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One of just six Pro Football Hall of Famers to play or coach in the Independence Bowl, Syracuse wide receiver Art Monk, is the number 14 player on the local bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Monk, who is also a College Football Hall of Famer, caught one pass for a seven-yard touchdown for Syracuse in the 1979 Independence Bowl. It was the final touchdown of his collegiate career.
Alongside fellow All-Time Team member Joe Morris, Monk helped the Orange to a 31-7 victory over McNeese State in the fourth Independence Bowl.
Monk is one of just three players to play in an Independence Bowl who have been inducted into both the Pro and College Football Hall of Fames – alongside Bruce Smith and Willie Roaf.
A native of White Plains, New York, Monk had three great years in a row at Syracuse from 1977-79, leading the team in receptions all three years. He was an all-around weapon, compiling 1,644 receiving yards, 1,174 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns in his college career.
The 1979 Independence Bowl season was the best of his career, as he caught 40 passes for 716 yards and was named first-team All-American and first-team All-East.
After his college career, which placed him in the top 10 in Syracuse history in a bevy of categories, Monk was selected in the first round, 18th overall, in the 1980 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. The pick paid immediate dividend. Monk set a Washington rookie record with 58 receptions on his way to being a unanimous selection on the NFL All-Rookie team.
During Monk’s 14 seasons in Washington, the Redskins won three Super Bowls (XVII, XXII and XXVI), and he made three Pro Bowls (1984, 1985 and 1986) and was named first-team All-Pro twice (1984 and 1985). The best season of his career was 1984, when he caught a then-league-record 106 passes for a career-high 1,372 yards. He was the only player to have more than 102 receptions in a season before the new NFL rule changes in 1990 ushered in the “pass-happy era.”
Monk, who became the first player in the NFL to catch a touchdown in 15 consecutive seasons and the first player ever to tally 35 receptions in 15 straight seasons, was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He became the sixth player in Washington Redskins/Commanders history to have his jersey retired in 2025, when the team retired his No. 81.
The next player on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, No. 13, will be announced on Monday, September 14. Players will be announced individually every week, with No. 1 being announced on Monday, December 7.
A local media panel picked the top 50 and ranked them.
The first 36 players on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, as previously announced, include:
No. 15 – Von Miller (OLB, Texas A&M, 2009); No. 16 — Wesley Walls (DE/TE, Ole Miss, 1986); No. 17 – Joe Morris (RB, Syracuse, 1979); No. 18 – Ray Childress (DT, Texas A&M, 1981); No. 19 – Sidney Rice (WR, South Carolina, 2005);
No. 20 – Brad Smith (QB, Missouri, 2003 and 2005); No. 21 – Derrick Mason (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 22 – Garrison Hearst (RB, Georgia, 1991); No. 23 – Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech, 2023); No. 24 – Tim Krumrie (NG, Wisconsin, 1982); No. 25 – Muhsin Muhammad (WR, Michigan State, 1995); No. 26 – Ja’Mar Toombs (RB, Texas A&M, 2000); No. 27 – Otis Wilson (LB, Louisville, 1977); No. 28 – A.J. Green (WR, Georgia, 2009); No. 29 – Rocky Calmus (LB – Oklahoma, 1999); No. 30 – Flozell Adams (OT – Michigan State, 1995);
No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT, Mississippi State, 2000); No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S, Air Force, 1983 & 1984); No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT, Air Force, 1984); No. 34 — Dameyune Craig (QB, Auburn, 1996); No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT, Georgia, 2009); No. 36 – Rondell Mealey (RB, LSU, 1997); No. 37 – Rolando McClain (LB, Alabama, 2007); No. 38 – Weldon Brown (CB, Louisiana Tech, 2008); No. 39 – Andre Smith (OT, Alabama, 2006 & 2007; No. 40 – Tiki Barber (RB, Virginia, 1994);
No. 41 – Puka Nacua (WR, BYU, 2021); No. 42 – Gary Kubiak (QB; Texas A&M, 1981); No. 43 — Seneca Wallace (QB, Iowa State, 2001); No. 44 – Todd McClure (C, LSU, 1995 & 1997); No. 45 – Gary Anderson (K, Syracuse, 1979); No. 46 – Booger McFarland (LB, LSU, 1995 & 1997); No. 47 – Tremaine Edmunds (LB – Virginia Tech, 2015); No. 48 – Bill Musgrave (QB – Oregon, 1989); No. 49 – Larry Anderson (DB – Louisiana Tech, 1977); No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB – Louisiana Tech, 1990).