This footage is out of sequence and does not run from the coin flip to the end of the game. Although not in order from first quarter to the end of the game, watching this rare footage reveals a Joe Paterno coached team that was undefeated that year meeting a Syracuse Orangemen team that were anything but intimidated and gave the Nitanny Lions all they could handle. The Orangemen ended up losing the game but this footage shows they would not go down easily.
Penn State was the number one ranked team in the country. Syracuse lost the game 15-14 on a controversial defensive penalty that gave Penn State a second opportunity for a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter. Penn State made the second attempt. Not only did Syracuse play heroically that day but a Syracuse sophomore running back and punt returner, Greg Allen, set a school record for punt return yardage in a single game 172 yds. This record still stands today. Greg Allen is one of the Syracuse 8 who are more widely known for the Boycott of 1970 at Syracuse.
Also seen in this footage is Hall of Famer Franco Harris (#24 Penn State, white uniform), Greg Allen (#17 Syracuse, dark uniform). Other future pros include Hall of Famer Jack Ham, plus Lydell Mitchell, Mike Reid, Steve Smear, John Ancolz , Joe Ehrmann, Stan Walters, Ray White and Tommy Myers among many other great professional players in their day.
Paternos Nitanny Lions ended the season undefeated but in this game, The Orangemen held a 14-0 half-time lead only to watch Penn State score 16 unanswered points in the second half to win (15-14) the game and stay undefeated. Most say that this team was Joe Paterno best Penn State team ever. A New York Times article (10/19/69) recognized the following SU players for outstanding play. They were: Bucky McGill, Ray White, Greg Allen and Don Dorr.
Seen in this footage is defensive Clarence Bucky McGill '72(#93). McGill was one of 9 players who became known as The Syracuse 8 The players included - Gregory Allen '72, Richard Bulls '73 , John Godbolt '73, Dana Harrell '71, G73, John Lobon '73, A. Alif Muhammad '71, Duane Walker '80 and Ron Womack '71.
These African-American players at Syracuse University boycotted the 1970 football season in a collective effort to demand change and promote racial equality within the University football program. These student-athletes wanted better medical care for injured players and stronger academic support for African American student-athletes; the right to compete fairly for any position on the starting team; and racial integration of the football coaching staff.
The activism actually began in the spring of 1969 with the black players accusing (then) Coach Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder , and SU the athletic department, of discriminatory practices. The ensuing season began with a home game against Kansas and the most potent riot in Syracuse campus history. A pre-game confrontation between nearly 100 policemen and at least 400 students featured flying rocks, bottles, and wood, pepper gas, and nightstick beatings.
Later that school year SU Chancellor John E. Corbally Jr. convened a commission to investigate and assess the situation. The commission's 60-page report concluded that the players' response to the racial injustices of the time, and their efforts to bring about change, were justified.
In 2006, at halftime of the SU-Louisville game, the group was recognized and presented, by Chancellor Nancy Cantor, the Chancellor's Medal of Courage, with their SU Letterman's jackets, which they never received after leaving the team 36 years ago. These men sacrificed playing the sport they loved and a possible career after college to stimulate social change and needed awareness.
Several of the Syracuse 8 were blacklisted in NFL as players. Their actions on campus meant that their chances to play professionally were all but lost due to the atmosphere of racial intolerance. None of them, although thought be great prospects, ever went on to play in the NFL. All players received BA's, Master's and/or JD degrees. All players have lived a solid professional life in the world of work and community service.
In memory of:
Richard Bulls from Buffalo, NY and also one of the aforementioned Syracuse 8...died on Thursday May 20, 2010 after a long illness.
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Syracuse vs Penn State (October 18, 1969) Part 3by Cowboyfan4761,283 views
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