As too many programs have been doing of late, the extended Syracuse football family is mourning the loss of one of their own.
In a press release, Syracuse announced that former head football coach Frank Maloney has passed away, the family confirmed. Maloney was 79 years old.
According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Maloney died at his home in Chicago from complications of metastatic brain melanoma.
From 1974-1980, Maloney served as the Syracuse football head coach. Maloney replaced Hall of Famer Ben Schwartzwalder, who retired after a quarter-century with the Orange following the 1973 season.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Maloney. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and former players,” Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said in a statement. “Coach Maloney led our football team during a time of transition, taking over the program after Coach Schwartzwalder’s 25-year tenure. He developed many young men, several of whom went on to very successful business careers and a number of talented players who went on to the NFL.”
Maloney played his college football at Michigan. The West Virginia native’s coaching career began at his alma mater in 1968. He spent six years at U-M before leaving to take over the Syracuse football program.
During his seven years with the Orange, Maloney went 32-46.
One fascinating aspect of Maloney’s tenure with Syracuse football? The man Maloney replaced, Schwartzwalder, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The man who replaced Maloney, Dick MacPherson, was inducted into the same Hall of Fame in 2009.
MacPherson was 86 when he passed away in August of 2008. Schwartzwalder died in 1993 at the age of 83.
