Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse interim athletic director Pete Sala and legendary running back Floyd Little announced Tuesday that the football program will restore 44, un-retiring a number that had been placed on the Carrier Dome wall for more than a decade.

The 44 jersey was worn at Syracuse by three football legends, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, creating an annual tradition in which the number was passed down each year to a promising player. Some players flashed moments of greatness. Others were flashes in the pan.

But, to many Syracuse fans, seeing the No. 44 on the field was a reminder of glory days and great players. Each player who wore the jersey carried great hopes and great expectations, and the pressure associated with wearing it was likely one of the reasons that it was ultimately retired.

That decision was one of the most controversial decisions made by former athletic director Daryl Gross, and the record of the football program has waned as the legendary jersey has languished on the wall since 2005.

Pete Sala on bringing 44 back: "We know it was the right thing to do." Said he won't discuss how it will be given out. — Stephen Bailey (@Stephen_Bailey1) May 19, 2015

Sala said there'll be a committee put together for awarding 44. Small group that will include Floyd Little. — Stephen Bailey (@Stephen_Bailey1) May 19, 2015

Pete Sala: "With the blessing of Jim Brown and Floyd Little, the No. 44 is back." — Stephen Bailey (@Stephen_Bailey1) May 19, 2015

Little has consistently been a proponent of bringing the number back, publicly making his case two years ago, and even saying he'd like his grandson to wear the number at Syracuse.

Along with being a symbol of the past, Syracuse fans view the jersey as a potential recruiting chip, and complaints about the choice to retire it became an annual rite of passage, culminating in a Restore 44 letter campaign over the past year.

Incoming Syracuse freshman Dontae Strickland expressed interest in wearing the number, and commit Robert Washington delighted in the idea even more, delving deep into the history of the men who wore it.

Others, however, have argued that using the number as bait for a recruit demeans a legacy that includes both tremendous on-field performances and incredible poise during a time when the three legends faced significant amounts of racism. Or that the legacies of the three men are so untouchable that no recruit is capable of filling their jersey.

No Syracuse player has worn the number since NFL fullback Rob Konrad played his final game in the jersey in 1998.

The announcement that the number could be worn again came at a groundbreaking ceremony for the 44 Plaza outside the Cliff Ensley Athletic Center, the football team's new indoor practice facility, creating a fitting blend of old and new.

The plaza will have statues of the three Syracuse legends.

With a shiny practice center billed as a major recruiting draw, and the No. 44 back on the field, Syracuse fans have been given two symbols of hope that restoring the program's on-field success might come next.

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639.