(08-08-2017 02:48 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  One of the best coaches in eastern FB.

He was a very pious and honest man: brought the Orangemen back to relevancy in the mid 80's

Everyone remembers Syracuse's great 1987 season that ended with Auburn choosing to tie the Sugar Bowl at the end. I remember I couldn't keep Coach Mac and his QB that year's names straights, they had the same name or something close, LOL.

I also happened to attend the 1989 HOF Bowl in Tampa, saw Cuse beat LSU.

RIP.

Sad to hear this; brings back childhood memories.

I believe he and Don Nehlen were buds.

Epic Sugar Bowl against Auburn. Pat "Tie" Dye still gets ribbed about not going for the win

RIP

https://syracusefan.com/threads/coach-ma...st-2266727

Link for those that want to watch and read more.

I found it funny that Coach Mac disliked Miami-OH from his days on the Cincy staff. He tried to steal their tomahawk...

http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/i...river_home

Mac 'saved my life'

ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonough was the only non-family member to eulogize the coach, but if you listened to his words, you'd think he was part of the big, Irish family.

McDonough worked under MacPherson in the Syracuse football office when he was a student in the early '80s. They met at Mac's first press conference, where McDonough introduced himself as the son of Boston sportswriter.

In time, Mac treated him like a son, and McDonough shared the story of how the coach helped fund his college education -- even if he would never admit it -- and set him up for a successful professional career.

"I couldn't get it done financially," said McDonough, who was about $3,600 short in schooling costs around Christmas in between semesters.

He called Mac.

" 'I appreciate all you've done for me, but I wasn't going to be able to come back to Syracuse,' " he told the coach. He figured he could attend an in-state school in Massachusettes that was cheaper than SU.

"I knew in my heart and my mind," McDonough told the assembled audience at Friday's service, "that my days on this spectacular hill were likely over."

He said MacPherson wished him well and would keep in touch.

"God stuck to his plan, and once again Dick MacPherson was at the center of it," McDonough said.

Within a couple days, he received a call from the university informing him he was receiving an academic scholarship for about $4,000.

The timing and amount seemed conspicuous.

"It was also surprising," McDonough said, "given my 2.2 GPA. That part wasn't totally true. It was a 1.8.

"I knew the only reason my stay in Syracuse was being extended was because Coach Mac made it happen.

"Friends, it's not an overstatement to say to you that Coach's intervention completely changed my life. It saved the arc and the path of my life."

McDonough paid his way through the remainder of his four years at Syracuse. By the time he turned 19, he became the voice of the Syracuse Chiefs, a job that would help him later become the voice of the Boston Red Sox.

"Everything in my professional life I am certain would not have happened had I not known Coach Mac, had he not cared so much about me, had he not just put down the phone when i said goodbye and done nothing.

"He truly changed my life, saved my life and continued to influence my life."

(08-08-2017 09:36 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  Auburn did tie them in the Sugar Bowl when Pat Dye opted for a tie at the end rather than going for the win. It was pretty chickenshit as I recall but that's not Auburn's fault.

in the pre-Overtime era of college football (1800s—1995), there were countless examples of teams choosing to "go for the tie" when the game was close near the end. There was one famous instance in 1966, when Notre Dame played it safe against Michigan State. And of course Auburn did the same against Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl.

Oh yeah, I remember it well.

One year, Penn State did the same thing against Pitt in that once annual rivalry game. The game ended 24–24 because Joe Paterno got the ball inside the Pitt 20 yard-line very late in the game down three and basically knelt on it a few times before kicking a game-tying field goal. He didn't want to risk an interception or a fumble so late in the game. It was very controversial in Pennsylvania at that time but really it was a bad rule more than anything else.

I feel the same way about Pat Dye's decision against Syracuse. He could have gone for the win and maybe he should have. However, like Paterno against Pitt, at the end of the day I don't blame either for settling for the sure tie.

The rule was the problem and needed to be corrected. Finally, after many years of similarly controversial decisions, college football changed a very bad rule. Now, I think you could argue that overtime is still not exactly right but it's way better than what existed beforehand.

However, isn't that how college football always works. We are seeing it with the playoffs right now. We've known for 30 years that they needed a playoff but they needed to kind of inch towards it. They will eventually end up at an 8-team or maybe even a 16-team playoff, but it will be a half-century too late.

I think stopping the clock after every first down is the current rule that is the most ridiculous. Nearly everyone today is playing tempo football. They do it because they know that it puts the defense at a severe disadvantage. We also have an issue where everyone's brains are being regularly concussed. We have to figure out a way to reduce the number of opportunities for brain trauma to occur and reducing them by 20–25 snaps of per game (250-300 over the course of the season) is a good first step.

They will do it eventually but it will take something tragic to happen first.