Greatness knows greatness...

[MikeSU02]

The man is 73 years old. Get this done as soon as possible.

He deserves it. Eat the crow if need be and get him back and make it a spectacle with players from that era.

No one is guaranteed tomorrow. This would be great for the program and it’s way overdue for Coach P.

 

[ECE '76]

You have to remember that both Pitt and Penn State were national powers in the early 80s. SU also played at Nebraska in 1983, NU went 12-1 losing to Miami in the Orange Bowl on a failed 2-point conversion. And then WVU went undefeated the year after SU did. Pitt dropped off in the P era, although SU still played tough schedules under P. I hold Mac in the highest regard, because all I knew of SU FB before him was losing. And if you talk to players from the '87 team they still praise Mac, but didn't care for P.

P's accomplishments are definitely under appreciated. One losing record in 14 years?!? He deserves to be honored (I guess this will be controversial but not the ring of honor - I mean you can't have but so many people or else it becomes meaningless, and we have too many statues already). I seem to recall that Frank Maloney was brought back to be honored, even though he was fired. Mac was brought back when his health was obviously failing, riding across the field in a golf cart. He seemed to relish the moment.

P was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, but he was assigned to an on field coaching position in mid-season at Florida and had a conflict on the day he supposed to come to Syracuse, so he never made it.

Paul Pasqualoni ‘humbled’ by Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame honor: Not sure I deserve it

Former Syracuse football coach Paul Pasqualoni's sudden job change down at the University of Florida scuttled plans to fly in Monday and attend.

Former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni will take on-field assistant coach role at Florida

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

And like P, Belichick will ultimately be undone by over-reliance on familiar assistants (Matt Patricia coaching offense cuts close to home on that one) and an inability to replace a generational QB.

 

[OrangeinOmaha]

It is rare for a guy who was fired to be honored later by the same school. The school is too embarrassed and…if I were in P’s shoes…there is probably some ill feeling towards SU. In fact, if I were him I’d have an enormous grudge but nobody holds a grudge like your old buddy Dick in Michigan. Perhaps P is a better person. The bar would be low.

Winningest percentage in the past hundred years and second only to Ben in total wins. 9 bowls in 14 years, three 10-win seasons, three 9-win seasons, only one losing season, great recruits. And all with financial support that had really tailed off in his final years.

At the time, I thought it best that P and SU part ways. Now, he looks like Vince Lombard compared to what we have had since him.

He SHOULD be honored but I doubt he ever will be.

Nebraska just did it with Solich. Brought him back after they fired him for losing the national title and it seemed to heal some wounds from the past.

I think enough people (Gross and Cantor) are gone from the time when they fired him that he would be welcomed back with open arms and it wouldn't be awkward for him.

Would be a great end to his Syracuse story and could maybe bridge the gap to the past that we have seemed to lost.

 

[elimunelson]

Nebraska just did it with Solich. Brought him back after they fired him for losing the national title and it seemed to heal some wounds from the past.

I think enough people (Gross and Cantor) are gone from the time when they fired him that he would be welcomed back with open arms and it wouldn't be awkward for him.

Would be a great end to his Syracuse story and could maybe bridge the gap to the past that we have seemed to lost.

I did see Konrad back up on the Hill recently. He seemed content being back. Isn't McNabb a member of the board of trustees? Marvin Harrison is prop Joe and i'm not sure the university wants to get closer or into the Marvin Harrison business anyway.

Who has been a complete no go in terms of coming back to SU because of how they treated P or how they are treated themselves?

 

[baggerbob]

I did see Konrad back up on the Hill recently. He seemed content being back. Isn't McNabb a member of the board of trustees? Marvin Harrison is prop Joe and i'm not sure the university wants to get closer or into the Marvin Harrison business anyway.

Who has been a complete no go in terms of coming back to SU because of how they treated P or how they are treated themselves?

Perfect time to do it the Clemson game a packed house against a nationally ranked opponent.
The Dome would be electric.

 

[007]

It is rare for a guy who was fired to be honored later by the same school. The school is too embarrassed and…if I were in P’s shoes…there is probably some ill feeling towards SU. In fact, if I were him I’d have an enormous grudge but nobody holds a grudge like your old buddy Dick in Michigan. Perhaps P is a better person. The bar would be low.

I suspect that if P were to be honored, he would respond with nothing but class, dignity, and humble sincerity despite whatever personal feelings he may or may not harbor toward SU. He always has and I suspect he always will.

 

[NJCuse97]

Always got a Mugatu vibe from his later photos

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I suspect that if P were to be honored, he would respond with nothing but class, dignity, and humble sincerity despite whatever personal feelings he may or may not harbor toward SU. He always has and I suspect he always will.

His daughter goes to SU and was a football recruiting intern last year. My guess is that if he held a grudge, he’s over it.

 

[cusefan88]

His daughter goes to SU and was a football recruiting intern last year. My guess is that if he held a grudge, he’s over it.

