in all of this is...why was Colin watching an episode of a sitcom that went off the air in 1999 in the first place?

 

Smartguy1_medium

 

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OMAR GOODING!

He was great on Wild and Crazy Kids

by rs27 on Feb 17, 2009 1:09 PM EST reply actions  

haha, I remember Playmakers. I thought it was okay for an ESPN attempt at a drama, but I understand why they dropped it. Surprised that a network like FX never picked it up, it seems to fit right in their niche.

Syracuse '12

by blackknight76 on Feb 17, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions  

the NFL

got so far up their asses that ESPN had to drop it or loose MNF which they were working on at the time.

by ryanwk628 on Feb 17, 2009 3:16 PM EST up reply actions  

you have to admit though

more and more playmakers feels plausible if not realistic

by 86trash on Feb 17, 2009 3:45 PM EST up reply actions  

He's a SMART Guy!

I used to watch Smart Guy sadly. Unfortunately at the time I was no where close to deciding to attend Syracuse.

by JRSu1 on Feb 17, 2009 4:32 PM EST up reply actions  

McNabb also made an appearence on The George Lopez Show opposite Daunte Culpepper trying to convince George why he should convince his daughter’s boyfriend to attend Syracuse University.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1pJpG99ZQY

by Orange Chuck on Feb 17, 2009 4:25 PM EST reply actions  

Was it ‘Cuse as opposed to UCF because that’s a no-brainer if so…

Syracuse '12

by blackknight76 on Feb 17, 2009 4:31 PM EST reply actions  

Go on the ESPN blog...

…and PLEASE slap some sense into the other posters. Everyone keeps saying “where are the basketball players?” It’s a FOOTBALL Mount Rushmore, people! I’m the only one pointing out the obvious to the unwashed masses over there (roll76) – I need some backup. So far the only other people to make intelligent posts on that column are (ugh) West Virginia fans.

"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998

by kotite4ever on Feb 17, 2009 6:03 PM EST reply actions  

No idea

So dumb…

"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998

by kotite4ever on Feb 17, 2009 6:47 PM EST up reply actions  

I try not to let myself get drawn into comment threads there...

Everything either has one or two posts (i.e. no one cares) or hundreds (i.e. it’s impossible to follow).

by drothgery on Feb 17, 2009 10:54 PM EST up reply actions  

Did anyone see the New York Mt. Rushmore on Sports Center?

It was Babe Ruth, Joe Namath, Jackie Robinson and Jim Brown.

They didn’t even mention that Jim Brown went to Syracuse!! They just said he was from Long Island. Total Bull… I used to like rick Rielly

by Rocket Ship Science on Feb 18, 2009 11:41 AM EST reply actions  

They mentioned it, they talked about him playing football and being (at the time) the greatest Lax player of all time for us, and how they had to change rules because of him and stuff.

Syracuse '12

by blackknight76 on Feb 18, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions  

You liked Rick Rielly? So you’re the one.

by Otis Hill on Feb 18, 2009 12:11 PM EST up reply actions  

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