About Frank Maloney
Frank Maloney, 79, American football player (Michigan Wolverines) and coach (Syracuse Orange), brain cancer.
Explore other notable deaths in 2020 or deaths in March 2020.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Frank Maloney?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Frank Maloney (September 26, 1940 – March 30, 2020) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Syracuse University from 1974 to 1980, succeeding College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ben Schwartzwalder. Prior to coaching at Syracuse, Maloney was an assistant coach at the University of Michigan under Bump Elliott (1968) and Bo Schembechler (1969–1973). After departing Syracuse he joined the management team for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.
Coaching career
Maloney's tenure at Syracuse was marked by inconsistency. The fan base turned on him as the Orange failed to achieve the national status they had enjoyed under Schwartzwalder, perhaps, failing to remember that Schwartzwalder's last few seasons were mediocre ones (only one winning season in his last five), and his 1970 team had been stricken by racial unrest. Maloney's program was also limited by archaic facilities. Archbold Stadium, Syracuse's home field since 1907, was in need of replacement. Nonetheless, Maloney did recruit a number of future NFL stars such as Joe Morris and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Art Monk.
Maloney was the subject of criticism, not only from the fans and alumni, but also from the 1959 national championship team, members of which started a campaign calling for his ousting. Ironically enough, this call from program alumni came during the 1979 season, Maloney's best at Syracuse, when the Orangemen qualified for the Independence Bowl, beating McNeese State. Also, Maloney and the 1979 Orangemen bore the burden of playing an entire season on the road, as Archbold Stadium was demolished following the 1978 season, and the Carrier Dome would not be ready until 1980. The 1979 team played "home" games at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, Schoellkopf Field at Cornell University in Ithaca, and Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
After coaching the Orangemen for seven seasons and presiding over the opening of the Carrier Dome in 1980, Maloney was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson.
Chicago Cubs
In 29 seasons in the Chicago Cubs ticket office, including the last 27 as its director, Maloney oversaw nine single-season attendance records, including Wrigley Field's first two-million fan season in 1984 and its first three-million fan season in 2004. Maloney stepped down from his post having helped the Cubs to seven consecutive seasons with three million fans at Wrigley Field starting 2004. Maloney retired at the end of the 2010 calendar year. He remained with the club as a consultant in 2011. He died of brain cancer in Chicago in 2020.
Head coaching record
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Frank Maloney on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Maloney_(American_football)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Frank Maloney's archived record and the sources above.
1.On what date was Frank Maloney born?
- A.October 15, 1938
- B.August 12, 1942
- C.March 30, 2020
- D.September 26, 1940correct
Frank Maloney was born on September 26, 1940.
Source: biographical introduction
2.At which university did Frank Maloney serve as head coach from 1974 to 1980?
- A.Cornell University
- B.Syracuse Universitycorrect
- C.University of Michigan
- D.University of Chicago
Frank Maloney was the head coach at Syracuse University from 1974 to 1980.
Source: biographical introduction
3.Which coach did Frank Maloney work under while at the University of Michigan in 1968?
- A.Dick MacPherson
- B.Bo Schembechler
- C.Bump Elliottcorrect
- D.Ben Schwartzwalder
Frank Maloney served as an assistant coach under Bump Elliott in 1968.
Source: biographical introduction
4.Who was the head coach Frank Maloney succeeded at Syracuse University?
- A.Joe Morris
- B.Ben Schwartzwaldercorrect
- C.Dick MacPherson
- D.Art Monk
Frank Maloney succeeded College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ben Schwartzwalder as head coach at Syracuse.
Source: biographical introduction
5.Which future Pro Football Hall of Fame member did Frank Maloney recruit to Syracuse?
- A.Bo Schembechler
- B.Art Monkcorrect
- C.Joe Morris
- D.Dick MacPherson
Frank Maloney recruited several future NFL stars to Syracuse, including Pro Football Hall of Fame member Art Monk.
Source: coaching career section
6.During which Syracuse season did the alumni campaign for Frank Maloney's ousting take place?
- A.1977
- B.1974
- C.1979correct
- D.1980
The call for Frank Maloney's ousting from program alumni occurred during the 1979 season.
Source: coaching career section
7.Which bowl game did Frank Maloney and the Orangemen win in 1979?
- A.Sugar Bowl
- B.Rose Bowl
- C.Orange Bowl
- D.Independence Bowlcorrect
Frank Maloney coached the 1979 Orangemen to a victory against McNeese State in the Independence Bowl.
Source: coaching career section
8.What venue hosted Syracuse home games during the 1979 season?
- A.Archbold Stadium
- B.Rich Stadiumcorrect
- C.Carrier Dome
- D.Wrigley Field
In 1979, Frank Maloney and his team played home games at locations including Rich Stadium because Archbold Stadium was demolished.
Source: coaching career section
9.Who replaced Frank Maloney as head coach at Syracuse in 1980?
- A.Dick MacPhersoncorrect
- B.Bo Schembechler
- C.Bump Elliott
- D.Art Monk
After being fired following the 1980 season, Frank Maloney was replaced by Dick MacPherson.
Source: coaching career section
10.For how many seasons did Frank Maloney work in the Chicago Cubs ticket office?
- A.27 seasons
- B.30 seasons
- C.7 seasons
- D.29 seasonscorrect
Frank Maloney spent 29 seasons working in the Chicago Cubs ticket office.
Source: Chicago Cubs section
11.In what year did Wrigley Field achieve its first two-million fan season under Frank Maloney?
- A.2010
- B.1979
- C.1984correct
- D.2004
Frank Maloney oversaw the first two-million fan season at Wrigley Field in 1984.
Source: Chicago Cubs section
12.What role did Frank Maloney hold with the Chicago Cubs in 2011?
- A.Head coach
- B.Ticket office director
- C.General manager
- D.Consultantcorrect
Frank Maloney retired at the end of 2010 but remained with the Chicago Cubs as a consultant in 2011.
Source: Chicago Cubs section
13.What was the cause of Frank Maloney's death?
- A.Heart disease
- B.Complications from surgery
- C.Brain cancercorrect
- D.Pneumonia
Frank Maloney passed away in 2020 due to brain cancer.
Source: biographical introduction
14.Which stadium served as the home field for Syracuse from 1907 until its demolition?
- A.Archbold Stadiumcorrect
- B.Schoellkopf Field
- C.Rich Stadium
- D.Carrier Dome
Archbold Stadium was Syracuse's home field from 1907 until it was demolished after the 1978 season.
Source: coaching career section
15.How many consecutive seasons with three million fans did Frank Maloney help the Cubs achieve starting in 2004?
- A.Three
- B.Sevencorrect
- C.Twenty-seven
- D.Nine
Frank Maloney stepped down having helped the Chicago Cubs achieve seven consecutive seasons with three million fans starting in 2004.
Source: Chicago Cubs section
People who died on March 30
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Frank Maloney →Advertisement