Bingo. There's no ill will. Would be great to see him honored. Hopefully Clemson or BC.

 

[SWC75]

I think the school should honor him - but it’s not crazy to debate if Mac was a better coach. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 2 of his 3 10 win seasons were the first two taking over for Mac.

If P could’ve ever gotten over the hump in the mid to late 90s with his own players, then sure - but not getting 10 wins or a NYD bowl win with those McNabb teams is what’s crazy to me.

Either way - really good coach who won > 100 games - honor the man.

Ben and Mac rebuilt the program from the bottom up. Coach P took over a rebuilt program. he's #3, at least of the post-war era. Buck O'Neill is in the Hall of Fame and Chick Meehan and Ossie Solem probably should be, but that's another era. I credit P for being #2 in wins and his record looks better and better as we continue to fail to get back to that level, but he's got to be behind Ben and Mac.

 

[elimunelson]

Ben and Mac rebuilt the program from the bottom up. Coach P took over a rebuilt program. he's #3, at least of the post-war era. Buck O'Neill is in the Hall of Fame and Chick Meehan and Ossie Solem probably should be, but that's another era. I credit P for being #2 in wins and his record looks better and better as we continue to fail to get back to that level, but he's got to be behind Ben and Mac.

Fair take swc. Who is number 4? Marrone or Dino ?

 

[721Comstock]

Fair take swc. Who is number 4? Marrone or Dino ?

Right now? St Dougie.
Took over a dumpster fire and turned it around to get 2 bowls in 4 years.
(And 3 in 5, since it was mostly all his guys that FHCSMFS parlayed into the Texas Bowl dub.)

Maybe after all said and done - possibly Dino.
But only if we make bowl games these next 2 seasons.

 

[GoSU96]

Ben and Mac rebuilt the program from the bottom up. Coach P took over a rebuilt program. he's #3, at least of the post-war era. Buck O'Neill is in the Hall of Fame and Chick Meehan and Ossie Solem probably should be, but that's another era. I credit P for being #2 in wins and his record looks better and better as we continue to fail to get back to that level, but he's got to be behind Ben and Mac.

Mac was close to getting fired until DeLeone took over as OC and P joined the staff in 87.

Mac had three losing seasons in 10 years, went to five bowls. P had one losing season in 14, went to nine bowls.

 

[elimunelson]

Mac was close to getting fired until DeLeone took over as OC and P joined the staff in 87.

Mac had three losing seasons in 10 years, went to five bowls. P had one losing season in 14, went to nine bowls.

i'm team P for #2 all time. Mac certainly was the heart and soul of SU Football but him leaving for the Patriots was a total head scratcher move that knocks him down for me. It wasn't some massive pay raise if I recall. This wasn't the Bob Kraft Patriots either. This was the most incompetent operation in professional sports at the time run by the nefarious Victor Kiam. Mac would have been better served coaching SU until the mid 90s and then handing the ship over to whomever at that point (maybe P sticks around or they turn to someone else like Rodgers)

 

[SWC75]

Mac was close to getting fired until DeLeone took over as OC and P joined the staff in 87.

Mac had three losing seasons in 10 years, went to five bowls. P had one losing season in 14, went to nine bowls.

P was a linebacker coach. The big reasons for the turnaround were Donnie McPherson and the Cherry Bowl recruiting class. Then Mac recruited the guys who went 10-2 in '91 and '92.

Mac-P was really one era, with no rebuilding job in between.

 

[All4SU]

Frank Maloney did pretty well under terrible conditions.

 

[Dinkyspond]

When Parcells was Patriots coach, he had P at Pats camp at Bryant College for a day or two during the July practices before SU camp started. I always thought that was pretty impressive, I don't think the Tuna would allow just anybody to come to his practices.

 

[Dinkyspond]

Frank Maloney did pretty well under terrible conditions.

Joe Morris tells the story they never let him see Archbold on his recruiting trip because it was so old and rundown. They would drive by it and point to it, "There's our football stadium."

 

[GoSU96]

P was a linebacker coach. The big reasons for the turnaround were Donnie McPherson and the Cherry Bowl recruiting class. Then Mac recruited the guys who went 10-2 in '91 and '92.

Mac-P was really one era, with no rebuilding job in between.

Yeah, just the linebacker coach. That’s why he got the HC job.

 

[SWC75]

Yeah, just the linebacker coach. That’s why he got the HC job.

He got the HC job four years later and did a good job.

We didn't go from 5-6 to 11-0 because of the linebacker coach.

 

[GoSU96]

He got the HC job four years later and did a good job.

We didn't go from 5-6 to 11-0 because of the linebacker coach.

He certainly was part of it. He wasn’t just the linebacker coach. And he did better than a good job.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[All4SU]

In 1999, that would buy a lot of clam sauce.

 

[BlazeOrange]

And while we are on the subject, JB is 78. Yeah, we have named the floor after him but he should have a statue outside of the Melo Center.

Do you go with The Hat, The Jacket, or Digging for Gold?