Syracuse football legend Tim Green set to have his jersey retired vs the Clemson Tigers in Week 3 of the 2019 season. Here are all the details.
The Syracuse football squad is pulling out all the stops for their ACC opener vs the Clemson Tigers in Week 3 of the 2019 season.
That of course includes the latest news that Syracuse football legend Tim Green will have his jersey retired during halftime on September 14th.
According to the official press release, Green becomes the first (predominantly) defensive player to ever has his jersey retired by Syracuse University.
The Orange’s all-time sack leader had this to say about this distinction (per the press release):
"“I humbly accept this great honor not on behalf of myself but on behalf of Coach Mac, his entire coaching staff, including strength coach Mike Woicik, my teammates and of course – George O’Leary,” Green said. “Without them, any success I had on the football field would not have been possible. I also want my fellow Syracuse Orange fans to know how much I have enjoyed their kindness and support through the years. This recognition is especially sweet because it comes during another era of rebirth to greatness for the SU football program. I want to thank John Wildhack and the current administration for this incredible tribute.”"
In SU’s 129 year history only six players have seen their jerseys hang in the rafters:
- Larry Csonka (No. 39)
- John Mackey (No. 88)
- Donovan McNabb (No. 5)
- Don McPherson (No. 9)
- Joe Morris (No. 47)
- Tim Green (No. 72)
Of course the No. 44 is also retired and that has been worn by 25 different players including some of the best running backs in history: Floyd Little, Jim Brown, and Ernie Davis.
For those who didn’t get to see Green play, he was an absolutely dominant figure that tallied 45.5 career sacks (most all-time at Syracuse). He also owns three of the four highest single season sack totals in program history.
But anyone who knows Tim realizes he is much more than just a football player. After dominating the college football record books he would go on to be a first round pick (17th overall) for the Atlanta Falcons where he would play eight seasons.
After his football playing days he got a law degree, enjoyed a successful broadcasting career with NFL on Fox, is a New York Times best-selling author and has written 38 books just to name a few things he has accomplished.
"“Now 55 years old, Green revealed on “60 Minutes” last November that he’s living with a slow-progressing version of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. Green and his family have started a fundraising effort for ALS research at Massachusetts General Hospital called Tackle ALS. To date, Tackle ALS has generated more than $2.1 million for ALS research.”"
If you would like to help those efforts and have the means to do so visit: www.TackleALS.com and donate today. This is a terrible disease and the only way to beat it is with a tremendous amount of teamwork, let’s all tackle ALS together.