It didn’t matter how long it took Floyd Little to try and convince Jim Brown to come to the Plaza 44 statue unveiling. It took “weeks, months” and as of Monday, Little had yet to hear back from the fellow Hall of Famer.

On Saturday, the process it took to bring Brown to Syracuse was irrelevant. Flanked by his family, and throngs of Syracuse supporters and trustees braving the sub-freezing temperatures, Brown craned his neck to look at the statue positioned above him.

“It’s really something else to have these kind of things that represent goodness and education and success,” Brown said. “I might be No. 3 of the group. It’s a great honor.”

Syracuse unveiled the statues of Brown, Little and Ernie Davis simultaneously to a roaring crowed that stood as sleet gathered on the ground. The only hiccup of the day was Brown referring to SU as the University of Syracuse.

Former Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder was also honored with a statue outside the Ensley Athletic Center. Little presented the statue and pointed to the numerous former players that were in attendance at the ceremony.

“It’s really nice to have a statue of me,” Little said. “It’s going to be here for forever, and people for years to come can see it.”

Neither Director of Athletics Mark Coyle nor Chancellor Kent Syverud were made available to the media following the event.

When discussing the future of the number, Little reiterated that his 10-year-old grandson would wear the number when he got to Syracuse. He said that promise was made to him by former Director of Athletics Daryl Gross.

Brown was less committal about the future of the number, saying he was rolling with what Little wants. He said he wants the rest of the athletic department to continue to get better.

“What we did is what we did,” Brown said. “I don’t know about the number or the politics. I’m here.”

Published on November 14, 2015 at 1:55 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3