Seeing his number 54 hanging from the JMA Wireless Dome rafters is a moment not lost on Syracuse football legend Dwight Freeney.

What You Need To Know

  • During Saturday's win over Georgia Tech, Orange legend Dwight Freeney had his jersey retired

  • He's one of the best to ever to do it for the Orange and has had an exciting year so far

  • Freeney adds that he likes the work Fran Brown has put it, adding he could be the coach to bring the spotight back to Central New York

 

“For that to be up there, you know, representing everything that came before me and being a part of that, all those who supported me and they’re part of that, it means the world,” Freeney said. “It means everything.”

The last months have been some of the best in Freeney’s post-playing career. Alongside his family, the 44-year-old is now getting the cherry on top with his jersey retirement.

“This year, I’m 44,” Freeney said. “It’s my age, 44. And obviously 44 is special here. And it’s been a great year, man. It’s just been a ride. You know, [the] College Football Hall of Fame, basically, and then [the] Football Hall of Fame, now jersey retirement, it just keeps going. I don’t know when is going to stop. I just hope it just keeps going.”

The Orange legend rekindles a long-standing relationship as well with longtime SU namestay Will Hicks, a man Freeney looked up to and credits his success in the NFL, too.

“As long as they had Coach Hicks here, I was here getting ready for the NFL,” Freeney said. “So coming back, seeing him being a him being a part of his family, you know, coaching and coaches are so important. They were just looking at players and just say, ‘oh, he’s a stud.’ He’ll be a stud. No, you have to have someone teaching you as well. And it’s like the combination of both.”

Freeney’s return to the Dome brings back memories for many when Syracuse was a national power. While it’s been some time since those days, Freeney believes in the work Fran Brown and his staff have put in.

“I have faith and belief that he has some of those intangibles as a coach,” Freeney said. “That means a lot. It’s more about the player and coaching the player, but the person as well. So now you try to grow these kids into men and try and show them the right way to do it. He wants to be inclusive. He wants to get all the guys that meant anything to this organization, to the city, to this university, back. You know, we’re the foundation. And some of us are what these kids look up to.”