Introducing the ‘Feats of Orange’ from the Council of 44

One of the big news items out of John’s coverage of John Wildhack and Dino Babers’s L.A. visit was the fact that the number 44 isn’t necessarily retired when it comes to Syracuse Orange football.

Wildhack doesn’t believe it should be permanently retired, but used with permission of previous 44s for a student-athlete that exemplifies characteristics of those that wore the number before.....

Not sure what this means for the vaunted “Council of 44,” but that sounds like it’s unretired — even if not in circulation right now. Making an assumption based on that, it also seems like it’s not a recruiting tool (or at least no freshman would get the number).

Well we reached out to some of our TNIAAM sources and we can confirm some of the Feats of Orange that the Council of 44 will require any candidate to pass before they can earn the vaunted number.

Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

Our sources were not comfortable with divulging all of the Feats of Orange* but they did agree to share a sample of the tasks any potential 44 must successfully complete to earn the Council’s approval.

*We’ve also been told that no candidate can request that Riley Dixon complete the Feats for them.

Surviving a recreation of Rob Konrad’s epic ocean swim for survival

Candidates are blindfolded and taken into the middle of Lake Ontario where they are dropped off to swim to shore. The twist here is that swim in the wrong direction and you’ll end up in Toronto where you will be added to the Argonauts’ roster

Sacrificing something they love to earn the Soul Stone

The candidate is taken to the planet of Vormir where they must complete the requirements necessary to earn the Soul Stone: sacrificing the #PLATINUM Syracuse uniforms and all New York’s College Team related merchandise. Seems too easy, right? Oh, but it’s never simple to destroy free merchandise.

Locking the Gates

The candidate will be tasked with spending an entire weekend keeping the gates of the Carrier Dome secure while the undead #IStandWithShafer army attempts to infiltrate the building. Can the candidate protect the Loud House while resisting the herd’s “Hardnosed” wailing?

If the prospective 44 can survive all of the Feats of Orange they advance to The Final Fire. Waiting for them at the Tug Hill Plateau will be a blanket of lake effect snow and this man:

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

GERG will explain to the candidate that in order to don the legendary number they must successfully build a snowball which catches fire. As they attempt to complete this feat, GERG will be right beside them inspiring them with a reading of The Little Engine that Could.

Only by completing the Feats of Orange successfully will the Council of 44 bestow upon the Syracuse player the honor of wearing the number in competition. Here at TNIAAM we will be actively monitoring for any attempts at Feats of Orange completion.