Sachem coach Dave Falco and Syracuse coach Doug Marrone share a number of commonalities. They both coached at Cortland State, they both specialize in offensive football, they both coach at their alma maters and both were at Yankee Stadium for the third annual Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Marrone’s Syracuse Orange beat West Virginia, 38-14, for their second bowl victory in three years. Like last time in 2010, Falco was in the stands with friends and family, many from the Sachem Football Family, to support Marrone and the Orange.
“It was a great day at Yankee Stadium,” Falco said. “I am very happy for coach Marrone . He and his staff have done an outstanding job rebuilding the Syracuse football program and making them relevant again.”
If you’ve read my posts on Sachem football in the past you know that Falco and Marrone were in each others wedding parties and remain friends. Marrone offered Falco the wide receivers coaching position at Syracuse when he took over in 2009, a spot Falco turned down to remain at Sachem.
On what was Syracuse’s 699th win as a football program, spectators battled snow and wintery conditions all afternoon at The Stadium. Despite the freezing temperatures at times, it was a nearly perfect football set up.
Juxtaposing football on the world’s most famous baseball stage, with Monument Park fully operational before the contest, always creates a magnificent sporting moment. Back from when Army and Notre Dame, and even the New York Football Giants, played at the old Yankee Stadium, combining New York City and college football makes for a special and elegant experience for those in attendance.
Notes from The Stadium
- Sachem coaching legend Fred Fusaro, along with Sachem alum and Glenn coach Dave Shanahan and Sachem football/lacrosse great Doug Shanahan were all in attendance.
- Sachem alum Rich Cimini, a Syracuse grad, was not in attendance this year at the game. He was in Buffalo in advance for Sunday’s Jets-Bills games as the Jets beat writer for ESPN New York.
- There have been dozens and dozens of football games played at Yankee Stadium dating back to 1923. I dug up this list of the score and date of every game.
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-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro