Kevin Sampson remembers his first visit from a college coach. Syracuse offensive line coach George DeLeone greeted him early one morning in Sampson’s hometown of Westwood, N.J., before school started.

‘I made sure I was on my best behavior,’ Sampson said. ‘I was just happy to get any recognition.’

Little did Sampson know, five years later, he would graduate from SU and play for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Though Syracuse has gone 10-14 over the past two seasons and has only two bowl wins since 1997, Sampson is one of many former Orange players who have met recent success in the NFL. SU has had 28 of its players selected in the NFL Draft in the past 10 years, including six first-round draft picks. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has been the most successful former Syracuse player in the NFL. He was picked second overall in the 1999 draft.

At the start of the 2004-2005 season, Syracuse was tied with Pittsburgh in the Big East for the most former players on NFL rosters with 25.

Former Syracuse linebacker and current Miami Dolphin Morlon Greenwood credited SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni and the Orange position coaches for producing so much talent.

‘Syracuse has great coaches,’ he said. ‘Just look at how many SU players in the NFL are starters, not even back-ups or reserves. I mean you can really go down the list. That shows we’ve been coached well.

‘(Having lots of SU players in the NFL) is a sign of how successful Coach P is.’

SU running backs coach David Walker agreed that Syracuse coaches have the ability to cultivate well-rounded kids.

‘You gotta be able to find kids who will fit your program and what you can do,’ Walker said. ‘We take great pride in how we develop kids. We try to make them as best as they can be.’

Walker pointed to former SU defensive end Josh Thomas, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts this season, as an example of how Orange coaches have developed players.

‘We saw something in the young man, and we thought he could be successful for us in our program,’ Walker said. ‘He’s gone on to the NFL, and guys who were more recruited than him who went to bigger schools didn’t have as much success.’

The only Division I-A schools Thomas received offers from were SU, Purdue and Buffalo.

‘He was 6-foot-7, 220 pounds as a senior in high school,’ Walker said. ‘He left our place at 290 pounds. He’s one example, but there have been others.’

Like Thomas, Sampson benefited from the strength and conditioning staff at SU.

‘The strength staff at SU is the best in the country,’ Sampson said. ‘They played a major role in my success. I didn’t start lifting weights until I left high school.’

Sampson was not invited to the NFL combine to showcase his athletic abilities in front of NFL scouts, and he was not given any Big East or national honors as a senior in 2003. Instead, Sampson’s character and determination that DeLeone helped develop got him to the NFL, Sampson said.

‘DeLeone is an old-fashioned coach,’ Sampson said. ‘He’s a great offensive line coach. He’s the reason why I made it to the NFL.’

Despite SU’s recent struggles and the departure of Miami and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference, SU alumni are still proud of their team.

‘You’re only as good as the people around you,’ said Kevin Johnson, a former SU wide receiver who is currently on the Baltimore Ravens. ‘Back (in the late 1990s), we had guys with more talent. Any time you don’t have that much talent, you can’t expect to win every game.’

Rivals.com, a popular online recruiting service, hasn’t rated SU’s recruiting classes in the top 40 in the past three years, and its overall rank has diminished each year.

Still, Walker says there is no better time to come to SU.

‘At Syracuse you will definitely compete to win your conference and go to a BCS bowl,’ he said. ‘I might’ve said that to you when Miami and Virginia Tech were in the conference, but that would’ve been a stretch. But now, for me to say we can beat Pittsburgh and West Virginia, I think that’s a reality.’

Published on October 18, 2004 at 12:00 pm