1979 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1979 Syracuse Orangemen football
Independence Bowl champion
Independence Bowl, W 31–7 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Independent
Record	7–5
Head coach	Frank Maloney (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Tom Coughlin (4th season)
Captain	Jim Collins, Bill Hurley, Craig Wolfley [1]
Home stadium	Giants Stadium Rich Stadium Schoellkopf Field
Seasons ←  1978 1980  →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–				9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Frank Maloney. Due to the ongoing construction of Syracuse's new stadium, the Carrier Dome, home games in 1979 were played in various locations in New York and New Jersey. The Orangemen were invited to the 1979 Independence Bowl, where they defeated McNeese State, 31–7.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 8–31	86,205	[2]
September 15	West Virginia	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)	W 24–14	10,375	[3]
September 22	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 54–21	20,121	[4]
September 29	Washington State	Rich Stadium Orchard Park, NY	W 52–25	10,004	[5]
October 6	at Kansas	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 45–27	36,720	[6]
October 13	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 17–49	18,504	[7]
October 20	Penn State	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)	L 7–35	53,789	[8]
October 27	Miami (FL)	Rich Stadium Orchard Park, NY	W 25–15	7,729	[9]
November 3	at No. 12 Pittsburgh	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	L 21–28	43,005	[10]
November 10	at Navy	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD	W 30–14	20,385	[11]
November 17	Boston College	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	L 10–27	20,245	[12]
December 15	vs. McNeese State	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	W 31–7	27,234	[13]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[14] [1]}

Roster

1979 Syracuse Orange football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 59 Andrew Gissinger Jr G 78 Gordon Grownkowski So WR 45 Art Monk Sr RB 47 Joe Morris So G 64 Craig Wolfley Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 33 Jim Collins Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 1 Gary Anderson So	Head coach Frank Maloney Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 149
2. "Buckeyes make Bruce's debut a happy one". The Lima News. September 9, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Hurley hurt as Syracuse rolls to win". Democrat and Chronicle. September 16, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Hurley, Syracuse rip Northwestern". Wisconsin State Journal. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "'Woody' attack gives Orange 52–25 win". The Buffalo News. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Syracuse's Orange crush KU by 45–27". The Sioux City Journal. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Temple routs Syracuse, 49–17". Poughkeepsie Journal. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Orangemen no match for Penn St". The Miami Herald. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Orange win, 25–15, for coach Maloney". The Buffalo News. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Frosh QB powers Pitt over Syracuse". Staten Island Advance. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Syracuse rips Navy, 30–14, as Hurley stars". The Reporter Dispatch. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "B.C. 27, Syracuse 10". Democrat and Chronicle. November 18, 1979. p. 2E – via Newspapers.com.
13. "SU grinds down McNeese". Press and Sun-Bulletin. December 16, 1979. Retrieved March 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1979 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2018.