As then-No. 12 University of Rochester faced Washington University in St. Louis, Jeff Wittig watched from the stands as the Yellowjackets suffered their worst loss of the season. In that 93-62 defeat on Jan. 13, his son, Jacob Wittig, scored four points, his second-lowest total of the season. A backdoor layup marked Wittig’s only field goal.

That weekend, Jeff traveled from Rochester to Chicago for a Friday game, spent the night and flew to St. Louis. In Wittig’s 93 games as a Yellowjacket, Jeff has yet to miss any.

Before Wittig furthered his family’s legacy on the court, Jeff forged it on the gridiron and baseball diamond. A graduate from the University of Rochester in 1986, Jeff’s an Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, a two-time All-American and four-year starting quarterback and a four-year starting shortstop and pitcher. His son, a senior averaging 11.1 points and 30.8 minutes per game, is a starting guard on Rochester’s 2018-2019 squad. Through 16 games, he has been an integral part of No. 21 Rochester’s (13-3, 3-2 University Athletic Association) success.

“He could carve out his own legacy and not try to do what his dad did in that sport,” head coach Luke Flockerzi said.

Jeff was recruited to Rochester by Pat Stark, a former Syracuse University quarterback in the 1950s and a graduate assistant coach on the 1959 National Championship team. Jeff’s initial dream was to play Division-1 baseball either down south or at Cornell University, but jumped at the opportunity to play both baseball and football, even at the Division-III level. He was thrust into the starting quarterback role in week 3 of his freshman year after an injury to the Yellowjackets’ senior starter and proceeded to hold the job for the next three seasons.

The game that propelled him to All-American status, he said, came in 1984 against Denison University, a top-25 team in the country. Jeff was 27-50 for 398 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Yellowjackets’ 35-27 loss. Early deficits gave Jeff plenty of throwing opportunities.

In baseball, he had a career .336 batting average and went 8-4 as a pitcher, including 3-1 with a team-low 2.97 ERA his senior year.

Decades later, as Wittig’s coach in Pop Warner football, Jeff brought the same preparation and discipline. He scouted teams and prepared detailed practice schedules, especially when it came time for regionals.

“I’d have to tell him to take it back a little bit,” Wittig said, “because all these guys are my friends. I want them to still like me.”

Wittig hurt his shoulder during his senior season of football at Fayetteville-Manlius (NY) high school. He also played baseball and track as a Hornet, but only considered playing football or basketball at the next level. Wittig’s shoulder injury, however, ended thoughts about playing two sports in college like his father. Combined with the overlapping seasons, Wittig stuck with basketball.

“He stood out as someone who could come in from day one and lead a team,” Flockerzi said. “He’s been that since the day he stepped on campus.”

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Wittig was recruited to Rochester by his strong familial ties and by Flockerzi. He called Wittig a “scholarship-level player,” in terms of talent, but acknowledged that his size compared to other Division-I players put him on the fringe. (D-III does not give out athletic scholarships). Even though he had an offer from Williams, among others, Wittig admitted his father’s history with Rochester eventually was a pull-factor.

In the last four years, Wittig has shined as a Yellowjacket. He runs the huddles during timeouts, runs the offense on the court and uses his “uncanny natural ability” on defense to make up for his 5-foot-11 frame. Along with a 50-percent field goal shooting rate as a senior, he’s averaged over 30 minutes per game three out of four years.

He’s guarded Michael Mangan every day in practice, locking out the senior’s offensive game to the point where any move Mangan has, he can’t use against Wittig. At times, Wittig’s even ahead of Flockerzi, telling him which plays and calls will work.

“For me to genuinely think, ‘No, I didn’t think of that, that’s a great idea, let’s do it,’ might happen only once over my entire career,” Flockerzi said.

Inside the basement of the Wittig’s home, some of the first evidence of Wittig’s passion for basketball was filmed. In one video, he wore a Chicago Bulls jumpsuit and threw a small basketball into a play hoop.

Now, a picture of Wittig with former SU basketball guard and current assistant coach Gerry McNamara hangs in the home. This photo, along with their trip to Atlanta in 2013, when Syracuse lost to Michigan in the Final Four, are some of the fondest memories Wittig and his father have together.

The father and son’s on-court connection carried them last summer, too. Every day, Wittig and his father met in front of the basketball net in their driveway after work. Jeff received instructions for that day’s shooting workout, which many days involved spot-up, catch-and-shoot 3-pointer drills.

After every shot, Jeff rebounded the ball and kicked it out to Wittig. They’d mix in some free throw contests and other games, and when it became too dark, they’d flip the spotlight on.

Jeff’s been a continuity at every Rochester game the last four years, through the Yellowjackets’ run to the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals two years ago and, this year, through their attempted return. One thing is for sure. Wherever Wittig plays, Jeff will be there watching.

Published on January 21, 2019 at 8:55 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew