Jim Brown probably spoke for much of the Syracuse fan base when he shared his thoughts Sunday about Greg Robinson’s firing.

‘He’s a great human being,’ Brown said in a telephone interview, ‘but the program is headed nowhere.’

The first step toward heading somewhere came with Sunday afternoon’s announcement confirming the Orange’s head football coach will not return next season. Brown, likely the best player in Syracuse history, has been especially outspoken about Robinson’s struggles. In September, Brown publicly called for his dismissal.

Sunday evening, he and several other SU greats were given the opportunity to react to the news and discuss the future of Syracuse football. The general consensus? The change was necessary to start a new era for the program.

‘I am very happy there is a new hope right now,’ Brown said. ‘The change is right on time.’

For the past month, speculation and rumors were a daily occurrence, culminating with a story in The New York Times reporting that Syracuse had hired a consulting firm to search for Robinson’s successor. When the Orange lost bowl eligibility by losing to Rutgers Nov. 8, it became clear Robinson could not save his job. The only question was when.

Jake Crouthamel, SU’s director of athletics from 1978-2005, said he expected current AD Daryl Gross to pull the trigger two or three weeks ago, considering the Orange’s poor performance this season and during Robinson’s four-year tenure. After a loss to Connecticut Saturday night, Syracuse is now 2-8 on the year and 9-36 with Robinson at the helm.

‘I was surprised nothing seemed to be happening,’ Crouthamel said from his Massachusetts home. ‘Things were going on as usual. Another loss, go on for another week. I found it curious nothing was being said about it except from the public, the fans and the press.’

Crouthamel said he has ‘personal feelings’ about how Gross handled the coaching situation but declined to elaborate further. Recalling from his experiences firing and hiring coaches, he said the toughest part will be maintaining stability these next two weeks until Syracuse officially parts ways with Robinson.

‘It’s unfortunate for the program, especially the players and assistant coaches,’ Crouthamel said. ‘Those poor seniors lost their last home game, and now they are playing under a ruse.’

But regardless of how the firing was handled by the administration, at least one former coach remained impressed with Robinson’s demeanor and attitude, despite all the uncertainty.

Dick MacPherson, Syracuse’s head coach from 1981-1991, said Robinson consistently represented the program well off the field, right through to his press conference Sunday to discuss his firing. But he did not question the decision, saying Robinson failed to create a strong recruiting base and bring in enough talent to win at a level acceptable for a program like Syracuse.

‘He brought real dignity and class to Syracuse football, and I feel bad for him,’ MacPherson said after Robinson’s press conference. ‘He went out the way a coach should: fighting. People don’t realize how much a coach loves coaching. All he wants to do right now is keep coaching.’

But Robinson’s recruiting struggles hurt his chances to do so. Syracuse is last in the Big East with only six commitments for the Class of 2009. It is impossible to know which of those will still come now that Robinson has been fired.

And while a new coach could spark a turnaround, it may take even more than that to bring the program back toward respectability.

‘I think it needs a re-commitment from whomever the leadership is, to some things facility-wise that we need to do to make it more attractive for recruits,’ said Chris Gedney, a tight end for the Orangemen from 1989-1992 and current assistant AD for major gifts.

But Sunday was about Robinson, not the future. Syracuse fans have been calling for Robinson’s dismissal since the end of the last season, hoping to rid themselves of the least successful coach in program history.

Now, that day has arrived.

Said Brown: ‘It’s a great day, because we have an opportunity to start anew and work together with the new coach.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on November 16, 2008 at 12:00 pm