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Football

McNabb to have jersey retired

Syracuse will retire Donovan McNabb’s No. 5 jersey on Nov. 2 during the Wake Forest game, McNabb announced on his Twitter page on Saturday. McNabb, who starred for the Orangemen from 1995-1999, tweeted that the decision was announced at the Board of Trustees dinner on Friday night.

McNabb is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in SU history, starting all 49 games in his college career and compiling a 35-14 record before playing 13 seasons in the NFL. He holds Syracuse records with 221.1 total yards per game, a 155.1 passing efficiency rating and 8.9 yards per attempt. A 96-yard touchdown pass against West Virginia during his freshman year is also a Syracuse record.

McNabb also set several single-season school records. During his junior season he amassed an SU record 2,892 total yards. His 22 touchdown passes as a senior are a school record, and his four touchdown passes against Cincinnati are school records, as well. He guided the Orangemen to their most recent Bowl Championship Series game that year. Syracuse fell to Florida in the 1999 Orange Bowl.



The quarterback holds Big East records with 77 career touchdowns and 1,403 total offensive plays. He was a three-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year and was named the conference’s offensive player of the decade for the 1990s. In all, McNabb’s accolades earned him a spot on SU’s all-century team.

He also served as a walk-on for the basketball team for two seasons, appearing in 18 games, including a 10-point outing against Georgetown. He was a walk-on on the 1996 team that lost to Kentucky in the national championship.





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