The Syracuse Football Club is backing the 2009 football Orange with five community-based initiatives surrounding home games. The SFC ‘Community Challenge’ aims to turn the Carrier Dome orange, raise money for the program and build a strong community support base. The program, which includes the Zunic Award, a bus trip to Penn State, Orange t-shirts for the home-opener and support of the football program, will be in full swing for Syracuse’s season-opener against Minnesota on Sept. 5 (12:00 p.m., ESPN2). Tickets for head coach Doug Marrone’s Syracuse debut are available online and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (888-DOME-TIX).
Prior to the season-opener, Syracuse Football Club members will distribute 30,000 “It Starts Now” orange t-shirts on the Quad and around the Dome. Donations of $3 dollars per shirt or $5 for two shirts will be accepted. All students in attendance will receive free t-shirts upon entering the Dome at designated student entrance (Gate E).
To assist the development of the Orange football program, the SFC will donate $1 for every ticket sold to the home-opener. The Club’s goal is a $50,000 donation.
Fans can participate in the SFC Community Challenge once inside the Dome, as well. At every home game, the Club will hold a 50/50 raffle. Entry is $1 per chance at each home game, with the winner announced during the fourth quarter, or a season-long raffle ($2 per chance), with the winner announced at the end of the season.
The SFC will present the Zunic Award to highly-decorated United States military veterans Bill Coghill, who will be honored posthumously, and Norm Mordue will be honored with the 2009 Zunic Award on Friday, September 4 at a dinner at the Lafayette Country Club. The Syracuse Football Club will pay tribute to both men with the award, which recognizes friends of SU football who exhibit the courage and spirit of Mike and Judy Zunic and have overcome some of life’s tough plays. For tickets to the dinner, please visit the SFC website. They will also be honored on the field during the Syracuse-Minnesota game on Sept. 5.
The Zunic Award was established in May of 2001 to honor Mike ’81 and Judy Zunic who died tragically on July 19, 1989 when a United Airlines flight crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. Responding to the pilot’s request for strong armed volunteers to sit on the exit doors in anticipation of a crash landing, Mike and Judy gave up their seats in first class to sit on the exit door to assist other passengers upon the landing. Mike and Judy died in the crash and those seated in the Zunics’ original seating area survived.
A Veteran of the US Marine Corp, Coghill served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 as a medic where he received two purple hearts. Following his injures and fulfilling his education, he went on to play professional football with the British Columbia Lions. Coghill rescued a child named Ty from a Vietnam war zone and then had him moved from the combat area to a school, which Coghill paid for personally. Coghill also fed the village children with his left over c-rations and candy he purchased. After a while he became a favorite with the village children and they affectionately referred to Coghill as "Kim-shee - water-boo" which roughly translates to Dr. Water Buffalo.
Coghill was a defensive lineman who earned a letter in 1967 as a sophomore and went off to war after the season. He returned to Syracuse and rejoined the team for the 1970 and 1971 seasons.
Mordue’s military decorations also include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and various Campaign and Service Medals. He was a moving force in creating the Korea-Vietnam Memorial in downtown Syracuse, the first monument in the country dedicated to both the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.
A native of Elmira, N.Y., Mordue was influenced to attend Syracuse University by Orange legend and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, who was the first African American to win the honor. At Syracuse, head coach Ben Schwartzwalder converted Mordue from a high school quarterback to a running back, where he played for the 1964 Sugar Bowl team. Mordue earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics in 1966 and later returned to graduate from the SU College of Law in 1971.
The SFC is also sponsoring a bus trip to support the Orange in its game at Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 12. The trip includes a game ticket transportation by deluxe motor coach, one hotel room and a professionally catered tailgate at Beaver Stadium. The bus will depart on Friday and return to Syracuse after the game on Saturday. The cost is $399 per person (double occupancy) or $449 per person (single occupancy). All interested fans are invited to visit the SFC website or contact Kathy Rainone (315-884-4444) to make reservations.
The Syracuse Football Club, which is made up of all Syracuse Football alumni, was established to perpetuate the Syracuse Football tradition and promote brotherhood and unity between the University and former football players for their mutual benefit. For more information about the SFC, visit www.syracusefootballclub.com.
Season tickets for the 2009 Syracuse campaign start at $100 for the 2009 season. Adult Individual game tickets for all eight home games are $38 each. Youth tickets (ages 12 & under) for seven home games are $18 each. For the game against Maine on September 26, Youth & Senior Citizen day, all youth and Senior Citizens (ages 60 & over) tickets will be $15 each. Family Packs are available for all home games when purchased in advance, with the exception of games against Maine and Akron. A $99 Family Pack, which is a $28 savings, includes two adult tickets, two youth tickets (12 and under), $5 concession coupon and a $10 parking pass.
The Minnesota Two-Game Pack offers fans the opportunity to purchase a ticket to Syracuse’s home-opener, which is Marrone’s Dome debut, and any other home game of their choice ($66 adult/$26 youth). Fans are invited to save up to 40% on the ticket price by purchasing tickets in groups of 35 or more and 100 or more. For questions about Group Sales, please call (315-443-3212).
For further questions and details call the Carrier Dome Box Office during business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-888-DOMETIX.