et al.: Sports Journal Sports journal An up-close look at SU athletics

Five Years Closer 1979, the Cherry Bowl in Pontiac, Future Michigan. to the Five years after he began, Mac­ At a news conference back in Pherson's program is achieving December 1980, the Syracuse com­ modest but genuine success. The munity was introduced to Dick team may be one season away from MacPherson, then assistant coach the "recent tradition" he sought. of the 's Bona fide stars remain on the squad . MacPherson, at in 1986. And other football powers, age 50, had just been named the particularly in the Northeast, have 25th of Syracuse declined, creating a vacuum that University football. Syracuse might fill. The threshhold At the conference, MacPherson seems near. spoke of tradition. He said that MacPherson's first five years Syracuse once had a tradition of have proven, to no one's great sur­ great football, but the tradition had prise, that rebuilding a collegiate been obscured by years of football program is a frustrating mediocrity. He was right. In the 12 assignment. For each of the above years before his arrival-following milestones, there seems to have an 8-2 season in 1967-Syracuse been a setback. There was the had compiled a 56-74-1 record. midseason swoon of 1984, for "Back in 1980," MacPherson example-consecutive losses to says now, "the kids we were trying Florida, West Virginia, and Penn to recruit didn't know of the great State. And SU's losing streak to the tradition. Unless they were trivia Nittany Lions now stands at 15 con­ buffs, they didn't know how great secutive games dating back to 1970. Syracuse was back in the late 1950s There was an embarrassing shut­ and through the '60s." Between out by Rutgers in the Carrier Dome 1958 and 1967, SU went 77-26 and one week before the upsetting of earned a national championship. Nebraska. Last year, there was a "The kids only knew Syracuse as pitiful30-3 drubbing at the hands the sub-.500 team they saw during of Mississippi State, yet another During the past five years, Head Coach Dick MacPherson (right) has their generation," he says. loss to old nemesis Penn State (SU watched over the slow and not always steady rebuilding of Syracuse And so, five years ago, Dick seemed to have the game won until football. This fall's campaign should be telling; after last year's Cherry MacPherson set out to establish a costly late-game fumble set up the Bowl appearance, the Orangemen may be riding a wave to the top of what he called a "recent tradition." winning drive), and a heart­ the East. One key factor in the team's success will be junior quarter­ "We had to recapture that mystique breaking 13-10 loss to West Virginia back Don McPherson (above), who assumed a starting role in the of the Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, in the regular season finale. Top­ middle of last season and became the team's leading rusher. Floyd Little, and Larry Czonka ping it off was the 35-18 thrashing years," he says. by Maryland in the Cherry Bowl. got second best;' MacPherson says. grams in cramped Manley Field Initially it didn't go well. In the "We're not really where I wanted "But now we're closing the gap House, but last year a new first three years, MacPherson's us to be after five years," says Mac­ quickly." According to MacPher­ 12,000-square-foot football wing teams were 11-21-1, including a Pherson, whose SU win-loss son, this year's incoming freshmen was added to Manley. The team dismal 2-9 in 1982. record now stands at 25-30-1. "I and last year's are the coach's best wing includes a locker room, Since then, however, the Syra­ believe there has been steady im­ classes yet. meeting rooms, lounge and study cuse football program has shown provement, but it has come ever so When he talks to recruits, Mac­ areas, and more complete weight signs of resurgence. In 1983 and slowly. We seem to just climb that Pherson emphasizes academic and training rooms. 1984, SU compiled identical 6-5 hump to become a powerhouse, but quality, top-notch facilities, win­ "I've been all over," MacPherson winning seasons. In the final two then we always seem to fall back." ning seasons, and a bowl ap­ says, "and ours is one of the best games of 1983, SU upset Boston Nonetheless, though he may not pearance. While academic quality training and prac­ College and West Virginia, both be completely satisfied, MacPher­ has a! ways been a Syracuse selling tice facilities anywhere." top-20 teams and eventual bowl­ son recognizes significant progress, point, the other elements, par­ The bowl appearance-though game participants. Then-un­ particularly in the area of recruit­ ticularly the latter two, are more re­ SU lost-has already had far­ believably-on September 29, ing. Successful recruiting is one cent phenomena. ranging effects. Other than Penn 1984, Syracuse upset number-one reason continued progress is By facilities, MacPherson State, none of SU's recruiting rivals Nebraska 17-9 in what has become thinkable. doesn't mean just the Carrier (Pitt, Boston College, Rutgers, and known as the "Miracle Game." Last "Penn State and Pittsburgh, our Dome. Prior to 1985, the football West Virginia) made bowl ap­ year, SU finished 7-5 and par­ immediate rivals, always got the team shared locker-room space pearances last year. ticipated in its first bowl game since cream of the crop, while we often with other major men's athletic pro- "Nineteen eighty-five was a key

