Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University . The team is a member of the Big East Conference , which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision . The University has just accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) , where they will begin play the 2013 season . The program has one national championship , which was earned for play in the 1959 season . The Orange are currently coached by Doug Marrone , who is in his fourth year coaching at Syracuse , and home games are played at the Carrier Dome , located in Syracuse , New York . Facilities . Carrier Dome . The Syracuse Orange football team plays their games at the Carrier Dome . The Dome is used for several sports at the university and seats 49 , 250 for football . It is the largest domed stadium of any college campus and the largest domed stadium in the Northeastern United States . The field was dedicated in 2009 to Ernie Davis , the first African American Heisman Trophy winner . The field now reads " Ernie Davis Legends Field " between the 45 yard lines on the home side . Davis ' s number forty - four was also placed along that yard line . The dedication took place at the Syracuse vs . West Virginia game October 10 , 2009 . Davis won the award in 1961 . Manley Field House . Built in 1962 , the Manley Field House complex houses many of the offices of SU Athletics . It also contains academic rooms and two weight rooms strictly for Syracuse athletes only . Adjacent to the complex there are a variety of fields used for softball , soccer , field hockey , as well as a track for the track and field team . Manley was initially intended as an indoor training facility for the football team , but was soon utilized as a home court for men ' s basketball . However , upon completion of the new Carmelo K . Anthony Basketball Center , which houses practice courts , weight rooms , locker rooms and offices for both the men ' s and women ' s basketball teams , the original plans for Manley have come full circle . Syracuse was able to spend more than $ 2 million to renovate it and create a new state of the art indoor practice facility . Manley now features an indoor FieldTurf practice area , complete with three - lane running track . History . Early History . Syracuse played its first intercollegiate football game in 1889 , and achieved its first success in the 1890s and 1900s . With the construction of " state - of - the - art " Archbold Stadium in 1907 , Syracuse rose to national prominence under Hall of Fame coach Frank " Buck " O ' Neill . The 1915 squad garnered a Rose Bowl invitation that the school declined , having already played on the West Coast that season . The 1920s saw continued success with teams featuring star end Vic Hanson , the only individual who is a member of both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame , and who later coached the team . Through this period , Colgate University was the school ' s biggest rival . Ben Schwartzwalder Era . The late 1930s and 1940s saw a decline in fortunes that began to reverse when Ben Schwartzwalder took over as coach in 1949 . Syracuse made its first bowl appearance in the 1953 Orange Bowl , followed by appearances in the 1957 Cotton Bowl Classic and the 1959 Orange Bowl . The 1957 Cotton Bowl Classic team featured Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown . During this era , Penn State emerged as Syracuse ' s principal rival , replacing Colgate University . In 1959 , Syracuse earned its first National Championship following an undefeated season and Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Texas . The team featured sophomore running back Ernie Davis , who went on to become the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961 . Davis was slated to play for the Cleveland Browns in the same backfield as Jim Brown , but died of leukemia before being able to play professionally . Syracuse remained competitive through the 1960s with a series of All American running backs , including Floyd Little and Larry Csonka . Frank Maloney Era and First " Dry " Period . When Ben Schwartzwalder retired from coaching in 1973 the program began to decline . Frank Maloney was hired to replace Schwartzwalder . The construction of the Carrier Dome in 1980 and the success of future NFL stars Joe Morris and Art Monk maintained the program ' s national relevance . MacPherson / Pasqualoni Era and Return to Prominence . Dick MacPherson was hired as the head coach in 1981 and after several mediocre seasons , fans wanted MacPherson fired , coining the phrase , " Sack Mac . " However , the fans ' opinion of Coach Macpherson changed when the program returned suddenly to national prominence in 1987 with an undefeated 11 - 0 regular season record . The team featured Maxwell