College sports: Syracuse to bestow Ring of Honor status on Schwartzwalder, Bing

Jun. 8—SYRACUSE — Syracuse University announced Thursday that two legendary figures in Orange athletics will be honored in the university's Ring Of Honor at the JMA Wireless Dome during the 2023-24 school year.

Hall of Fame football coach Ben Schwartzwalder and 1960s basketball standout Dave Bing will be the latest to have their names featured on the Dome's inner facade. Others in the Ring of Honor are Jim Boeheim, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Roy Simmons Jr. and Dwayne "Pearl" Washington. The Ring of Honor was established in 2020.

Schwartzwalder will be honored Sept. 23 during Syracuse's football game against Army at the Dome. Bing will be celebrated during an undetermined Atlantic Coast Conference basketball game. A date will be named after the schedule is released.

Schwartzwalder's name is featured on a trophy presented annually to a single SU football player who exemplifies on-field ability and leadership skills. The Schwartzwalder Trophy previously was handed out to the winner of the Syracuse-West Virginia football game, beginning in 1993.

Schwartzwalder led the SU football program for 25 years and guided the team to the 1959 national title. Some of the Orange's greatest players, led by running backs Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, played for Schwartzwalder. His teams compiled a 153-93-1 record and went 22 straight seasons without a losing record. Schwartzwalder, a native of West Virginia who played offensive line for the Mountaineers from 1931-33, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

Schwartzwalder served during World War II and received a Purple Heart. He was a paratrooper who was among the first wave of soldiers to descend on Normandy Beach on D-Day. He became head coach of SU in 1949. Schwartzwalder died in 1993.

Dave Bing led Syracuse basketball resurgence during his time from 1962-66. Inducted into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 1990, Bing was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and was a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team in 2021.

Bing made an immediate impact at Syracuse as fans began to attend Bing's freshman team games in greater numbers than the varsity games. Bing helped the Orange to the National Invitational Tournament in his first year on the varsity. As a senior, Bing led SU to the NCAA Tournament, playing for a team that averaged a school-record 99 points per game. Syracuse finished 22-6 and Bing averaged 28.4 ppg.

Bing was selected by Detroit as the second overall pick in the 1966 draft and he won the 1967 NBA Rookie of the Year. He played 12 seasons in the league and scored more than 18,000 points in his career.

Bing later became a successful business owner and served as mayor of Detroit from 2009-13.

GADSDEN PRESEASON PICK

Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden is one of 15 Atlantic Coast Conference players named to the Preseason All-America team by Phil Steele in his annual season preview magazine.

Gadsden paced Syracuse in receiving yards with 969, good for sixth in the ACC and the most for any tight end in the country. He averaged 74.5 yards per game and scored six touchdowns.

Four other SU players were named: linebacker Marlowe Wax and kick returner Trebor Pena are on the second team and offensive guard Kalan Ellis and defensive end Caleb Okechukwu are on the fourth team.

Other ACC players named to the first team are: Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter, Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis, Miami safety Kamren Kinchens, North Carolina State long snapper Joe Shimko and Florida State defensive end Jared Verse.