46 MAGAZINE Published by SURFACE, 1986 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 2, Iss. 3 [1986], Art. 12

son says, the same group averaged amples of the names that became closer to 225-230 pounds. known last season. Gregory, 6 '1 ", "I think the improvement began 252 pounds, is a junior noseguard even before Coach Mac and his staff who earned East Coast Athletic came here, with guys like Blaise Conference (ECAC) Division I All­ Winter and Jamie Kimmel," says Star honors in 1985. Paul, a 6 '2 ", graduated senior and cocaptain Tim 191-pound defensive back, in­ Green, a first-rounddraftchoiceof tercepted seven passes last year, the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. "And more than any other freshman in the every year I've been here, I've seen country, and also earned ECAC the recruits get better and better. honors. Who knows, 1986 might be the year The real key to Syracuse's suc­ for the big dividends." cess, according to Costello, is SU "The fastest, easiest way to Don McPherson, the establish a recent tradition," Mac­ first Heismann-potential quarter­ Pherson concludes, "is to win ball back at SU since Bill Hurley. games and go to bowls. We do that, "McPherson is one of the best and we'll be able to get players like running in the coun­ this year's recruiting class every try," Costello says. McPherson, year." 6 '0 ", 182 pounds, was actually SU's Will1986 bring the recent tradi­ leading rusher last year, with 489 tion to fruition? The players are cer­ yards. "He's so adept and danger­ tain it will. ous as a runner that people under­ "We want to be recognized as the estimate him as a passer. I think if top team in the East," says senior he plays well, SU plays well." wide receiver Scott Schwedes. McPherson emerged as the start­ "Nineteen eighty-five was a ing quarterback in the fourth game stepping-stone. We saw that going of 1985. He went on to set SU to a bowl game is tangible for us." season records by passing 1,469 Schwedes, 5 '11 ", 171 pounds, is yards and throwing 12 touchdown SU's third leading all-time receiver passes. McPherson accounted for and was a Sporting News second­ 315 total yards in the Cherry team All-America punt returner, Bowl-204 passing, lll rushing. returning 24 punts for a 16.0 average Does this all add up to the prom­ and two touchdowns. In one game ised return of a Syracuse winning last year against Temple, he ran a tradition? punt back for a touchdown, caught "The offense has to come a touchdown pass, and threw an op­ through," Costello says. "I don't tion pass for a score. think Syracuse will revert to "We've got to prove that we can mediocrity this year. For them to play with some of the better teams step up into the higher echelons, in the nation," says Tim Pidgeon, though, will be tough." a 5 '11 ", 240-pound senior -Marty Bah/ linebacker who was SU's leading tackler last year. "We have to beat those teams with the winning records-the big-name teams." Be There The experts are naturally more conservative in their forecasts. Individual tickets for the ''Any team that plays Syracuse Orangemen's six home games are knows it's in for a dogfight. I'm not now available. Prices are $15 each surprised when they upset anybody for the Missouri, Pittsburgh, and anymore. As far as Syracuse emerg­ Navy games; $14 for Mississippi ing as a top-20 team, though, I'm State, Virginia Tech, and Rutgers year for shaking out in the East," from Blasdell, New York; Michael not convinced," says Bob Costello, (see back cover for full schedule). MacPherson says. "Everybody Owens, a 6 '1 ", 190-pound Parade assistant editor of Football News. Season tickets, guaranteeing the except us and Penn State was Magazine All-America running The defense will remain strong, best of available seats, will be sold down .... Kids want to go some­ back from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Costello believes. "They had seven until opening day, September 6, for where that will take them to a bow I who will wear SU's fiunous number players starting for the first time in $87. game. We got that. If we had beat 44 jersey; Bill Scharr, a 6 '2 ", 1985, and five of them will be back For information about ticket West Virginia [to end the season] 190-pound quarterback from with a year of experience," he says. locations and availability, stop by and played a better game against Canandaigua, New York, one ofthe "Plus [defensive back Peter] Ewald the Carrier Dome box office (Gate Maryland, the picture would be most highly-sought quarterback will be back [from a knee injury]. B) or phone 315423-2121, Monday even prettier." prospects in the country; and 25 A defense with guys like [Ted] through Friday between 8:30a.m. Even so, the list of 1986 recruits other freshmen. The offensive line Gregory and [Markus] Paul is go­ and 4:30p.m. is impressive: Blake Bednarz, a recruits this year average 614 ", 250 ing to be solid." 6 W', 280-pound offensive lineman pounds; in recent years, MacPher- Gregory and Paul are good ex-

AUGUST 1986 47 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol2/iss3/12 2