Express | Schonbrun: For a night, Syracuse football feels good about itself again

By: Zach Schonbrun

Posted: 9/15/08

The whispers had circulated through the bleachers long ago, but a logjam still formed on the orange carpet with those stopping to steal a look. They were of fortune or fame, or both, with dark suits and bright smiles, and cameras aimed to document the arrival of the star that transcends all stars.

They were here for Ernie Davis, sure, and the 1959 Syracuse football team, and sportscaster Bob Costas, and actor Dennis Quaid, and so on. Sharing space with celebrity has its undeniable draw.

But there was Jim Brown, cane in hand, hunched and hobbled by 72 years and a recent car wreck, true to form and larger than life.

On this night, Brown was not a poster in the Carrier Dome, or a bust in the football wing, or a legend passed along by the few still around who remember him. He was palpable and real, and a reminder to those who cried that Syracuse's finest days had snuck off without cue.

His arrival assured what had been the overarching belief: On this night, Syracuse football fans could feel good about themselves, basking collectively in reminiscence. Wrapped tightly in the frustrations of the present, here they could unwind, here they could reflect, here was the B-12 shot for the downtrodden fan's soul.

It was undoubtedly Daryl Gross's night, too, and as the athletic director stood in front of the audience in the massive Landmark Theatre, spotlight literally aimed solely on him, his pride and elation filled the room.

"This is just unbelievable," he said on the orange carpet beforehand. "It's a dream come true - even though we knew it was coming. We knew it was going to be a priceless situation - you don't have movies coming all over the country at universities. So to bring this Hollywood to Syracuse feels really, really good."

"We're recruiting, too, by the way," Gross added as he walked away, as if it really needed to be said. Recruiting is his bottom line, and his obsession. And the irony of the statement only fits his personality: On a night celebrating the past, Gross still keeps one eye focused on progression.

What this event actually meant for Syracuse was easy to assume but not as easy to answer. It was plainly obvious, though, that it meant something.

"This is beyond real; this is now surreal," said Gary Fleder, the movie's director. "It's really extraordinary. Jim Brown, Floyd Little and the '59 team back here, and the amount of love support for the movie and for Ernie ... Nothing in Hollywood could ever do this. You could never equate this in Hollywood. This is a stand-alone, unique moment."

Fleder said he most wanted to convey Davis' grace and courage in the film - oh, and he was pretty good at football, too. That last aspect, he said, is what people so often forget.

On Friday night, though, football seemed very distant, even as on-field hero after on-field hero passed down the greeting line. They wore no helmets or pads, and yet were cheered to no end.

More recently, the mention of Syracuse football draws snickers. It's been a topic many have fought to avoid mentioning. It's lost its relevance as more than a punch line of a sorry joke.

Which is what made this evening so indefinably significant. Syracuse could embrace its history unashamed - through an event that was so clearly un-Syracuse.

"Hollywood came to Syracuse, right? Pretty good," said Chancellor Nancy Cantor. "The community is out, thinking about its history but also where it can go. The thing about history is it charts a road for where you can go. This is where this region will get. We'll do it again."

After the movie was over, a crowd of about 40 people waited outside the theater doors for Brown to re-emerge. He was one of the last to exit, taking his time walking back up the aisle, chatting with friends and teammates along the way. He came out the stained-glass doors and smiled at the crowd as he passed through, and when he had departed the on-lookers peered down at their cameras to make sure the image they captured was real and was right.

The after-party would soon start, but Brown was gone. He left long before the clock struck midnight.

But he was there.

I caught up with former Syracuse quarterback star Don McPherson as he was exiting the theater and asked him how, after seeing the movie, it could help the university.

"I think (the past) has always been there for them to deal with and to reckon with," he said. "And so I think this film may be just a reminder to people of where we've come from and where we need to get to."

A reminder. Of course. For so long here in Syracuse, it seemed tough to remember what to be reminded about.

On this night, nostalgia brought the blitz. Syracuse's past is alive and sound and, well, at least that's something.

Zach Schonbrun is the sports columnist for The Daily Orange where his column appears every Tuesday. He can be reached at zsschonb@syr.edu