Syracuse Honors Former Patriots Head Coach Dick MacPherson

Dick MacPherson spent only two seasons as the head coach of the New England Patriots. MacPherson went a combined 8-24 in those two seasons. On Saturday, MacPherson was posthumously honored. It was not for his short stint in New England but for the success he had at Syracuse University, which led to his opportunity with the Patriots.

At halftime of the Syracuse-UConn game, MacPherson’s family represented him during an on-field ceremony emceed by Sean McDonough. McPherson’s name was unveiled as the newest member of the Syracuse Orange Ring of Honor. The man affectionately known as “Coach Mac” was the head coach of Syracuse from 1981 to 1990.

MacPherson’s teams compiled a 66-46-4 record during his ten seasons in Central New York. This included an 11-0-1 season in 1987, which saw MacPherson win every major Coach of the Year award that year. The quarterback of that team, Heisman Trophy runner-up Don McPherson, was on hand for Saturday’s ceremony.

Dick MacPherson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009. He passed away in 2017 at age 86.

New England Patriots Years

The Maine native returned to New England in 1991 to rejoin the NFL. MacPherson previously served as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. He replaced Rod Rust, who went 1-15 in his lone season as head coach in New England.

Dick MacPherson led the Patriots to a 6-10 finish in 1991, a significant improvement over the year before. However, the team fell to 2-14 in 1992, costing MacPherson his job. Although his time in Foxboro was not memorable in many ways, it paved the way for the team to hire Bill Parcells as head coach and select Drew Bledsoe with the first overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.