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First, there’s Donovan McNabb: All-American, NFL star and former Syracuse football hero/soon-to-be legend.

It’s simple for that half of Donovan McNabb to talk about Paul Pasqualoni, the head coach he played for from 1995 to 1998. So simple.

‘I’m a Coach P fan,’ the current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback said last Friday, the eve of SU’s 34-24 loss at Temple. ‘For some of the things I did at the university, not a lot of head coaches go out of their way for their quarterback like he did.’

Then there’s Donovan McNabb ’99, Syracuse University Board of Trustees member. For this half of Donovan McNabb, things aren’t so cut and dry.

‘The decision as a board member … we’ll have to talk about,’ McNabb said.

McNabb addressed a group of Syracuse media about the future of the Syracuse football team and, more specifically, the future of its moribund head coach last Friday. Supportive but realistic, the quarterback reflected an attitude typical of several former Orange.

‘Being a big supporter doesn’t mean I’m just going to keep throwing out there, ‘We need to keep Coach P, keep Coach P,” McNabb said of trustee board meetings. ‘I want to see Coach P stay. We haven’t talked about that issue yet, of what’s going to happen, but you have to do what’s best for the university, and that is something we’ll all come up with together.’

Though he doesn’t share McNabb’s lofty university status – or any of his gridiron success – Will Hunter expressed a similar sentiment.

‘I think Coach P is a brilliant mind,’ said Hunter, an outspoken cornerback who played his last season in 2002, Pasqualoni’s first losing season of his SU career. ‘But he allows other people to make decisions sometimes when he should be making them during the course of the game.’

Hunter lauded Pasqualoni for his dedication to his players away from the Dome. He said the coach prepared his team for life after football by making sure they always had the right books and supplies for class. When players missed a class or a study hall, it meant a personal, face-to-face meeting with Pasqualoni.

Still, Hunter wasn’t sure if Pasqualoni should be replaced or not.

‘I don’t know,’ Hunter said. ‘It’s up to them. He was good to me when I was there, and the program was good to me when I was there. But sometimes, things have to happen.’

That became especially apparent after SU’s loss to Temple, perhaps the most damaging loss during Pasqualoni’s tenure.

‘When I saw the score, I was like, ‘This can’t be real,” said Hunter, who played on the only other SU team to lose to the Owls. ‘That place must be haunted for us or something.’

Even before the nightmare in Philadelphia, McNabb and other former Orange in the NFL had grown concerned over the dearth of Syracuse football success.

‘They are aware of the situation,’ McNabb said. ‘We talk about the university – about the success they’re having or not having. We support all sports. Right now, the major topic is football.’

McNabb said he still speaks with Pasqualoni on a regular basis, though not as much as he did during his first few years out of Syracuse, and that the coach seems upbeat.

Last season, before SU’s regular-season finale against Notre Dame, McNabb surprised his former coach by calling into Pasqualoni’s weekly radio show. McNabb offered unabashed support to the coach, then under a maelstrom of scrutiny after a loss at Rutgers.

‘I still feel the same as last year,’ McNabb said.

That’s McNabb the player talking, and it’s so simple.

Support the program.

Protect the coach.

Then there’s McNabb the board member, and he has to make decisions.

Save the program.

Fire the coach?

‘I’m very aware of the upgrade the university needs,’ McNabb said. ‘(Other SU grads in the NFL and I) have talked about what we need to do. You will see dramatic changes. It takes time. In the next couple of years, you will see big changes.’

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Published on November 16, 2004 at 12:00 pm