Award winning quarterback Don McPherson and fullback Daryl Johnston . The team missed an opportunity to play for the NCAA Division I - A national football champions hip , because both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Miami also finished undefeated that year and finished higher in the polls . Instead , the team faced Southeastern Conference champion Auburn University in the Sugar Bowl . The game ended in a tie when Auburn kicked a late field goal rather than trying for a game winning touchdown . Over the next 14 seasons ( 1988 - 2001 ) , the program enjoyed tremendous success under coach MacPherson and his successor Paul Pasqualoni , appearing in 11 bowl games ( including 3 major bowls ) and winning 9 . The team also captured or shared 3 Big East football championships during this period . Prominent players of the period included Donovan McNabb , Marvin Harrison , Dwight Freeney , Keith Bulluck , Rob Moore , Donovin Darius , Qadry Ismail , Kevin Johnson , Rob Konrad , Tebucky Jones and Marvin Graves . Rivalries shifted in the early 1990s as Penn State ended its series with Syracuse and joined the Big Ten . Syracuse , meanwhile , joined the newly formed Big East football conference with traditional rivals University of Pittsburgh , West Virginia University and national power Miami . In 2004 , Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference , followed by Boston College in 2005 , threatening the stature of the Big East . Syracuse was originally invited to leave the Big East and join the ACC , but under pressure from the Governor of Virginia , the ACC decided to invite Virginia Tech to join the conference instead . Thus , Syracuse remained in the Big East . Syracuse ' s streak of winning seasons ended in 2002 when they went 4 - 8 . This was followed by consecutive 6 - 6 seasons . Although they won a share of the Big East title in 2004 and competed in the Champs Sports Bowl , the teams from 2002 - 2004 were considered mediocre to Syracuse standards . This prompted brand new athletic director Dr . Daryl Gross to fire Paul Pasqualoni after 14 years at the helm . Greg Robinson Era and 2nd " Dry " Period . In 2005 the University hired Greg Robinson , former defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns , as head coach . That season started on a high note as Syracuse nearly upset eventual Big East and Sugar Bowl Champion West Virginia , forcing 5 turnovers in the 15 - 7 loss . They followed it up with a 31 - 0 thrashing of Buffalo and another near upset win , this time to # 25 Virginia where they lost 27 - 24 on a last second field goal . The squad lost its final 8 games of the season . In those last 8 games . Syracuse finished the year 1 – 10 , the worst season in school history and won only ten games with Robinson running the program . In 2008 the Orange continued to struggle and fired Robinson , following a 3 - 9 season where the high point was a 24 - 23 upset of Notre Dame ; the game that signified the period the best was the 55 - 13 loss to Penn State . Doug Marrone Era . It was announced on December 12 , 2008 that Doug Marrone , a former Orange player and offensive coordinator for the NFL ' s New Orleans Saints , had been hired to replace Robinson as head coach . Improvement throughout the program was noticed immediately as the Orange , despite only a marginal improvement in their Win - Loss record , going 4 - 8 under Marrone for his first year , played many much more closely , including a 28 - 7 loss at # 7 Penn State . In 2010 the Orange finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since the 2001 season at 7 - 5 , including road wins against # 19 West Virginia and 2 - time defending conference champions Cincinnati . The team earned its first bowl bid since 2004 and along with 2nd ranked Oregon and 10th ranked Boise State , the 5 road wins are the best in 2010 of all BCS teams . December 30 , 2010 , Syracuse defeated Kansas State in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium . The game was televised live on ESPN . Football Rivalries . Boston College . The two schools first met on October 18 , 1924 , a 10 – 0 win for the Syracuse Orange . The Eagles and the Orange began playing an annual game in 1961 . To date , Boston College and Syracuse have played each other 46 times . Aside from Holy Cross , no team has played Boston College more than Syracuse . In 2004 , the Eagles ' last year in the Big East , the Orange pulled off a surprising upset that kept the Eagles from going to their first BCS game . BC ' s departure from the Big East put the future of the rivalry in doubt . However , Syracuse ' s admission into the ACC effective July 1 , 2013 , will resurrect the rivalry with the two teams playing one another annually as members of the ACC ' s Atlantic Division . Syracuse leads the all - time series 28 – 18 . West Virginia . Syracuse and West Virginia have played 57 times and every year since 1955 . Often these games have had a bearing on which collegiate program was the best in the East . In much of the 80 ' s and 90 ' s , Syracuse and West Virginia made for one of the Big East ' s best head - to - head match - ups on a yearly basis . The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy annually goes to the winner of the West Virginia and Syracuse football game . The trophy was introduced in 1993 and is named after former WVU football player and Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder , who had died in March of that year . The trophy weighs 55 pounds and was sculpted by Syracuse player Jim Ridlon . West Virginia won the first trophy game 43 - 0 at Syracuse and has gone on to win 11 . Syracuse has won the trophy seven times and leads the overall series between the two schools , 32 - 27 . Penn State . Syracuse and Penn State have played 69 times . However , conference realignment and scheduling disagreements have dampened the intensity of the rivalry between the teams . During the 1950s and 1960s the rivalry enjoyed a competitive and often controversial string of contests . Syracuse football was led by legendary coach Ben Schwartzwalder , and Penn State by Rip Engle and from 1967 Joe Paterno . From 1950 to 1970 , Syracuse won 11 to Penn State ' s 10 games . As Syracuse football floundered in the 1970s , Paterno ' s Penn State teams would go on to win 16 straight in the series from 1971 to 1986 . Penn State fans and players increasingly turned their attention to the Penn State – Pittsburgh football rivalry . In 1987 , Dick MacPherson coached Syracuse to a 48 - 21 victory over the Nittany Lions in the Dome . Syracuse won again the following year at Penn State but lost the final two games before the suspension of the series in 1991 . After an almost twenty - year break in the series , the two programs played in Syracuse ' s Carrier Dome on September 13 , 2008 , with the Nittany Lions prevailing 55 - 13 over the Orange . Penn State leads the all - time series 41 - 23 - 5 . Pittsburgh . The football game between Syracuse and Pittsburgh has been played 67 times . The rivalry dates back to 1916 and has been played yearly since 1955 . It is the second most played football rivalry for Syracuse and is tied for the third most played football rivalry for Pittsburgh . Pitt holds an overall lead of 34 - 30 - 3 in the rivalry . The two will continue to play annually after joining the ACC on July 1 , 2013 as they have been designated as crossover rivals , with Syracuse in the Atlantic Division and Pitt in the Coastal Division . Retired Numbers . The Legend of 44 . On November 12 , 2005 , Syracuse University retired one of the most storied numbers ever associated with a college football program — # 44 — to honor the legacy of those who wore it as well as the number itself , which has become so associated with Syracuse that the university ' s ZIP code , 13244 , was requested by university officials to remember those who wore 44 for the Orange . Since 1954 , 11 players have worn the number and three earned All - America honors . The three most famous # 44s — Jim Brown , Ernie Davis and Floyd Little — certainly rank among the finest running backs to ever play the game . Brown , who played at SU from 1954 – 56 and led the team to a Cotton Bowl berth , went on to become the NFL ' s all - time leading rusher and a member of the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame . He led the league in rushing eight times in his nine years . Many still point to him as the greatest running back of all time . Davis played for the Orange from 1959 - 61 . He won the 1961 Heisman Trophy , becoming the first African - American to do so , and was a starter on SU ' s 1959 national championship team . Davis also signed to play with the Cleveland Browns , but the devastating combination of Davis and Brown in the same backfield never came to pass . Davis died of leukemia in 1963 . He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Little was a three - time All - America for the Orange . He played from 1964 – 66 and led SU to the Sugar Bowl in 1964 and the Gator Bowl in 1966 ( teaming in the backfield with Larry Csonka in the latter ) . Little was the greatest kick returner in Orange history . He led the nation in all - purpose yardage in 1965 , averaging 199 yards per game . Little went on to have a tremendous career with the Denver Broncos , winning back - to - back rushing titles in 1970 - 71 . He , too , was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Year - by - year results . * Carrier Dome under construction , played " home " games in Ithaca , Buffalo and the Meadowlands