Syracuse Orange

Syracuse Orange
Did you know that Syracuse NY is a city of great diversity? Its population of about 150,000 makes it big enough to deliver a variety of unique cultural, educational and sports experiences, but small enough to be comfortable! Experience Syracuse NY -- the economic, sports and educational hub of Central New York!

The Syracuse Orange is the nickname used by the athletic teams of Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Big East Conference. The school's mascot is Otto the Orange. Until 2004, Teams were previously known as the "Orange men" and "Orange women". The men's basketball, football, men's lacrosse, and women's basketball teams play in the Carrier Dome. Other sports facilities are located at the nearby Manley Field House complex. The Syracuse orange facilities are proudly outfitted with their "block-S" logo which is the insignia of their athletic achievements. This tradition dates back to 1893 when Clarence Goodwin the manager of the football team introduced block- S as the symbol for the University teams.

With the construction of "state-of-the-art" Archbold Stadium in 1907, Syracuse attained national prominence under Hall of Fame coach Frank "Buck" O'Neill. Syracuse played its first intercollegiate football game in 1889, and achieved its first success in the 1890s and 1900s. The 1915 squad garnered a Rose Bowl invitation that the school declined.The Syracuse Orange is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference.

Syracuse fielded a team in baseball from 1870 through 1921, and again from 1923 to 1972, when the team was disbanded. The Orangemen appeared in the 1961 College World Series, and were eliminated by Oklahoma State. The 1961 team entered the College World Series in Omaha with a 16-3 record. In their first game they defeated Northern Colorado 12-5, but were defeated in their next game 12-9 by Oklahoma State. They then defeated Western Michigan 6-0, before being eliminated by eventual tournament runner-up Oklahoma State 8-0. The 1961 SU baseball team included two future major league pitchers, Dave Guisti and Billy Connors. The team also included four members of the 1959 NCAA championship football team. In the 1961 College World Series, Sarette was named as the third baseman.

The 1920s saw continued success with teams featuring star end Vic Hanson, the only individual who is a member of both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and who later coached the team. Through this period, Colgate University was the school's biggest rival.The late 1930s and 1940s saw a decline in fortunes that began to reverse when Ben Schwartzwalder took over as coach in 1949. Syracuse made its first bowl appearance in the 1953 Orange Bowl, followed by 1957 Cotton Bowl and the 1959 Orange Bowl appearance. The 1957 Cotton Bowl team featured Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown. During this era, Penn State emerged as Syracuse's principal rival, replacing Colgate University which had not kept up to compete at a national level.

In 1959, Syracuse enjoyed an undefeated regular season, following which it won the Cotton Bowl and was voted National Champion. The team featured sophomore running back Ernie Davis, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961, but before playing professionally, he died of leukemia. Syracuse remained competitive through the 1960s with a series of All American running backs, including Floyd Little and Larry Csonka. The program began a gradual decline in the 1970s and returned to national prominence in 1987 under Coach Dick MacPherson. The team missed an opportunity to play for the NCAA Division I-A national football championship, because both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Miami also finished undefeated that year and finished higher in the polls. Instead, the team faced Southeastern Conference champion Auburn University in the Sugar Bowl. The game ended in a tie when Auburn kicked a late field goal than trying for a game winning touchdown.

Over the next 14 seasons (1988-2001), the program enjoyed tremendous success under coach MacPherson and his successor Paul Pasqualoni, appearing in 11 bowl games and winning 9. The team also captured Big East football championships during this period. Prominent players of the period included Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, Keith Bulluck, Rob Moore, Donovin Darius, Qadry Ismail, Kevin Johnson, Rob Konrad, Tebucky Jones and Marvin Graves. Rivalries shifted in the early 1990s as Penn State ended its series with Syracuse and joined the Big Ten. Syracuse, meanwhile, joined the newly formed Big East football conference with traditional rivals University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University and Boston College and national programs Miami and Virginia Tech.

In 2004, Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, followed by Boston College in 2005, threatening the stature of the Big East. These departures coincided with a "dry" period for the football program, prompting the University to hire Greg Robinson, former defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns, as head coach beginning with the 2005 season.On November 12, 2005, Syracuse University retired the uniform number 44, to honor Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, and the legacy of the number itself.