The Legend of 44: Did Syracuse Make a Mistake?

       Yesterday, my Alma Mater, Syracuse University, announced that it would be un-retiring the football jersey number 44.  44 has been retired for a decade, and represents the greatest of Syracuse football history.  Jim Brown, the greatest football player of all time, wore it.  Floyd Little, a NCAA and NFL Hall of Famer wore it.  Ernie Davis, the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner, wore it.  It is the number that defines excellence in central New York.  Hell, it is even part of the school's official zip code, 13244.  So the question is, then, why are they bringing it back?

       Well, Floyd Little thinks it is a great idea.  He has been on board with this idea for a while.  He even thinks that his grandson Blaze Jones (a perfect running back name) will attend Syracuse in a couple of years and earn the chance to wear the famed number.  Many fans think bringing the number back is exactly what the team and the program needs.  Let's face it: Cuse has been mediocre at best for most of the past decade.  When I arrived on campus in 2004, I expected some big things from the football team.  We went 6-6, lost our bowl game 51-14, fired our coach, hired Greg Robinson.  Robinson then went 5-37 over the next four seasons, including the only two double-digit loss seasons in the school's history.  We sucked.  Doug Marrone and Scott Shafer have allowed to (mostly) recover from that dark period, but we still max out at 6 or 7 wins.  The pro-restore feeling is that bringing 44 back will remind the players what an excellent program this once was, and motivate them to bring it back.
       There are some former players, however, that don't agree with that sentiment.  Donovan McNabb is the leader of that group.  He called the move disrespectful, and thinks it is a mistake.  Syracuse.com writer Bud Poliquin tends to agree, saying that making the number a perk instead of honoring its legacy is a mistake.  So what do I think?
       I don't have an issue with bringing such a hallowed number back into play for the team.  It is entirely possible that Syracuse will regain some of its former greatness on the football field in the future.  Added revenue from the ACC, upgrades to the practice facilities, and stronger recruiting could bring a forlorn program back to prominence.  We may have even found the first player worthy of wearing it in 2016 RB commit Robert Washington, a 4-star recruit who (unfathomably) chose Syracuse over the likes of Alabama, Michigan, and Florida.  He even understands and appreciates what the number means to the entire Syracuse community.  So I say let Washington wear it... if he earns it.
       Look, there is no bigger supporter of Syracuse then I am, but right now we are not a program worthy of having that number.  We do not have a single player worthy of that number.  Last year, we went 3-9 and didn't have a player drafted for just the 2nd time in 50 years.  That isn't a high point.  Could this be the jolt the program needs?  I think it could be.  Yet it is still way too early to tell.  If Washington comes in, runs for 1,000 yards, and gets us to a bowl game, then he is worthy.  Until then, let's make sure 44 isn't just given away because it can be.  There is a legacy there greater than anything this program has seen in 20 years.  We can't tarnish that.
       And hey, we always have the number 39 to give out.  If it was good enough for Walter Reyes and Larry Csonka, it should be good enough for a freshman.