Syracuse Football: Top 10 players that should have their jerseys retired

Paul A. Esden Jr.

SAN DIEGO - SEPTEMBER 28: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) Dwight Freeney #93 of the San Diego Chargers looks on from the sidelines during his team's 33-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in their NFL game at Qualcomm Stadium on September 28, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The Syracuse football squad needs to retire several more jerseys that have been eligible for a very long time. Here’s who has been wronged.

With the recent news of Syracuse football legend Tim Green finally getting his jersey retired, it got us thinking? Who else in Syracuse lore deserves to have their jersey hanging in the rafters?

Only six individuals have had (or will have in Green’s case) the honor of seeing their jersey hang from the top of the Carrier Dome:

Larry Csonka (No. 39)
John Mackey (No. 88)
Donovan McNabb (No. 5)
Don McPherson (No. 9)
Joe Morris (No. 47)
Tim Green (No. 72)

On top of those six individuals listed above, 25 different players have had the distinct honor of wearing the famed No. 44 jersey including but not limited too: Jim Brown, Floyd Little, and Ernie Davis.

Syracuse has been around for 129 years, that’s a long time, and we feel several Syracuse football legends have slipped through the cracks and deserve to be honored for their collegiate and pro accomplishments.

We dug through the history books, reviewed the tape, and we boiled our list down to the top 10 Syracuse football players who deserve to have their jerseys retired. Check out our list below and then share your thoughts! Do you agree? Disagree? Who got snubbed?

Played at Syracuse from 1989-92.
Consensus All-American in 1992.

One of the greatest tight ends in program history, behind the legendary John Mackey of course. Gedney was a native of Liverpool, New York.

Chris held the school records for most receptions by a tight end in a season (34) and career (91) up until 2011. Perhaps his greatest season was in 1992 where he recorded 34 catches and snagged five touchdowns en-route to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Colorado and a 10-2 overall record for the Cuse.

After his collegiate career, Gedney had a very respectable professional career in the NFL playing seven years between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals. Shortly after his playing career, he returned to his alma mater working in the front office and also worked as a color analyst with the Syracuse football squad from 2007-2017.

"Chris held that position until his untimely passing in 2018. “HBO correspondent Jon Frankel, a Syracuse University alumnus who struck up a friendship with Gedney over the last few years, says Gedney committed suicide after recognizing something was wrong with his brain, leading to depression and other behavior issues”, per Nate Mink of Syracuse.com."

Just remember, you’re not alone, confidential help is available for free with the National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-8255.

Played at Syracuse from 1987-90.
Voted a consensus All-American in 1990, one of only 17 players in Orange history to accomplish that feat.
Played in 80 NFL games throughout the 1990s (1991-99) for the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys, and the St. Louis Rams. John won Super Bowl 34 with the Rams.

During Flannery’s time on the hill, the team went 36-10-3 and an outstanding 3-0-1 in bowl games (and we all know what that tie was).

John anchored the famous 1987 offensive line that drove the Orange to an 11-0-1 record, tying Auburn in the Sugar Bowl (sorry for bringing that back up). John started that season out as a guard, before transitioning to center. Also in that same season, Don McPherson finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting (he also should have won that, but I digress).

John Flannery was named to the Syracuse All-Century team the same year he won Super Bowl 34 during his time with the St. Louis Rams (also known as the Greatest Show on Turf). Offensive linemen for whatever reason don’t get the same love as skill position players, but John deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments.

Played at Syracuse from 1978-81.
Voted a first-team All-American in 1981 from one selector and honorable mention from another.
Played for five different NFL teams (Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Tennessee Titans) from 1982-2004.
Won Pro Football Weekly’s Golden Toe Award (presented to the league’s most outstanding kicker in 1998).

Wait for a second, a kicker should have his jersey retired? Yes. Gary Anderson isn’t your normal kicker, he was one of the best kickers not just in college football history, but NFL history.

Gary Anderson is in third place all-time on the NFL’s total field goals made list (538), has attempted the third most field goals in NFL history (672), has the fourth most extra points made (820), and fifth most extra points attempted (827).

Anderson is third in Syracuse history for most field goals made in a single season (18, 1981) and still holds the highest season percentage of field goals made (94.7 percent also in 1981).

Kickers don’t get nearly the same amount of love as other positions, but as the best placekicker in program history and a borderline Pro Football Hall of Famer, I think it’s clear that No. 1 should be hanging in the rafters.

Played at Syracuse from 1916-20.
Three-time All American (twice consensus): 1918, 1919, and 1920.
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Elected to Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.

Even though jersey numbers weren’t a thing yet, a blank jersey with his name on the back of it would certainly suffice.

Many Syracuse football fans weren’t alive to appreciate Joe Alexander, but hopefully, you can understand some of his career accomplishments. For instance, Alexander and Ernie Davis are the only two players in program history to earn multiple consensus All-American honors.

Versatility was the name of his game not only on the football field but off of it. He captained the Syracuse lacrosse team for one season. J.A. was a member of Syracuse’s All-Century football team and was a local product of old Central High School in Syracuse. Finally, in his three A-A seasons, SU went 19-6-1 and tossed 14 shutouts. It outscored the opposition 473-89 in dominant fashion.

