Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs. I'm guessing it's after beating WVU to claim the Schwartzwalder Trophy. Ben passed away in 1993 and is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery. 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. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. I think a couple of guys got hurt and they put me on defense. I remember some story like that and Larry committed to SYR because of Ben doing that. Ben Schwartzwalder. All rights reserved (About Us). Burials may be scheduled by calling the cemetery staff at (315) 484-1564. In 1969 a group of nine student-athletes boycotted Syracuse Universitys football program to demand change and promote racial equality. He coached the 507th PIR football team, leading them through a ten game season in which the 507th was never defeated and never even scored upon. Ben Schwartzwalder . "He was like a magnet to good things, always; polite, smart, a real personality," Whelan said. He was 80 then and hit every drive down the middle. He is part of Syracuse University history, and a veteran of the U.S. military. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. During the spring season, the players attempted to nudge coach Schwartzwalder one more time. Between 1848 and 1867, the college operated as the Allentown Seminary, the Allentown Collegiate and Military Institute, and the Allentown Collegiate Institute. National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244. With the aid of the local French people this small group, isolated behind the German lines, attempted to hold the village of Graignes until the US units moving inland from the invasion beaches could reach their position. 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. Despite promising to do so, Schwartzwalder failed to follow through. He thought there was only one way to play football and that was the rough way . About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. The Commission subsequently chaired several meetings between the parties, but without success. The story of Jackie Robinson is also the story of Branch Rickey. They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. Prijevodi fraza TOP THEMSELVES s engleskog na hrvatski i primjeri upotrebe rijei "TOP THEMSELVES" u reenici s njihovim prijevodima: Top themselves . When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award.". But none of these shortcomings stopped Ben Schwartzwalder from plunging head first into the field of battle. All Rights Reserved. I didnt know why people gave them money -- I didnt know any of that. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. And less than a handful of men who have entered the coaching profession since Princeton and Rutgers started the madness back in 1869 have recorded as many victories as did this crew-cut, bespectacled quiet little giant out of the hills of West Virginia. He was the starting center at 152 pounds for the Mountaineers of coach Greasey Neale. However, his plane was seriously off course and dropped its "stick" of twelve paratroopers some ten miles away from its designated landing zone. Lots of midgets. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Ben led G Company during the D-Day operation and was decorated with the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in his first combat action. I will probably buy this book too. "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. george w bush medal, us defense savings. Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. 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. But in real life, there are people -- white people -- who have done wonderful things because they were just good human beings. The school? Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. This remains Syracuse's only football national championship to date. During the spring season, the players attempted to nudge coach Schwartzwalder one more time. He played key roles in the capture of the La Fire Causeway and Sainte-Mre-glise, crucial points of entry into France during the D-Day invasion. map this locationGoogle map location Did you feel the constant pressure or did you acclimate to it? He gave me a way in to tell this story. "Ed Wagner, Class of '41, is the namesake of the ROTC Building at Penn State. He was also a military veteran. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching. He thought the first script was a little thin. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:55, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "'The Express' and the movie's connections to Parkersburg", by Jody Murphy. Over that time he led Syracuse to its only football national title, in 1959. In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. Starting in the fall of 1968, Black football players at Syracuse University expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. During the D-Day invasion in 1944, Schwartzwalder parachuted into Normandy and was wounded. 1 after winning their first seven games. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. Here's more about their relationship (all from the unknown emailer): 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. When the Waffen-SS troops finally overran Graignes, they took out severe revenge on the villagers for having "collaborated with the enemy". I remember all I was thinking was, Great, hes not gonna kill me. After it was over, Jim said, You got it right. That was the best compliment a filmmaker could ask for. 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 Notably, 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 University of Texas team in the Cotton Bowl while winning the 1959 national championship. By the end of the war Ben had been promoted to major and during the post-war period of occupation served as the military mayor of Essen, Germany. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Intro: American football player and coach: Was: Sports coach American football player: From: United States of America: Field: Sports: Gender: male: Birth: 2 June 1909: Death: 28 April 1993 (aged 83 years) 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. The Story of the Syracuse 8, The Players Tribune, October 25, 2015, https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/syracuse-football-1960s-race-civil-rights; WBUR. Schwartzwalder was also a hero of the D-Day invasion and several other important engagements of World War II. He served with the 82nd Airborne and was in the first wave of troops that jumped on D-Day in 1944. "He would never in a million years talk to Ben Schwartzwalder like that," Easterly said. And there was always the female situation -- dont date white girls and you have to play better than anybody else. Yet forget wins and losses. One other thought on that. 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 . Dec. 15, 1991 12 AM PT. He wanted p Syracuse University Football Recruiting Database, Syracuse Men's Basketball Recruiting Database, La Fire Bridge: The D-Day Battle You Should Have Heard Of. He earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Presidential Unit Citation. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. He finally gets his chance in The Express, playing legendary Syracuse coach Ben. See About archive blog posts. Collapse. Meanwhile, up in central New York, Syracuse was struggling for survival. He was bowlegged, sent off to military school and told his IQ was too low to even consider college. You should know his story. 