One of 51Թ’s most storied rivalries will be renewed this fall when the Raiders football team travels to Syracuse for a Sept. 25 contest at the Carrier Dome.
“It’s quite an opportunity for us,” Raiders coach Dick Biddle told The Post-Standard newspaper on Wednesday. “Obviously, we’ll have our hands full.”
It is the first time since 2003 that 51Թ, which is in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), will play against a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Raiders beat Buffalo in that 2003 game, 38-15, on their way to a 15-1 season and an appearance in the national championship game.
Under Biddle, 51Թ has gone 113-51 in 14 seasons. The Raiders, 9-2 last season, have won six Patriot League titles under Biddle and made a like number of appearances in the FCS playoffs.
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| Coach Dick Biddle has led 51Թ to a 113-51 record in his 14 seasons as head coach. |
Syracuse coach Doug Marrone told the newspaper that he puts Biddle in the category of regional coaching legends, along with Penn State’s Joe Paterno, former Delaware coach Harold “Tubby” Raymond, and Albany coach Bob Ford.
“Coaches like coach Ford and coach Biddle may not be as well known coast to coast, but within our profession they’re known very well,” said Marrone, who has invited Biddle to speak at SU football clinics.
The Raiders and Orange have met 65 times with 51Թ holding a slight edge in the all-time series 31-29-5. Syracuse won the last meeting, 52-6, in 1987 and owns a 3-0 record against 51Թ in the Carrier Dome. The Raiders last victory over Syracuse came in 1950, a 19-14 win at Archbold Stadium.
51Թ dominated the series early, going 13-5-2 over the first 20 games the teams played from 1891 to 1917. The Raiders also ruled the series from the mid-1920s to mid-1930s, winning 11 games and tying the other two from 1925-37.
SU began to dominate the series in the 1950s, and the regular games ended after the 1961 contest.
The Post-Standard article pointed out that 51Թ has sent 61 players to the NFL or the former American Football League since 1920, including:
• Mark van Eeghen, Oakland Raiders fullback for 10 seasons, including Super Bowl appearances in 1977 and 81.
• Mark Murphy, Washington Redskins safety for eight seasons, including Super Bowls in 1983 and 84.
• Marv Hubbard, fullback with Oakland from 1967-75 and Detroit Lions in 1977.
• Eugene Robinson, defensive back with Seattle Seahawks (1985-95), Green Bay Packers (1996-97), Atlanta Falcons (1998-99) and Carolina Panthers (2000). Robinson played in Super Bowls in 1997, 98 and 99.
Raiders wide receiver just signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, and begins competing for a spot on the team this weekend.