Frank Maloney (born September 26, 1940) is a former
American football player and coach. He was the head coach at
Syracuse University from 1974–1980, succeeding
College Football Hall of Fame inductee,
Ben Schwartzwalder. Prior to coaching at Syracuse, Maloney was an assistant coach at the
University of Michigan under
Bump Elliott (1968) and
Bo Schembechler (1969–1973).
Maloney's tenure at Syracuse was marked by inconsistency. His team's fan base turned on him as the Orangemen failed to achieve the national status they had enjoyed under Schwartzwalder, perhaps, failing to remember that Schwartzwalder's last few seasons were mediocre ones, and his 1970 team had been stricken by racial unrest. Maloney's program was also limited by archaic facilities, as
Archbold Stadium, Syracuse's home field since 1907, was in need of replacement. Nonetheless, Maloney did recruit a number of future
NFL stars such as
Joe Morris and
Pro Football Hall of Fame member
Art Monk.
Maloney was the subject of criticism, not only from the fans and alumni, but also from the 1959 national championship team, members of which started a campaign calling for his ouster. Ironically enough, this call from program alumni came during the 1979 season, Maloney's best at Syracuse, when the Orangemen qualified for the
Independence Bowl, beating
McNeese State. After coaching the Orangemen for seven seasons and presiding over the opening of a new stadium, the
Carrier Dome, in 1980, Maloney was...
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