Former Orange wide receiver
Art Monk and former head coach
Dick MacPherson were listed on the 2006 Division I-A Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, announced on March 9 by the National Football Foundation (NFF). Seventy-seven players and seven coaches are vying for college football's top honor.
At SU, Monk holds the single-game record for receptions in a game with 14, which he accomplished against Navy in 1979. He is tied for sixth all-time at SU in career receptions with 102. Monk's 1,644 career receiving yards is seventh in school history, while his 47.0 yards per game average ranks ninth all-time.
Monk led the Orange in receiving three times. In 1977, he caught 41 balls for 590 yards and four touchdowns. In 1978, he caught 19 passes for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Finally, in 1979, Monk recorded 40 catches for 716 yards and three touchdowns to earn first-team All-America honors.
In his NFL career, Monk participated in three Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins and won two. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He finished his 16-year NFL career with 12,721 receiving yards on 940 catches. He had a 13.5 average and totaled 68 touchdowns.
MacPherson coached the Orange from 1981 to 1990, and is third on the all-time wins last at SU with 66. "Coach Mac" led the 1987 Orange to an 11-0-1 record, the program's second undefeated season in its storied history. In that season's Sugar Bowl, SU tied Auburn 16-16 and finished with a #4 national ranking, the school's best finish next to the 1959 national championship team. MacPherson earned National Coach of the Year honors for his efforts. He closed his SU career with a 66-46-4 mark.
In his 17 years as a head coach, Mac compiled a record of 111-73-5. He spent seven years at Massachusetts before coming to Syracuse in 1981, where he went 45-27-1. Mac got his start at Illinois where he served as an assistant freshmen coach. From there, he went to Massachusetts as the head coach of the wrestling and freshman football team. Mac also spent time with Cincinnati, Maryland, and the Denver Broncos before being hired at UMass as the head coach. Before finally coming to SU, he spent time as the linebacker coach with the Cleveland Browns.
The Hall of Fame class will be announced on May 16 in New York City at the Marriot Marquis. Inductions will take place at the NFF's 49th Awards Dinner on December 5 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Inductees will be officially enshrined in the summer of 2007.
Posted at 03:52 pm by syrablog
