Clemson names Jim Brown captain for Syracuse game -- and his players wonder why

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney had waited all year to name walk-on Jim Brown as captain for this week’s game at Syracuse.

Get it?

His players, apparently, did not.

Swinney drew blanks when he announced his plan to his team on Monday.

“I got nothing,” he said at his Tuesday press conference. “Crickets.... It’s sad beyond explanation that arguably the greatest running back of all time ... they don’t even know who he is,” Swinney said, laughing. “The only Jim Brown they know is the snapper at Clemson.”

Kids today think ancient history is 2011.

Jim Brown, of course, is arguably the greatest running back in NFL history. He was the Cleveland Browns’ No.1 pick out of Syracuse in 1957. He played only nine years, retiring on top at age 29, after gaining 12,312 yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

Swinney said his players made the connection once he explained Brown’s Syracuse ties. A few had seen clips of him on the NFL Network.

Perhaps some had seen Jim Brown, the actor, in “The Dirty Dozen.”

Nah, that movie was made way back in 1967.