FanPost

How This Whole 44 Mess Gets Fixed, Is How It Could Have Been Avoided


I'm not even going to re-hash what's gone on the last few days. Let's just jump right into it.

This, in my opinion, is how you fix this whole mess, and quite honestly is how it should have been handled all along.

Syracuse has a norm of not retiring a number, but a particular players jersey. For example, Sherm's #20 has recently been worn by Brandon Triche. John Mackey's #88 was just worn by Jarrod West. McNabb' #5 was just worn by Austin Wilson AND Luke Arciniega. Fully retiring any number, goes against what is the standard operating procedure at Syracuse. The fact that 44 is a tradition at Syracuse, and the way Syracuse normally handles retired jerseys, leads us to this solution.

Let's pretend for a moment that the big three did not wear 44 at all. Let's just pretend that Brown wore 32, Davis wore 45, and Little wore 25.

Brown - First team All-American as a senior, 5th in a Heisman race he should have won, and widely known as the "greatest" to play the game.

Davis - Two-time First team All-American, National Championship, First African-American, and only Orangeman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Little - Three-time All-American, and finished 5th in Heisman voting in '65 and '66.

Add all the incredible stats of their careers to the above accolades. Does that not constitute a 32, 45, and 25 jersey to be hung up next to the likes of Mackey, Csonka, McNabb, McPherson? It certainly does. And that's how it should be. They should be recognized for their achievements the same way the others have been. Those three should have had individual jersey retirements, and then continue the tradition of 44 they same way you still offer 88, 39,5, etc.

That ugly gigantic 44 jersey does nothing to spotlight the big three. All that represents is the legend of 44, and hopefully that will continue. But I personally will not be satisfied about the whole thing until I see a Brown 44, Davis 44, and Little 44 hung up in the rafters and celebrated the way they each should be. And with future 44s to come, here's to more "retired" 44 jerseys hanging in the Dome.

Am I wrong?