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. Davis was the team's juggernaut running back, later the first African-American ever to win the Heisman Trophy. They wanted me to change positions, all kinds of stuff. Search and browse yearbooks online! I gave him the transcript of my talk with Jim and based on that, he said, Im in. Hearing Jim talk about the times was all he needed to convince him., Two and a half years later, after Fleder had a completed film -- with Rob Brown playing Davis and Dennis Quaid as Schwartzwalder -- Fleder returned to Browns house with a DVD of the film in his hands. As Dolan approached from the north, Captain Ben Schwartzwalder led more than 40 men of the 507th to the south side of the Manoir, where he was also stopped by machine-gun fire. How does one describe Ben Schwartzwalder? No. 5 in our series looking at the coaches and players who have made the biggest impact in Syracuse University sports. But there was to be a delay. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. They show Ben in his Service today for Ben A Memorial Day service will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 4069 Howlett Hill Rd. Since Davis grew up with his grandfather, he always wanted his grandfather, "pops" to have a say in what he did. However, Ed Wagner's group overlooked the main route of advance for the German armored forces racing to reinforce the town of Carentan. Chuck Leavitt did a great page-one rewrite of the script. Ben Schwartzwalder began his football career as a 95-pound high school freshman quarterback. Shortly after Dec. 7, 1941, Canton McKinley lost a coach and the U.S. Army gained a soldier. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. Mostly, we remember Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder as Syracuse University's successful head football coach, 1949 to 1973. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). If Jim Brown was happy, I was happy., Still, what fascinated me was that first conversation between Fleder and Brown. He graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. From 1946-48 he coached Muhlenberg (Pa.) College to a 25-5 record before heading to Syracuse to coach the Orangemen. You should know his story, because its a Syracuse University story one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. Following his death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield, his wife Ruth "Reggie" Schwartzwalder died on August 25, 2012, aged 100. 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. Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder (Ben was a childhood nickname) had a major impact on the Syracuse University football program during his 25 years as head coach including winning a national championship in 1959. 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. In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. "Unfortunately, little else is known about Coach Schwartzwalder's rather outstanding military service in World War II. They claim key events on screen never occurred, like the team being showered with garbage and racial epithets during a game at West Virginia. New York had the highest population of Schwartzwalder families in 1880. Syracuse University Football Collection, University Archives. It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. 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. "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. Biography Lists News Also Viewed. The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. Davis, 23, died the next month in a Cleveland hospital. As a captain in the 82nd Airborne (CO of Company G of the 507th), Schwartzwalder earned distinction during the invasion of Normandy and battles that followed in the last days of the war. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. 1LT Wagner was promoted to commander of the 3rd battalion's headquarters company. So the story is like you said -- its a big story and a small story. "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 autograph hotel. Their demand was based on their awareness of how their academic potential exceeded the universitys expectations. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178-96-3 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated. You know, white folks could like him, black folks could like him, without really selling out. During practices a limit was placed on the number of black players who could be on the field at the same time. 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. He was also a military veteran. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; These SS troopers also executed the twenty plus wounded US paratroopers who had been too injured to evacuate with the others. Both sites mention that in addition to the Silver Star, Major Ben was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, the latter indicating a combat wound.". Damn right. The priest, his friar and two elderly women who had been caring for the wounded in the local church, a structure dating back to the 12th Century, were summarily shot, and the village then set aflame. Ed was killed and the acting battalion commander seriously wounded. 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. That makes it exciting. The demand for better medical care was rooted in the fact that the medical doctor for the team was a gynecologist by training and was hesitant to touch black bodies. Is that in the book? 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. 2023 Syracuse University. He was a real comedian too. While the team will be forever linked to offensive stars like Davis, consensus All-America guard Roger Davis, and fellow All-Americans Fred Mautino and Bob Yates, the defense . He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. The funny part is that so many people have known this for years, including myself.". Just watched Seize and Secure a one hour documentary on PBS about the battle to secure the bridge at La Fire on DDay Capt. Youre always having to think of what youre going to say, what youre going to do, where you can go and where you cant. I am not sure the assistant coach had the facts correct. Played golf in an SU golf outing at Drrumliuns years back with Ben and an offensive lineman on the championship team (Yeager??). Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. 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. Hell, the movie's more about him than Ernie. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder had no interest in acknowledging race and how racism affects the experience of black athletes. Syracuse passing More than Ever in Ben Schwartzwalder s 19 year career took holy Cross apart 41-7. Schwartzwalder's teams went to seven bowl games and won four Lambert Trophies. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He was personally decorated by the commander of the 82nd, the legendary General Matthew Ridgeway, who recalled saying to Ben I never expected to see you here to receive this award.. Sc Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Soon after being drafted No. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. Please disable your ad blocker to view the video content. The two men shook hands outside the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. Less than a dozen men rank in this category. West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV), Class of 1932, Page 231 of 392 | E-Yearbook.com has the largest online yearbook collection of college, university, high school, middle school, junior high school, military, naval cruise books and yearbooks. But because that promise already had been made and broken repeatedly, the student-athletes decided to not return to practice and instead hold their own practice for the time being.