Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney dies of brain cancer

April 1 (UPI) -- Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney has died of brain cancer. He was 79.

The university announced Maloney's death Tuesday. He died Monday at his home in Chicago. He coached at Syracuse from 1974 through 1980. Sources informed Syracuse.com and the Buffalo News of Maloney's cause of death.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of coach Maloney. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and former players," Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said in a news release.

"Coach Maloney led our football team during a time of transition, taking over the program after coach Ben Schwartzwalder's 25-year tenure. He developed many young men, several of whom went on to very successful business careers and a number of talented players who went on to the NFL."

Maloney was born Sept. 26, 1940, in Chicago. He played center and guard at the University of Michigan from 1959 through 1961 before beginning his football coaching career at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago. Maloney went on to work as an assistant coach for the Wolverines from 1968 through 1973 under coach Bo Schembechler.

He took over as Syracuse coach the following season after the retirement of Schwartzwalder, who had coached the Orange since 1949.

Maloney led the Orange to a 2-9 record in his first season. The Orange then went 6-5 in 1975. Maloney's best season with the Orange came in 1979 when he led the team to a 7-5 record and an Independence Bowl victory. He left the school after leading the Orange to a 5-6 record in 1980.

His 1980 Orange also played in the first game ever played at the Carrier Dome, which produced a stadium-record 50,564 fans.

Maloney coached 19 future NFL Draft picks and 10 All-Americans at Syracuse, including Bill Hurley, Jim Collins, Larry King and Craig Wolfley. He hired several assistant coaches who went on to become successful head coaches, including Nick Saban, Tom Coughlin and Jerry Angelo.

"I talked with him every two weeks ever since I graduated," Hurley said. "We talked about family, kids, sports, everything. His sense of humor appealed to me. Having him screaming at me was not much different than my parents yelling at me. We had a good rapport both on and off the field that carried on. We were together so much at school that it just seemed natural to continue that relationship."

Maloney worked in scouting for the Dallas Cowboys the year after resigning from Syracuse. He worked in ticket operations for the Chicago Cubs for nearly 30 years after his coaching career.

He is survived by wife, Kathleen, son Michael and daughters Molly and Kelly.