- A Sign of Rebellion at SU
The era of student unrest left an indelible mark on Syracuse University in 1970, when national and local events conspired to tarnish SU's Centennial Celebration and produce two of the most tumultuous events in school history - the student strike and the football boycott.

President Nixon's decision to send United States troops into Cambodia and the shooting deaths of four Kent State University students by Ohio National Guardsmen prompted campus meyhem in early May. Students barricaded campus roads. The Daily Orange called for a student strike and classrooms quickly emptied. Led by student government president David Ifshin, more than 100 students staged a sit-in in Chancellor John Corbally's office and demanded SU pay $100,000 to the Black Panther Defense Fund to bail out jailed president Bobby Seale. After more than 24 hours, the demonstration ended quietly. Soon after, administration officials cancelled the final six weeks of classes.

At the same time controversy swelled within the football program. Eight African-American players accused coach Ben Schwartzwalder of discriminatory practices and boycotted spring practice. They were later kicked off the team after refusing to sign a statement absolving the University of guilt. The ensuing season began with a home game against Kansas and the most potent riot in campus history. A pre-game confrontation between nearly 100 policemen and at least 400 students featured flying rocks, bottles, and wood, pepper gas, and nightstick beatings.