After his Syracuse career, he went on to play professionally as a “roving center” a position we now call “linebacker”.

Played in the NFL on weekends between 1921-27, practicing medicine in between. He ended up spending 40 years as a physician/surgeon. While a pro was twice an All-Pro. Also spent two seasons as both head coach AND player (one with the Rochester Jeffersons; one with the New York Giants).

His nickname was “Alexander The Great”, he is honored today with Syracuse annually handing out its’ Joseph Alexander Award to the Orange football player who best personifies excellence in football, scholarship, and citizenship.

Played at Syracuse from 1924-27.
A product of Watertown, N.Y.
Consensus All-American in 1926.
The only man in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Elected to Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.

Same situation here with Vic Hanson, even though jersey numbers weren’t a thing yet, a blank jersey with his name on the back of it or another honor of that level is a must.

Speaking with Central New York Icon Bud Poliquin he called Vic Hanson, “SU’s very own Jim Thorpe.” Thorpe was considered one of the most versatile modern athletes in history.

The definition of versatility is the ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities, per Dictionary.com.

For those who didn’t get the chance to know or see Vic Hanson play, here’s a taste:

Hanson was the captain of all three teams at Syracuse (football, baseball, and basketball):
- His Syracuse football teams went 23-5-3, including shutting out Penn State twice. Outscoring opponents 581-144 over those three seasons.
- Vic won a national title in 1926 with the Syracuse basketball squad going 49-7 during his career.
- Vic was named to both of Syracuse’s All-Century teams in football and basketball.
- Also, he eventually signed with the New York Yankees to play baseball and played one season of minor-league ball in their system.
To get an understanding of how the times have changed, Hanson accomplished all of this at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds soaking wet.
Not only was Vic a dynamic athlete, but he was also a talented coach. Specifically, he was Syracuse’s football head coach for seven seasons going 33-21-5 at the ripe age of 27.
Syracuse honors Vic annually by handing out its’ Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence Award for contribution to Orange and college basketball.
- Played at Syracuse from 2015-18.
Prisoner of the moment much? Perhaps. But Eric Dungey is going to be a player Orange fans remember for the rest of their lives. He brought a toughness to the gridiron that you normally only see in linebackers, but it came at the game’s most important position, quarterback.
For the first time in his Orange career, Eric started every game in the 2018 season and that’s remarkable considering the wide array of injuries that he suffered throughout his career. But let me clarify, this isn’t a sympathy vote, Dungey earned his way into the jersey retirement conversation with his outstanding play on the football field.
Some of his overall career statistics:
- Dungey is second all-time in career attempts (1,281).
- Eric owns three of the top five most completions in a single season in program history.
- In 2018 had the second most yards thrown in a single season at Syracuse (2,868).
- Most career passing yards in Syracuse history (9,340).
- Tied for most passing touchdowns in a single game with 5 (vs Wagner, September 8th, 2018).
- Third most passing touchdowns all-time (58) in Syracuse history.
- Most 300-yard passing games in an Orange career (12).
- Most 300-yard passing games in a single season with six (2016).
While all of these passing figures are outstanding and are worthy of our admiration, it was what Dungey could do running the ball which was so impressive. In his four-year Orange career, Dungey had 543 (seventh all-time) rushing attempts for 1,993 yards, and 35 touchdowns.
His 15 rushing touchdowns in 2018 is the third-best single-season mark all time regardless of position, but the best mark ever for a quarterback (passing Bill Hurley’s 12 in 1979).
Eric’s 200-yard rushing performance in the 2018 season opener vs Western Michigan is the new single-game rushing record for quarterbacks passing Bill Hurley and Terrel Hunt who were tied with 156 yards. Dungey’s 35 career rushing touchdowns are tied for second most all-time with Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little.
- Played at Syracuse from 1976, 78-80.
- Voted an All-American twice as an honorable mention (1978, 1980).
We learned in the press release regarding Tim Green and his jersey retirement, that he would become the first defensive player in Syracuse history to have his jersey retired. While there’s no argument that Green shouldn’t have his jersey retired, there is an argument for another defender who deserves to share that honor with Tim and that’s Jim Collins.
Jim as a linebacker led the Orange in interceptions in 1979 (three). Sadly some of his heroics in pass coverage weren’t recorded by the Syracuse football media guide, for example, pass breakups have only been recorded since 1987.
But that’s okay because Collins did most of his work in the tackling department, which is arguably the most important attribute for a linebacker:
- Jim Collins owns three of the top five single-game tackling records:
  - 42 tackles vs Penn State in 1979 (best mark all time).
  - 28 tackles vs West Virginia in 1979 (second best mark all time).
  - 25 tackles vs Kansas in 1980 (fourth-best mark all time).
- Collins owns two of the top three single tackling seasons in program history:
  - 229 tackles in 1979.
  - 189 tackles in 1978.
  - Jim has the most tackles by any Orange defender in history with 624 tackles, the next closest player is 46 tackles behind. For context Tim Green’s career tackle numbers at Syracuse (341), Collins had 67 percent of that in one season on the hill (229 tackles).
  - Jim has four of the best six most solo tackle single-game performances in Syracuse history. He also has the top-two most solo tackles seasons in Orange history.

Paul A. Esden Jr.