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Dick MacPherson helmed Syracuse for a decade, capturing the entirety of the 1980s and building the Orange into a juggernaut. MacPherson recorded a 66-46-4 record throughout his 10-year run, capturing three bowl game wins.

SU posted its second-ever unbeaten season in 1987, finishing 11-0 in the regular season before a tie with Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Years later, in 2009, MacPherson was honored for his success with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He died eight years later at age 86.

MacPherson was inducted into Syracuse’s Ring of Honor at halftime of its 31-24 victory over UConn. The former head coach is the ninth member to be immortalized with the recognition since its creation in 2020. He joined football legends Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little and Ben Schwartzwalder; basketball icons Jim Boeheim, Dave Bing and Dwayne ‘Pearl’ Washington; and men’s lacrosse coach Roy Simmons Jr.

The late-great head coach’s family, including his grandsons and former Syracuse football players Macky and Cameron MacPherson, accepted the honor.

Dick MacPherson was inducted into Syracuse’s Ring of Honor at halftime of its win over UConn. MacPherson’s 66 wins are the third-most by a head coach in program history. Angelina Grevi | Staff Photographer

“To have his name in the Ring of Honor here at the Dome and memorialized forever is an unbelievable honor,” Macky said. “We just want to express our never-ending gratitude.”

Along with his honor in the JMA Wireless Dome, the Hendricks Chapel food pantry will now be known as the Coach Mac Food Pantry.

“It’s not just the athletic achievements that he was part of and proud to lead, but it was his impact on the community,” Cameron said. “The idea that more people will see that, it’s something we take great pride in.”

Long before coaching the Orange, MacPherson worked his way up the coaching ladder through the college and professional game. He helped UMass to four Yankee Conference championships throughout his seven years with the program. Then, he led the Cleveland Browns’ linebackers from 1978-80.

This led to a golden opportunity for both Syracuse and MacPherson. The Orange were a middling squad under Frank Maloney in the late 1970s and went 5-6 in 1980. Maloney was fired after the 1980 season and SU looked to MacPherson to revitalize it.

“I think it was the beginning of the most special relationship that he’s ever had in a place,” Macky said.

The Carrier Dome had just been built and Syracuse Athletic Director Jake Crouthamel saw MacPherson as the perfect person to lead the charge. According to Syracuse equipment manager Kyle Fetterly — who’s worked in the role since 1983 — Crouthamel told him that when Maloney was let go, Crouthamel wasn’t just looking for a football coach. He was also looking for a salesman. In MacPherson, he got the best of both worlds.

Fetterly said MacPherson was that weekly. MacPherson went to Heid’s of Liverpool at 7 a.m. for breakfast each Friday before a home game. He bought everyone coffee and store tickets in his lapel to give away for free. At lunch, he did the same.

But MacPherson’s time at SU didn’t start as well. The Orange went just 6-15-1 in his first two seasons before consecutive 6-5 seasons in 1983 and 1984. He stuck with his ideas and continued to try to build up a program his way.

“Coach Mac’s philosophy when he got here was, we are going to put our best players on defense. Our best athletes, best football players. Because if they can’t score, they can’t win, and we’ll figure out a way to scratch out a couple of touchdowns,” Fetterly said.

His philosophy, however, almost fizzled out. Fetterly recalled a 1985 game on the road against Virginia Tech. Syracuse fell by 10 points, dropping it to 1-2 on the season. As Fetterly and his crew stacked the equipment bags into a truck postgame, he remembers Crouthamel and SU Chief Financial Officer Lou Marcoccia chatting a few feet away.

Syracuse Chancellor Mel Eggers then approached both of them, asking what the two were talking about. Per Fetterly, Marcoccia turned to Eggers and said they felt it was time for a change. Eggers responded by asking: “What are we changing?” Marcoccia said it was time to let go of MacPherson and explore other options. Eggers then asked for Crouthamel’s opinion and he agreed.

Following a few seconds of silence, Fetterly remembers Eggers saying, “Now let me tell you both something. At Syracuse University, we honor our contracts. When the season’s over we’ll reevaluate and make a decision. But we don’t cut people off at their ankles when they’re mid-stride.”

The Orange finished that season 7-5, losing in the Cherry Bowl. MacPherson kept his job.

After a 5-6 season in 1986, MacPherson’s teams peaked. The undefeated 1987 season started a six-year stretch of bowl games, extending beyond MacPherson’s time at SU. The Orange went 36-10-3 from 1987-90, winning three bowl games.

SU went 7-4-2 in 1990. After an Aloha Bowl win, MacPherson returned to the NFL to become the New England Patriots’ head coach. Assistant coach Paul Pasqualoni took over at Syracuse, continuing the MacPherson’s success.

Now, MacPherson’s legacy resides along the overhanging of the JMA Wireless Dome, sandwiched between Simmons Jr. and Schwarzwalder. The spot is fitting, according to Macky, as MacPherson was good friends with both of them.

The 2024 Orange are led by first-year head coach Fran Brown, who has helped them to eight wins with one game remaining in the regular season. He’s already made strides in revitalizing Syracuse into the program it once was under MacPherson’s guidance.

Brown never got the chance to meet MacPherson, but he has talked with many of his former players. MacPherson’s ability to develop men is what Brown said was most impressive to him, saying if he could do just that part alone, it’d be amazing.

He knows MacPherson won countless games at Syracuse. Brown has ambitions of passing those successes. For now, he’s finding his way, and honoring the foundation MacPherson set.

“If they could ever compare me to Dick MacPherson, I’ll be thankful for that,” Brown said.

“I want to be better than where it was that he was at, but I’m just crawling right now. I just want to crawl into the footsteps that he left behind for us.”

Published on November 23, 2024 at 10:20 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky