Sports Center
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Hill: Sports Center 125 YEARS Syracwe Univet<~ity '.:! .1tature ha.1 certainLy been enhanced by it.1 athLetic program, which ha.1 generated enormotM vi.fihifity for the Univer.1ity whiLe producing a Long Li.1t of memorable competitor.1. Compiled by Bob HiLL 46 Published by SURFACE, 1995 SYRAC USE UN IVERS ITY M AGA Z INE 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 11, Iss. 3 [1995], Art. 10 dressing room to change for a lacrosse game, then was called back to the track by a stu egends often begin innocently, and at dent manager. Asked to fill in on the javelin Sy niversity, the legend of number throw, he heaved it 162 feet on his first 44 began in such a manner one August day in attempt, propelling Syracuse to victory. 1954 in the Archbold Stadium locker room. Brown's football exploits set the stage for Standing before Al Zak, SU's equipment the showstopping 44s to follow, Ernie Davis manager, was a sophomore and fifth-string and Floyd Little. running back. Davis didn't want the number, was "What's your name, son?" Zak asked. coerced into wearing it, then sparked Syra "Jim Brown." cuse to the national championship in 1959. Zak tossed Brown jersey number 44. He made the key play in the Orangemen's Brown, the first Syracuse back to wear the Cotton Bowl defeat of Texas, overcoming an number, soon became a starter, then a star. ailing hamstring muscle to score on an 87- By his senior season many considered him to yard touchdown play. Two years later, he be be the nation's finest player. He gained near carne the first African American to win col ly 1,000 yards in eight games, scored an lege football's most celebrated prize, the NCAA-record 43 points against Colgate, Heisman Trophy. then scored three touchdowns in a Cotton Two years after that, Floyd Little was Bowl loss against Texas Christian University. debating whether to accept a scholarship Arguably the most talented athlete in SU offer from Notre Dame or Syracuse when history, Brown was drafted by the National Davis died of leukemia. Little had idolized Football League (where he eventually set Davis and immediately chose to follow him to game, season, and career rushing records) Syracuse. Little, who had the good fortune of and the National Basketball Association, playing with hulking fullbacks Jim Nance even though he stopped playing basketball and Larry Csonka, smashed the records of after his junior season. He also received a let both Brown and Davis and became a three ter of inquiry from the New York Yankees time, first-team All-American. and was an All-American in lacrosse- he "Number 44 has real meaning now," coach helped carry the 1957 team through an Ben Schwartzwalder said at the conclusion unbeaten season. of Little's career. "Every time we go out On his final day of athletic competition at recruiting, kids try to bargain us into promis Syracuse, Brown won the discus and shot ing it to them." put in a varsity track meet, returned to the They still do. 47 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol11/iss3/10 S P RI NG 1995 2 Hill: Sports Center SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT e was r ecr uited from t he intra H mu ral fields adjacent to Archbold Gymnasium a nd became Sy racu se's first Africa n-American football p layer. He quarterback ed the team to its first Marty Glickman w in over Colgate in 14 y ears and engi n eered o n e of t h e m ost asto und ing comebacks in Sy racuse football histo TOUGH GUY ry , passing for th ree touchdow ns in six oy Simmons Sr. called him the minutes in the fourth quarter of a 19- R m ost aggressive m a n h e ever 17 defeat of Cornell. Yet the legacy of coached. Rico Woyciesjes w o n inter W ilmeth S idat-Sing h is bound m ore collegiate boxing championships three closely to a 1937 gam e in w hic h h e times a nd was co-captain of Sy racuse's wasn 't allowed to p lay . Eastern C ha mpionship team in 1941. Bor n to Africa n-Amer ican pare nts An u nderwater inte llig ence expe rt a nd given an India n surname w hen his during World