NEW YORK – The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy is no longer up for grabs. The George M. Steinbrenner Trophy has taken its place.

 The Schwartzwalder Trophy, named for former Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, was given to the winner of the game between Syracuse and West Virginia from 1993 to 2011. The Mountaineers won the trophy 11 times, with the Orange taking it in eight seasons, including the last two.

And it’ll remain in SU’s possession.

 The only trophy that will be given to the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl winner will be the Steinbrenner Trophy, named for the former New York Yankees owner. Yankees president Randy Levine said at a news conference Wednesday that before Steinbrenner died in 2010, he told Yankees management to make sure college football is played at Yankee Stadium.

 The Pinstripe Bowl made that happen. And SU won the inaugural bowl in 2010 against Kansas State.

 “I think one of the things that playing in a bowl game that I think we all have to be conscious of is right to the right of us the Steinbrenner Trophy,” Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday. “That’s why both teams are here.”

 So while the Schwartzwalder Trophy was a major part of the matchup of Syracuse and West Virginia for close to two decades, ownership of the award is no longer in play. The Orange and Mountaineers will battle it out for a new trophy, one Marrone said is the only trophy that matters.

 “That’s what we’re playing for,” Marrone said. “I think that’s very important that we all understand that.”

 Bowl practices serve dual purposes

 Teams have 15 practices leading into the Pinstripe Bowl, giving the coaches time to see where young players are in their development before focusing solely on winning the bowl game.

 West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, whose Mountaineers beat Clemson 70-33 in the Orange Bowl last season, said Wednesday that younger players will see time on the practice field before Holgorsen installs his game plan for Syracuse.

 “You do have to practice your young kids. You get an opportunity to practice a lot and get those guys out there on the practice field and work them a little bit,” Holgorsen said. “But then at some point, you’ve got to cut it off and you’ve got to prepare for the game.”

 Marrone said he has a plan for practices in place, but right now is focused on his players finishing their semesters off strong academically. He said he hasn’t spoken to the team’s trainers about the health of all his players, but he expects them to all be ready because they were all healthy toward the end of the year.

 “We have a schedule made up and our kids have finals and tutors, and that’s what I’m more concerned about right now more than practicing for the bowl game,” Marrone said, “making sure our kids finish up strong academically.”

 No break for SU coaches

 Marrone said Wednesday that he hasn’t stopped and had a break since Syracuse’s win over Temple in the regular-season finale. He’s spent time on the road recruiting during what he called a “critical” time of the year.

 Even though the Orange completely turned its season around to go 5-1 in its final six games, Marrone said he hasn’t had time to stop and think about it.

 “I know a lot of people have been having a break and everything else like that,” Marrone said. “It’s something we’ll talk about after everything is over with, recruiting and all of those things. There’s a lot going on.”

Published on December 6, 2012 at 3:03 am

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