SYRACUSE, N.Y.— Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney, who succeeded the winningest coach in school history when the program was in decline, has died. He was 79.

Maloney died Monday at his home in Chicago, his family told the university. The cause was metastic brain cancer, according to Syracuse.com.

Maloney played center and guard at Michigan from 1959-61 and served as an assistant coach, mostly under Bo Schembechler, at his alma mater from 1968-73. He was hired at Syracuse to succeed Hall of Famer Ben Schwartzwalder, who had won 153 games since 1949 and guided the Orange to their lone national championship in 1959.

By Associated Press