http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2012/12/syracuse_football_great_art_mo.html

New York – Art Monk insists he’s not just trying to be humble when he talks about his surprise at being voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Being recognized for my collegiate career, it’s more of a surprise to me than the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” the former Syracuse University All-America receiver said after being introduced with 13 other former college stars and three coaches today at a National Football Foundation news conference in Manhattan’s Waldorf-Astoria.

Monk, who turns 55 Wednesday, was enshrined for his pro achievements four years ago in Canton, Ohio. In 16 NFL seasons, Monk won three Super Bowl rings with the Washington Redskins, set records for receptions in a season (106) and for his career (819).

In four years at SU, Monk caught 102 passes for 1,644 yards. In his senior season (1979), Monk caught 40 passes for 716 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was very different,” Monk said of playing four years (1976-79) on Frank Maloney teams that went a combined 19-26.

“We ran the ball, and we had a quarterback (Bill Hurley) who liked to run the ball,” Monk said. “Even times when we were supposed to pass he would run.”

Monk – who was formally honored Tuesday night at a National Football Foundation dinner with other former college greats such as California quarterback Steve Bartkowski, Notre Dame tight end Dave Casper, BYU quarterback Ty Detmer and UCLA tackle Jonathan Ogden – described his freshman season as a flop.

» Watch the award ceremony Tuesday at 8 p.m.

The next year, Monk was moved to running back by then-Orange assistant Tom Coughlin, now coach of the NFL’s New York Giants. As a sophomore, Monk caught 41 passes for 590 yards and four TDs.

“I caught all of the passes coming out of the backfield,” he said. “That’s kind of where it all started.”

Monk was put back at wide receiver for his final two seasons, largely due to the arrival in 1978 of Joe Morris, who began his assault on SU’s rushing records.

“I was glad to be back out wide, where there was less traffic,” Monk said.

The White Plains native said he was lucky to end up at SU in the first place.

A gifted athlete at White Plains High School, Monk didn’t always apply himself in the classroom.

After scouts from SU and other colleges noticed Monk on the football field during his junior season, his high school coach told him that he hadn’t pushed Monk too hard for a scholarship because he wasn’t doing well in school

“So that kind of started a fire in me,” Monk said.

While his NFL seasons brought him more fame, the soft-spoken Monk said he more fondly remembers his days with the Orange.

“I think my college years were not only more fun, but it’s a closer bond,” he said. “You lose together, you sweat together, you hurt together – but you also live together off of the field. You’re not under the supervision of mom and dad anymore, so you’re kind of free to kind of do what you want to, and experience life in a different way. For me, those are my best years.”

Monk, a member of the SU board of trustees who lives in northern Virginia, recently sold a business he had with former Redskins teammate Charles Mann and is now part of a group trying to develop sporting venues, including those for football, in China.

Reminded by another former SU great, Floyd Little, of how special it is to be a member of both the college and pro football halls of fame, Monk just smiles.

“I’m still astonished,” he said. “I grew up loving the game. I never expected to get anything out of it other than just playing – and having opportunities to move forward.”