W ar II, Woyciesjes w as mother remarried , Sidat-Singh played honored by the N avy and Marines for in a r acia lly precariou s era. At the his "d a ring init iative in t h e face of time, south ern teams had an unwritten g rave d a nger" a nd later instructed agr eement w ith north ern teams t h at young Marines in jung le survival a nd often ba r red African Americans from a mphib ious landings. H e earned a pa rticipating in ga mes between teams m ast e r's d eg r ee from Syracuse in from th e two regions. S U billed its 1955, became a scientist, and d evel quarterback as the nation 's only foot oped gentamicin, an antibiotic credited ball-playing Hindu. The U niversity of OLYMPIC w ith saving millions of lives. Mary land w asn't fooled, and Sidat INJUSTICE Singh w as forced to listen to a radio ne of the first GOOD AS GOLD account of SU's 13-0 loss to Mary land O American vic- ou g la s M acArthur, w h o w o uld from a hotel room in Baltimore. Sidat tim s of Adolf Hit ler 's D later earn military fame in World Sing h gained r evenge the follow ing r acia l tyranny was a W ar II, was in ch arge of t h e U n ited year , w h en h e was a llowed t o p lay Sy racuse U niversity stu States O ly mpic team in 1928, and h e against M a ry la nd in Archbold S ta d e nt. Marty G lic kma n, was n er vous. T h e track competition dium. S U w on, 53-0. the Jewis h football star a nd fu t u re was n early com p lete a n d t he U nited sportscaster, lost h is claim to a near S tates had yet to w in a gold meda l. THE RELUCTANT HERO certain gold m edal in the 1936 O lym R ay Bar buti, t h e footba ll star from asketball coach J im Boeheim once pics w hen United States team officials Sy r acu se, told M acA rthur to r elax, B scored a sch oo l-r ecord 37 points pulled him from the 4 00-meter relay that things were about to cha nge. Bar for his unde feated high school team team, w hich easily won its event. J esse buti then w on the 4 00-m eter race in a nd spent t h e next d ay in seclu sio n, O wens, an African American, had al spectacular fashion, throw ing his body carefully avoid ing contact with anyone ready captured four gold medals in the across the finish line a nd onto the jag w ho mig ht have w it n essed or h ear d track compet ition in Berlin, and t he ged cind ers of the Amsterdam track . about his exp loits. "Jimmy d idn't li ke United States contingent w as not ea Soon after, M acArthur asked Ba rbuti peop le congratulating him," his father ger to fu rth er e mbarrass H itler by t o run the a n ch o r leg in t h e 1,600- once said. "H e was low-k ey . H e didn't d raping a g old m ed a l over J ewis h m eter r elay . H e did, and th e U nited toot his own horn. All h e w a nted to sh oulders. Sta tes soon had its second gold medal. do was w in." RICO WOYCIESJES RAY BARBUTI (CENTER) WILMETH SIDAT· SINGH 48 Published by SURFACE, 1995 SY RA C US E U N IVERS ITY M AGA Z INE 3 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 11, Iss. 3 [1995], Art. 10 Despite the best efforts of a race official, Syracuse University junior Kathy Switzer (number 261) became the first woman to officially enter and complete the Boston Marathon in 1967. THE INTRUDER schoolmate, running partner, and boy along. Hanson captained the football, s a college athlete without a college friend, thwarted the official with a basketball, a nd baseball teams, a nd Ateam, distance runner Kathy Swit shoulder block. Switzer completed the was considered the nation's best foot zer needed a forum in w hich to com race unhindered but not unheralded ball and basketball player. As a senior, pete. T he one she found garnered na her picture appeared in newspapers he led the basketball team to the 1926 tional headlines. nationwide the next day. national championship. In 1967, Switzer became the first wo Years later, Switzer's influe n ce man to officially enter and complete the h elped p ersu ade the Inte rnational THE SLY FOX OF THE HUDSON Boston Marathon, which didn't wel O ly mpic Committee to include the wo pioneer in collegiate rowing, come wom e n for another five years.