Syracuse University fielded their first truly successful football team during the 1959 NCAA Football season. Led by the trailblazing halfback Ernie Davis, the Orangemen racked up a perfect 11-0 record, highlighted by road wins over #7 Penn State and #17 UCLA. Syracuse played the dominant Darrell Royal-led Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, where the #1 Orangemen handily beat #4 Texas in a classic matchup. Syracuse finished the year ranked in the top spot of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in school history.

This stunning presentation football has been signed by 46 members of the 1959 Syracuse Orangemen, including Ernie Davis, who would go on to become the first African-American winner of the Heisman Trophy. Tragically, Davis passed away from complications relating to his diagnosis of leukemia before he could play a down in the NFL. Other signatures on this football include head coach Ben Schwartzwelder, team captain Gar Schwedes, Bob Yates, Pete Brokaw, Jim Wright, Fred Mautino, Dave Applehof, Bob Hart, Roger Davis, Ken Ericson, Jim Anderson, Glenn Gill, Dave Baker, Al Bemiller, Art Baker, Dave Sarette, and several others. The signatures have been written in black marker.

One panel of this football is painted white, with “1959 Syracuse National Champions” painted on the panel in orange and blue lettering. The panel bearing the Rawlings wordmark is painted blue, with “1959 Syracuse” painted in orange. This football comes with a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A69299).

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