There are 59 days until college football returns. Today we celebrate by remembering the ’59 Syracuse Orangemen, the only National Title the Orangemen ever won.
In 1959, the LSU Tigers were the preseason #1 ranked team. Syracuse began the season unranked. However, led by eventual 1961 Heisman winner and #1 NFL Draft Pick RB Ernie Davis, the Orangemen turned it on. They finished the year 11-0 and outscored their opponents 413-73. That included 5 shutouts.
In the Cotton Bowl, #1 Syracuse faced off against #4 Texas. Davis ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. He ran behind a stout offensive line, which included unanimous All-American Roger Davis. When the dust settled, the Orangemen were victorious 23-14. Head coach Ben Schwartzwalder and Syracuse legend became the only football coach in Orange history to lead his team to the National Title.
