Even as a paratrooper, Schwartzwalder remained focused on his football career. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder had no interest in acknowledging race and how racism affects the experience of black athletes. Do you find this information helpful? A report on Ben Schwartzwalder. I remember some story like that and Larry committed to SYR because of Ben doing that. It is very likely that Lt. Wagner assisted him with this extracurricular athletic program in view of the fact that Ed had been an assistant manager for the Penn State football team in 1939, and as the 3rd Battalion's personnel officer, or S-1, he would have been able to identify unit personnel with football experience and "facilitate" their assignment to "extra duties". And there was always the female situation -- dont date white girls and you have to play better than anybody else. Capt. Ron Womack had been removed from the roster due to an injury, a coaching decision he and his Black teammates viewed with suspicion, but he supported them through the whole boycott and is counted with them. He organized an athletic league from among the soldiers being assembled in England in preparation for D-Day in order to keep the troops motivated and fit. After holding off the vastly superior German forc es for four days, the senior officer in command ordered the paratroopers to withdraw under the cover of darkness and attempt to reach Allied lines by exfilling in small bands through the flooded marshes and swollen streams. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. 5 in our series looking at the coaches and players who have made the biggest impact in Syracuse University sports. In 1941, he was coach of Canton McKinley High School in Ohio when, even though he was in his 30s, he commissioned in the US Army and fought in World War II. The student-athletes also repeatedly requested that head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder hire a Black assistant coach, with whom they felt they could talk more easily about problems relating to race. Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 April 28, 1993) was a Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained such future National Football League stars as Jim Brown, as well as the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, Ernie Davis. And enthusiasm!! In 1941, Ben found himself a 33 year old high school football coach, working in Canton, Ohio, on the day that the Japanese attached Pearl Harbor. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. However, that coach often sat in the back of the room and was not listed on the coaching roster. No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written permission of Syracuse University. Less than a dozen men rank in this category. That makes it exciting. He coached high schools in West Virginia and Ohio 1933-41. Syracuse 8 Collection, University Archives. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. He was a member of the 1964 Sugar Bowl team. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. Biography Lists News Also Viewed. In 1941, Ben found himself a 33 year old high school football coach, working in Canton, Ohio, on the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. [1] He coached high school football for six years in West Virginia a year at Sistersville High School, followed by the Parkersburg High School Big Reds football from 1936 to 1940[1] and Ohio a year at Canton McKinley High School[1] and won two state championships. Biography Edit Early life and career Edit. Its a great history lesson, offering kids a look at the real-life exploits of Ernie Davis, the trail-blazing Syracuse University running back who in 1961 became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This little-known episode of brutality has been documented by the History Channel in a video titled, "Secret Massacre at D-Day". Schwartzwalder continued his campaign all the way into Germany and acted as military governor of the town of Essen for a period of six months. Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs through their college careers, including Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Jim Nance, and Larry Csonka. Both websites for the West Virginia University, where he played center for the Mountaineers and graduated in 1935, and Syracuse University having disappointingly little information on this period of the coach's life. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. He also developed some of the most impressive running backs the game has ever seen Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Jim Nance, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka. The game ended and Ben Schwartzwalder walked to the middle of the field, shook hands, exchanged a few words with his opposing coach, then turned and headed toward the dressing room. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. Fleder admits to being something of a nervous wreck. And they made Ben look like a racist, to me.". Search and browse yearbooks online! The private Ben was a very devoted family man who loved to putter around in his garden or who always had time to stop and give a stray dog a reassuring pat on the head or say hello to a youngster. The players believed that many of these issues could be remedied by hiring a black coach. The 1959 team was an unprecedented powerhouse with both the toughest offense (313.6 yards rushing, 451.5 yard total and 39 points per game on average) and the toughest defense (giving only 19.3 yards rushing, 96.2 yards total per game on average) in the country. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. So if you take a story like Ernies, you can show that, for the first time somebody can show what it is to be an American and the subtleties of carrying that burden. During the D-Day invasion in 1944, Schwartzwalder parachuted into Normandy and was wounded. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. He was a paratrooper in World War II, leaving the serv ice as a . He later joined teammate Patrick Whelan, 71, of Safety Harbor, at a Tampa screening. Im just saying you have an opportunity to take that story and do some things thatve never been done. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. Coach Schwartzwalder led the SU team to an impressive record of 153 wins, 91 losses, and 3 ties, including seven bowl games, and the only National Championship in SUs history (1959 undefeated team). But you needed both of us to make real changes. , Fleder shakes his head. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. But for the guards to be enough men to make a difference in a pitched battle, there must have been a lot of German prisoners for Badass Ben to mow down - if that actually happened. This is where that appetite of desire was whetted and the burning determination to succeed was honed. