This is my email to Dr. Gross - I also CC'd Kim O'Conner and Floyd Little.
Hello Dr. Gross -
I would like to start by saying I am extremely humbled to be emailing you and would like to say that as a lifelong Syracuse sports fan, I do like everything you have done for the University. I think it is amazing how we are now in high standing in the Capital One Cup and all of our sports across the board are doing great. We are now in the ACC which is the perfect conference affiliation for a school like Syracuse.
I do think there is one mistake you made though, and that is retiring what is arguably our most storied history and tradition. I think the number should be treated like basketball and the number should 100% be in the rafters or there should be an area where the history and lore of 44 is honored somewhere in the Dome. It should still be a number that can be used as a recruiting tool for very high profile kids with honor and integrity and to also honor outstanding upper class (Juniors / Seniors) student-athletes when the number isn't in use.
Imagine the buzz that would be created in the national media if #44 is given to a very high profile recruit. It would be a leading story on almost every sports site. This is a tradition that needs to be reinstated. The fact that the number wasn't used for 10 to 15 years doesn't mean it should be retired.
The movie, The Express, has brought the history of this number to the forefront and the younger kids who normally wouldn't know about the history and lore, now do. For example, there is an outstanding young man who is a consensus top 10 RB in the nation who is heavily interested in Syracuse. He is well aware of the lore and history and burden of being #44, and he wants to tackle that and restore the glory and pride of our great school and football team. This is exactly the type of kid we need to bring in. Success begets success. Mr. Robert Washington has gone on record several times stating that he is well aware of the history, burden and honor of wearing #44 and he would want to wear the number, and it would actually give SU an advantage in his recruitment. There are also several other high profile 4 and 5 star players who want to play with Mr. Washington. He would be the first domino to fall that would bring in more high profile players, the likes we haven't brought in to Syracuse since the Donovan McNabb days.
Giving this kid #44 could be the springboard to bringing us back into the national spotlight. If we bring in a top 25 recruiting class while giving the headliner of the class #44, this would give us stories on ESPN, Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo and every other sports site out there. It would create a buzz among the casual fans. We might return to the top 25, which means we would start having sellouts again. Attendance would increase, concessions would increase, income would increase. We would return to national relevance, and all of this is possible by restoring #44 and offering it to this humble kid who, from everything I have read, deserves this number.
If that is the case, this is a no brainer decision. Please do the right thing and restore#44.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my email.
Sincerely,
Jared Lichtman
