'Syracuse is better because of Boeheim': On- and off-campus reaction to coach's retirement

SYRACUSE – Over the last 47 years, two things remained constant in the life of every Central New Yorker.

Long, deary winters, and the presence of Jim Boeheim.

No matter how many businesses shut down, or how much the temperature dipped below freezing, fans could count on Boeheim roaming the sidelines at the Carrier Dome.

Wednesday evening though, that certainty dissipated.

Syracuse announced Boeheim’s retirement Wednesday afternoon after he hinted at it following the Orange’s season-ending loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.

Thursday, Central New Yorkers across Syracuse shared mixed feelings toward Boeheim’s retirement.

Beth Theiss grew up on the east side of Syracuse. She started going to games at Manley Field House, the Orange’s home before the dome, beginning at age 12 when Boeheim was hired in 1976.

Theiss said the news saddened her, given how many fans criticized Boeheim in recent years after Syracuse experienced its share of struggles.

“For anyone who is upset with him, walk a mile in his shoes,” she said. “It’s not easy bringing in young men that are away from home for the first time. Dealing with all that as coaches isn’t easy.”

For the past decade, Theiss has been the assistant manager at Manny’s, a sports shop on Marshall Street, SU's famed off-campus drag.

Syracuse's battles with other storied programs, from Georgetown to Duke, brought visitors to the Salt City in the dead of winter. This helped establishments like Manny’s, which opened since 1949.

Boeheim’s impact also extends past the hardwood, due to the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

“Central New York has the highest rate of childhood poverty in the country, so him contributing to those organizations says a lot about who he is,” she said.

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'He's not doing a farewell tour'

Further down Marshall Street, Syracuse native Matthew Robinson, a manager at Varsity Pizza, first became enamored with the Orange when he saw Boeheim and Carmelo Anthony win the 2003 national championship.

Boeheim was a regular diner at Varsity, a staple of Syracuse since 1926. Robinson said he ordered his usual cheeseburger or tuna melt with a Dr. Pepper, and sit in the back, playing poker on his phone.

Robinson said he wasn't surprised by Boeheim's decision, but instead by the way it was announced.

“I was surprised by how it all went,” he said. “I thought they would do a retirement press conference, but like he said he’s not Derek Jeter, he’s not doing a farewell tour.”

Syracuse students wanted more of a goodbye

Syracuse broadcast and digital journalism major Owen Taylor said a retirement tour would have dialed up support among the student body for Wednesday’s game.

“People would have been talking about it, maybe there would have been a tailgate,” Taylor said. “Instead, it felt like a normal day, and then we found out, and it was like ‘oh that happened.”’

Ryan Dsalvo, a sophomore and a television, radio and film major, agreed and said a farewell tour could have given students and fans ample time to honor Boeheim.

“The farewell tour adds so much build up and anticipation, and everyone is so much on board, and they think of him fondly,” he said.

Dsalvo said he found out after someone screamed it out on a bus.

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The future of Syracuse basketball

Both Taylor and Dsalvo appeared open to new Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry. Taylor implied the student body had grown tired of Boeheim as interest in the basketball program declined.

The allure of attending games remains strong, Taylor said, but there was less incentive to tune into away games.

Kaitlyn Driscoll, a psychology sophomore, and Khloe Gage, an economics sophomore, said students grew accustomed to mediocrity.

“We go more for the atmosphere than to see them winning,” Gage said. “There was nothing we were aiming for because there was nothing in sight.”

Gage expects high turnout for Autry’s first game, but if he struggles the way Boeheim did toward the end, she thinks student support will continue to drop.

Jim Boeheim's legacy

Brad Horn, a Houston native and associate dean of strategic initiatives at the Newhouse School of Public Communications, has called CNY home for the better part of 20 years since he became director of communications for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

With a background in PR, Horn viewed Syracuse men’s basketball as a brand.

“You can stay with what made you famous, or you can take a chance on something from the outside,” Horn said. “It’s smart to focus on legacy, and that’s what SU did with Autry.”

Before fans turn their attention to Autry, Horn wants them to remember Boeheim’s legacy, one that he believes grants a spot on college basketball’s Mount Rushmore.

“Central New York should be so proud that one of those faces belongs to Jim Boeheim,” he said. “Jim Boeheim is better because of Syracuse, and Syracuse is better because of Boeheim.”

Noah Ram is the sports reporter for the Utica Observer-Dispatch. Email him at nram@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Jim Boeheim retirement: Reactions from Syracuse as coach's career ends