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. "Nor would Ben ever talk to Ernie like that.". After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. In addition to Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, he coached Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Jim Nance, and Larry Csonka through their college careers. With the score Reading 13-6, North Carolina state drove All the Way to the Lions goal but Pound it Over. The basics. 1/11/2013. He would lead the program for more than 20 years, a period that would reach its crescendo with a national championship, in 1959. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. Schwartzwalder played center at West Virginia University, despite weighing only 146 pounds, and was an all-campus wrestler in 1930 in the 155 pound weight class. Ben Schwartzwalder, a pre-war high school coach in West Virginia who served as a major with the army paratroopers during the war, returned home and took over the program as its new coach. Walk Where They Fought: La Fire, 82d Airborne Division, D-Day 1944 | Armchair General Magazine - We Put YOU in Command! Schwartzwalder had a significant history of recruiting and developing black players during the 1950s and 1960s when many other major programs refused to do so. The coach is also remembered through the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy which, goes to the winner of each game between West Virginia University (where he had played as a college student) and Syracuse University. If Jim Brown was happy, I was happy., Still, what fascinated me was that first conversation between Fleder and Brown. I didnt know why people loved their university. Reading your post, I flashed on "Band of Brothers", which detailed a company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne. I know it well. You should know his story. The sacrifice that it takes, the [bad stuff] that goes on all around and where it comes from. "When Ed initially reported for duty with G Company, 3rd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Sep42 at Ft. Benning, Georgia, his company commander was none other than Captain Floyd B. Schwartzwalder, the future head football coach of Syracuse University and eventual gridiron nemesis of Ed Wagner's Nittany Lions. Syracuse leads the overall record of the series 31-27, however West Virginia has won the trophy 11 times to Syracuse's 7. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. During his 25 years as head coach Syracuse teams outrushed their opponents by more than 22,000 yards. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. Bemiller was quite literally at the center of Buffalo's American Football League back-to-back championship teams. Parkersburg, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Schwartzwalder&oldid=1140633059, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:55. Ben Schwartzwalder. He was a real comedian too. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. The Black student-athletes first sent their grievances to Coach Schwartzwalder, though that document does not exist in the University Archives. "We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. Schwartzwalder plays a prominent role in the battle. This month marks 50 years since the Syracuse 8 began their peaceful protest. The military also named Schwartzwalder governor of Essen, Germany, for about six months following the fall of Nazi Germany. Before Kaepernick, The Syracuse 8 Were Blackballed By Pro Football, WBUR Radio, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/11/17/syracuse-8-football-boycott-kaepernick. He graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. "What the director tried to accomplish is showing the conditions of those times," Easterly said. They got a long-name coach. And while maybe the alumni didnt get the big name coach, Floyd Burdette Ben Schwartzwalder gave SU its finest hours in football, becoming the most successful football coach in the Universitys history. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. "He was like a magnet to good things, always; polite, smart, a real personality," Whelan said. They identify him as later coaching Syracuse University to the national championship in 1959. Schwartzwalder continued his campaign all the way into Germany and acted as military governor of the town of Essen for a period of six months. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. Schwartzwalder continued his campaign all the way into Germany and acted as military governor of the town of Essen for a period of six months. When the Waffen-SS troops finally overran Graignes, they took out severe revenge on the villagers for having "collaborated with the enemy". He rose to the rank of major and was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, and a Presidential Unit citation. Syracuse University Football Collection, University Archives. So the story is like you said -- its a big story and a small story. He is part of Syracuse University history, and a veteran of the U.S. military. The 1959 team was an unprecedented powerhouse with both the toughest offense (313.6 yards rushing, 451.5 yard total and 39 points per game on average) and the toughest defense (giving only 19.3 yards rushing, 96.2 yards total per game on average) in the country. They got a long-name coach. And while maybe the alumni didnt get the big name coach, Floyd Burdette Ben Schwartzwalder gave SU its finest hours in football, becoming the most successful football coach in the Universitys history. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The story of Jackie Robinson is also the story of Branch Rickey. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Reggie was born on January 18, 1912, in Pine Grove, West. The three major forces in the dispute have been the eight black athletes, and their spokesman George Moody, director of King-on-campus School; Chancellor John E. Corbally and the administration; and Coach Schwartzwalder, supported by his coaching staff and football squad. You are using an out of date browser. According to an email sent to SU's office of athletics communication and passed along to me, Schwartzwalder served in the same World War II unit and fought together during the D-Day invasion of Normandy with Penn State's Harry Edward Wagner, a Phi Betta Kappa graduate. Ben Schwartzwalder, Head Coach 1949-73. He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, Presidential Unit Citation and was promoted to the rank of Major for his actions during the invasion. Born the second daughter to Floyd ("Ben") and Damn right. kids games foreign dolls asst. After talking to him, I knew we had a movie. "Miraculously, Ed and the majority of his "lost" group were able to reach the US lines and by 14 June he was reunited with the regiment outside of St. He said, You have to realize, in the civil rights movement, there had to be radicals and peacemakers, radicals like Malcolm X and peacemakers like Martin Luther King. I will probably buy this book too. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder and the SU football team were having a great season. Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs. He rose to the rank of major and in the process picked up the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart, four battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. You can't be Black and be a . Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. Chuck Leavitt did a great page-one rewrite of the script. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. I am not sure the assistant coach had the facts correct. And according to the emailer, Schwartzwalder and Wagner served together as paratroopers in the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Because in my experience, I just wanted to get out of there and get moving. He overcame those . After returning home, Schwartzwalder began his college coaching career at Muhlenberg College, where he went 255. He was a paratrooper in World War II, rose to the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple . He was performing these new duties at the battalion headquarters on 28 June when the command post was struck by a direct artillery hit. How does one describe Ben Schwartzwalder? He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, Presidential Unit Citation and was promoted to the rank of Major for his actions during the invasion. He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart . Ben Schwartzwalder. Schwartzwalder continued his campaign all the way into Germany and acted as military governor of the town of Essen for a period of six months. Gary Fleder: You came before Ernie. "Sometimes outstanding individuals are never appreciated until they are gone," said Beano Cooke, a former sports information director and now with ABC-TV. Ben Schwartzwalder, who recruited a series of acclaimed running backs as he restored Syracuse to football glory during 25 sparkling seasons that included an undefeated campaign in 1959, died. At West Virginia, he became a first-string center at only 148 pounds. Gary Fleder: Did you feel it from the players? Ruth Simpson Reggie Schwartzwalder, 100, of Syracuse, died peacefully and surrounded by her family on August 25, 2012, at Crouse Hospital. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award.". Ben Schwartzwalder. In 1941, he was coach of Canton McKinley High School in Ohio when, even though he was in his 30s, he commissioned in the US Army and fought in World War II. In 1969 a group of nine student-athletes boycotted Syracuse Universitys football program to demand change and promote racial equality. The Syracuse 8 demand for equal access as white players to tutors and academic advisors was based on their being relegated to general reading and education classes predicated on notions of their limited academic ability. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd Little 67 to help with spring practice under the guise of an assistant football coach, but the Black athletes were upset to learn it was just for a few days. Thats the reason I recruited Ernie, because he was a great, great player and it was starting to change. "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. He developed some of the most impressive running backs the game has ever seen - Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Jim Nance, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka. Jim Brown. By 1941, he had earned a name for himself and was offered the head coaching job at Canton McKinley High School in Ohio, one of the top jobs in the Midwest. Floyd Benjamin Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 - April 28, 1993) was a Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. Syracuse 8: Tom Smith, Walker, Muhammad, McGill, Lobon, Harrell, Allen, and Godbolt, Spring 1969. Collapse. He was bowlegged, sent off to military school and told his IQ was too low to even consider college. National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244. Gary Fleder: You faced the exact same thing. They wanted me to change positions, all kinds of stuff. During the war, Schwartzwalder was a military hero, a paratrooper, part of the D-Day invasion in June 1944 fighting behind enemy lines. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178963 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated with an 110 record. For his actions during the invasion, Ben was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, the Presidential Unit Citation, and was promoted to the rank of Major. Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben. An hour before the game, Al Davis stands at the 50-yard line of the silent Coliseum, surveying the field through his sunglasses darkly, as . Former Syracuse head coach Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder (center with his arm around SU's Ger Schwedes, 16) was no stranger to a good fight including this one involving the Orange and Texas Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. Schwartzwalder with quarterback Dick Easterly at the Los Angeles Coliseum, 1959. During the West Virginia fracas, Davis snaps at his coach: "Maybe, just maybe, the rules down here are your rules too. I loved the genre and I thought Ernie was an intriguing character, but it didnt have any real conflict. Fleder started doing his own research, reading a lengthy Sports Illustrated article by William Nack that dealt with Davis, Brown and racism in college sports in the 60s. Here's more about their relationship (all from the unknown emailer): Ben Schwartzwalder College Coaching Records, Awards and Leaderboards | College Football at Sports-Reference.com Ben Schwartzwalder Career Record: 25 Years, 153-91-3, .626 Win% (at major schools) Bowl Record: 7 Games, 2-5, .286 Win% (at major schools) College Football Coaches Ben Schwartzwalder Overview More Other SR Sites We created a day for minority students coming back together. The demand for a black coach was prompted by the black players accusations of discriminatory practices by their coach, Floyd Ben Schwartzwalder, and his assistant coaches. george w bush medal, us defense savings. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. Allen explained his position, but the coach refused to listen. The most Schwartzwalder families were found in USA in 1920. Syracuse football was coached at the time by Ben Schwartzwalder, a beloved figure on campus, who led the Orange to. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. The coaches? By the time he was in college, it was apparent that he wasn't going to weigh much more than 150 and grow taller than 5-9. This remains Syracuse's only national football title in football to date. BEN SCHWARTZWALDER (1909-93) The game ended and Ben Schwartzwalder walked to the middle of the field, shook hands, exchanged a few words with his opposing coach, then turned and headed toward the dressing room. However, his plane was seriously off course and dropped its "stick" of twelve paratroopers some ten miles away from its designated landing zone. He coached the first African-American to win a Heisman Trophy and maintained team unity and cohesiveness in a racially charged environment to defeat the all-white Texas Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic and win a national championship.
ben schwartzwalder military