Around here, No. 44 invokes memories of those old horses – Brown, Little and Davis, even Konrad for the younger folks – of a simpler time, when the football was run up the middle and the I-formation dominated. It’s about an old coach named Schwartzwalder and the since fallen Archbold Stadium.

The number means more than a four and another four ever could standing alone. It inspires greatness. It conjures up memories. It makes you think of Syracuse’s glorious football past.

It does not make you think of Bill Schoonover.

Forty-seven years after Bill Schoonover’s career ended, Syracuse honored Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Ernie Davis and Rob Konrad by retiring the No. 44. By default, players like Schoonover were instantly immortalized, forever one of just 11 players since 1954 to don the jersey.

The number is now retired. Not that it was done for him but, hey, Schoonover will take it.

‘I’ve always felt like (I was in exclusive company),’ Schoonover said of wearing the number. ‘I have mixed emotions, because when I was there, the emphasis was that the starting tailback wore that number. It had tradition. It had meaning. But it’s had enough years where they haven’t really done much with it. Maybe it was about time they retired it.’

Schoonover switched from linebacker to tailback between his sophomore and junior years. (He sandwiched the years between Little and Davis at the position.) Schwartzwalder told Schoonover he would wear the number. To Schwartzwalder, the starting running back always wore the jersey.

‘(Schwartzwalder) asked me what I thought of that,’ Schoonover said. ‘I said it was fine. That was the beginning of (No. 44 having significance), as far as I remember it.’

Schoonover’s inglorious career was riddled by injuries, and he never reached the level of Brown or Little before him, and he was outdone by Davis and Konrad after him.

But, to be fair, he’s hardly the only back to leave Syracuse, and take some of 44’s luster with him.

Quarterback Rich Panczyszyn had a career plagued with injury. Local recruit Mandel Robinson transferred to Wyoming after two years. Glenn Moore spent most of his time backing up Joe Morris and Jaime Covington.

Until running back Michael Owens scored the game-winning two-point conversion against West Virginia in 1987, lifting Syracuse to 11-0 at the time, the jersey became more of a curse than a gift.

‘I didn’t realize how much pressure would come with (the number),’ Robinson said. ‘If they keep it and put a kid in it, that kid becomes a marked kid. And then what? Do you tailor your offense to that kid?

‘I really felt like it was a drawing card for kids, but now I see kids like (running back) Damien Rhodes who do their own thing. And I think that’s good.’

Forty-four will remain in basketball, where Derrick Coleman and John Wallace expanded the tradition. It will also continue in all other SU sports, where the number does not carry the same weight.

In football, though, it’s gone. No more Browns, Littles or Davises. No more Schoonovers, either.

‘Schwartzwalder had confidence in me to give me 44, and that helped me’ Schoonover said. ‘That’s the part of 44 I don’t think people have understood.’

Scott Lieber is a junior magazine major. E-mail him at smlieber@syr.edu.

Published on April 24, 2005 at 12:00 pm