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Jim Brown. Ernie Davis. Floyd Little.
The three best ever players for Syracuse football all wore number 44 for the Orange during their SU careers. Before Brown sported the number on his jersey in 1954, the renowned 44 was just another number. Brown, Davis and Little turned wearing 44 into a privilege. The six players given 44 after Brown, Davis and Little left SU might never have matched the success of the famed trio, but were still entrusted with the responsibility and honor of wearing the shirt for Syracuse. Wearing 44 really meant something. 
In November 2005 the number was retired. Fullback Rob Konrad was the last player to wear 44 for SU in 1998.
Imagine if Scott Shafer and Daryl Gross decided to bring the number out of retirement.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt recruiting. Telling a high school kid that he could one day wear the historic 44 shirt for the Orange is a unique and motivating selling point.
Having Shafer select one deserving offensive upper classmen (if there’s one on the roster in a given year) to wear 44 would show younger players how a Syracuse football player is supposed to act on and off the field. The talent exhibited by past 44s will surely not be reproduced, but the leadership and respectability could be.
It would be a switch from how the number worked in the past when it was given to a player usually for a few seasons based off of their excitement level. It would not be wise for the SU coaches to throw this responsibility at an electrifying but inexperienced young talent. 44 needs to be earned.
Because of Brown, Davis and Little many people outside of Syracuse are familiar with SU’s magic number. Bringing 44 back would increase interest in Syracuse football, even if just by a little: “I wonder how the new 44 is going to do?” “Did you see that great play by 44 last night?” It would give viewers another reason to watch.
So, could the great 44 even be unretired?
Precedence says yes. The Broncos unretired 18 when Peyton Manning came to town and former Bronco quarterback Frank Tripucka begged him to wear it. A similar situation unfolded in Seattle with Jerry Rice and number 80 in 2004.
Since Brown or Little will never beg any commit to wear 44, looking at what Michigan started to do with the number 21 in 2012 is much more applicable to Syracuse’s situation.
Wolverines coach Brady Hoke decided to give Desmond Howard‚Äôs number 21 ‚ÄúMichigan Football Legend‚Äù jersey to wide receiver Roy Roundtree because he: ‚Äúgraduated in April and is taking graduate classes, and he’s become one of the leaders of Team 133, on and off the field. He’s earned it,” according to his coach. Michigan decided against retiring the number and instead now memorialize it by giving it to a talented upper classmen leader each year.
Syracuse football would benefit if Shafer did the same with 44 at SU.
Posted by: Connor Morrissette
44 responses to “Should SU Football Unretire Number 44?”
A tradition should never be put on the shelve!!
DO NOT FORGET THE KIDS OF PSABUSEDU!! THE NCAA DID!!
I agree Terry..but they started using it to attract less than Brown, Davis Little type players. I am a member of a Club with Konrad. He and his family are doing well but I don’t think he ever thought he was Jim Brown!
They should bring it back…but use it only for players that REALLY show the ability to enter that rare air.
Of cpordr #44 should be used a the honor it isGiving it to a running back is an honor that benefits the player school and the fans. Criteria include ability and personality as in integrity. You don’t want a 66 to be detained for shoplifting or any other shameful action.That player must be prepared for the massive publicity and interest this will be focused in his direction. Field performance is only part of the equation. In the end its a benefit to all including the player himself. Two of the great #44s are still alive for support and advice. One is on campus and immediately available for council.
Cuse17 and Chris are both correct and make damn good points! For history sake I wonder what football program start the jersey “number thing” as a tradition!!
I would love to see Syracuse un-retire number 44. I would not give it to a recruit. The number would have to be earned by a proven player and passed down like that. It puts too much pressure on a recruit. I was at the Cuse when they gave it to a heralded recruit who never panned out‚Ķthen they gave it to another recruit, who struggled as well. I saw 2 players wear the number and their combined stats‚Ķmultiplied by two, didn’t equal Brown‚Ķor Davis‚Ķof Little!!!!
Yea Doc is right, Though I’m using a very very loose adaptation of something in the bible, giving the 44 to a recruit is like casting pearls to a pig. Even if the recruit turns out to be a great one, I think the 44 jersey should be perserved for standout upperclassmen who have shown excellence on the field and in the classroom(though some don’t really care about that).
And to top it all off, 44’s should rarely be issued in my opinion. Make the jersey number mean something. Don’t use it as a recruiting tool is my bottom line. A) when was the last relevant #44 Syracuse football player that the modern day recruit can relate to? So it isn’t as appealing as we might think B)Not every guy is worthy of the jersey.
Michael Owens wore it pretty well I thought. Terry Richardson maybe didn’t live up to billing, but we never get him ot transfer from Florida if 44 isn’t on the table. Konrad is a similar case, in that he doesn’t come to SU without the number. That is how it is an affective recruiting tool, but I agree with most here that while it should come out of “retirement”, it shouldn’t be used as a carrot to any and every hot stuff 17 year old. I was not of this mind a just a little while back, but I am coming around to the idea of awarding it to an upperclassman, or even just anyone on the team that has earned it in the eyes of the staff and the players. We are playing freshman, so why not let them wear the number if they earn it. My biggest debate now is do you get it for the season, or a game by game basis?
BRING BACK #44! GO ORANGE!!!
Malone, I say season, thats why it should be earned via on field performance and classroom excellence. Let the 44 symbolize the prototypical all around student/athlete/person
I would have loved to see Walter Reyes with the 44. He was one of my favorite Orange players. Diamond Ferri needs an honorary 44 to hang in his house for that iron man performance v. BC though he had already transitioned to a Defensive player by then.
We shouldn’t be having this discussion,for me it’s a no brainer,just unretire the number.
We used the #44 as a recruiting tool for Rob Konrad while in his senior year and also gave him the syracuse play book so that he could start playing as a true freshman. I don’t think that Konrad lived up to expections as a player and diffently didn’t earn it.
I feel if the jersey does come down from the rafters it should be given to a player (no matter what the position) that has proved to the community that his play as a freshman and sophomore has earned it and has given him the chance to wear #44. I would give it to a player who is at least a junior and let him have it for the last two years of his career at Syracuse.
But and I mean BUT,I would set the player down and show him games of Jim Brown Earnie Davis and Floyd Little running the ball and explain to him what’s expected.
As far as I’m concerned Brown,Davis and Little are the best consecutive set of running backs that’s ever played the game for any school in the country. Jim Brown should have been the first black athlete to ever win the Heisman Trophy with Earnie Davis being the second man to accomplish that goal.
It’s really sad because for me there will never be another Jim Brown running the ball in any game,that’s how good he was.
GO CUSE;
PS;I forgot to add,if the jerswey does get unretired then I feel the University should let the fans have a chance of voting for the player they see fit to wear #44. It should be a joint effort between the fans and coaching staff to elect a player helping resurrect the glory days of Syracuase Football.
Gonna disagree with you here Ron. From a PR move, I can see a fan vote being great, and they could always lie and ignore the fan vote too, but I think for the number to really have meaning, and help build the team into a stronger unit, it needs to come from players and coaches. Those are the guys they’re doing it for first and foremost. I have seen fan votes really mess up an all-star roster, so why not this? It should not be a popularity contest, and fans didn’t vote to give it to Brown, Davis, or Little.
@Malone;
I think you may be right about the fans getting a vote. But I need to ask,don’t you think the people who are doing the voting for the Heisman is giving a popularity vote? I mean after all,it’s a wonder that people like you and I haven’t heard a thing yet as to who should win the 2014 Heisman Trophy. Wait a minute I have read that they all have Jamis Winston winning it again and the most amazing thing is we haven’t played one down of football yet.
@Malone;
I think you may be right about the fans getting a vote. But I need to ask,don’t you think the people who are doing the voting for the Heisman is giving a popularity vote? I mean after all,it’s a wonder that people like you and I haven’t heard a thing yet as to who should win the 2014 Heisman Trophy. Wait a minute I have read that they all have Jamis Winston winning it again and the most amazing thing is we haven’t played one down of football yet.
The 1971 Heisman Trophy between Ed Marinaro who played for Cornell University and Pat Sullivan who played for Auburn is the one that made me realize the voting had changed. The player who had better statistics and meant more to his team wasn’t always going to be the winner. I truly believe that Pat Sullivan won it because he played football in the SEC and not the Ivy League.
I apologige for making the mistake of writing the first paragragh twice.
Take it out of the fans hands, and let it be a decision ultimately made by the coaches with some insight coming from team and….any living SU legends.
Then at the home opener of that player’s jr season, have the SU Legends present him with the jersey during the pregame.
First, I would have the #44 jersey placed back in action.
Secondly, I suggest the Head Coach gives out the jersey to the well deserving running back as in the movie “The Express” when Coach S. gave the jersey to Davis.
Third, you cannot make history by not using it. A tradition lives on!
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