Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. 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. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. They then approached the Office of the Chancellor. 20072023 Blackpast.org. 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. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. He graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. The story grew each time it was told. Significance: The Ben . 222 Waverly Avenue He was a paratrooper in World War II, leaving the serv ice as a . 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. The coaches? Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. Jim Brown: If you deal with the times, you have a pretty gritty story. December 23, 2014 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Because in my experience, I just wanted to get out of there and get moving. 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.. But it was changing. Adversity and Ben were old combatants and Ben usually won. Floyd Benjamin Ben 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. Lindquist was coming in from the east, and Levy was ensconced in a graveyard across the river at Cauquigny. He was personally decorated by Matthew Ridgeway who recalled Ben well. Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben. 2023 Syracuse University. Collapse. But what do you do when youve got these circumstances? Syracuse a Veteran coach Ben Schwartzwalder was musing about his Lack of depth recently. It was 1963 at Syracuse University's alumni football game, where teammates celebrated the Orangemen's 1959 national championship. "A lot of things in the movie didn't happen at that time at Syracuse but did happen in the country. New York had the highest population of Schwartzwalder families in 1880. Finally he called Brown, who lives here in L.A., and set up a meeting. 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 . He 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. He earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Presidential Unit Citation. Penn state then killed the clock and Tom Cherry took a deliberate safety with eight seconds to play to preserve the Victory. "We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. 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. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Reggie was the widow of legendary Syracuse University head football coach Floyd Ben Schwartzwalder, who died in 1993. They boycotted knowing that their actions threatened their scholarships as well as potential careers in professional football. After talking to him, I knew we had a movie. List of battleships of the United States Navy, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, West Virginia Mountaineers football players, High school football coaches in the United States, United States Army personnel of World War II, People from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Players of American football from West Virginia, "'The Express' and the movie's connections to Parkersburg", by Jody Murphy. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. 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. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder and the SU football team were having a great season. Floyd Little was raised in poverty in New Haven, Connecticut. The school? 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. Several units were simultaneously converging on the same objective in a piecemeal, uncoordinated manner. Reading your post, I flashed on "Band of Brothers", which detailed a company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. 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. The players believed that many of these issues could be remedied by hiring a black coach. In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; On April 17, 1970, Black members of the football team sent Chancellor John Corbally a letter asking that he address their grievances within two days. At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. At Syracuse, I was the radical and Ernie was the peacemaker, the guy everyone loved. The sacrifice that it takes, the [bad stuff] that goes on all around and where it comes from. After being labeled black dissidents, the Syracuse 8 were suspended from the team. With the score Reading 13-6, North Carolina state drove All the Way to the Lions goal but Pound it Over. Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. But in real life, there are people -- white people -- who have done wonderful things because they were just good human beings. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. t: 1.315.443.2093f: 1.315.443.4083 scrc@syr.edu Mountaineer fans are just over . National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244, Notable Veteran Alumni: Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder. They cited instances of unfair treatment, ranging from differences in disciplinary action to the coaching staffs intolerance of their civil rights activism elsewhere on campus. He was a real comedian too. 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. If you look at the Underground Railroad, it wasnt just Harriet Tubman, it was all those white people who risked their lives to help these slaves get up north. I didnt know why people gave them money -- I didnt know any of that. 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. Syracuse passing More than Ever in Ben Schwartzwalder s 19 year career took holy Cross apart 41-7. 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. During the spring season, the players attempted to nudge coach Schwartzwalder one more time. They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. He was a paratrooper in World War II, rose to the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple . No. Schwartzwalder was the head football coach of the Syracuse Orange from 1949 to 1973. Brown portrays Davis as an intense, shy person moved to anger when Schwartzwalder deflects any discriminatory acts. Led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the Orange were unranked to start the season, but climbed to No. Thats the reason I recruited Ernie, because he was a great, great player and it was starting to change. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. Syracuse University Football Recruiting Database, Syracuse Men's Basketball Recruiting Database, La Fire Bridge: The D-Day Battle You Should Have Heard Of. 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. 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. kids games foreign dolls asst. As head coach from 1949-73, he mounted an impressive 153-91-3 record there. Richard Winters (played by Damian Lewis), who also received a battlefield promotion to major and was also from West Virginia, like Ol' Ben. I don't know what the ratio of prisoners to guards would have been. Ben organized and coached the 507th's football team. I think a couple of guys got hurt and they put me on defense. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178-96-3 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. This remains Syracuse's only football national championship to date. You are using an out of date browser. 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. "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. SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The year was 1959. Jim Brown: I was going to leave because it was almost unbearable. You find it where you find it. Ben Schwartzwalder grew up in West Virginia, and developed into a superb athlete (a standout wrestler and football player, both in high school and college). During the spring season, the players attempted to nudge coach Schwartzwalder one more time. I know it well. Syracuse 8 Collection, University Archives. Syracuse, NY -- Syracuse football players all heard first-hand stories of hand-to-hand combat involving the head coach of the Orangemen, Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder, from his service as a paratrooper in World War II. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. He later joined teammate Patrick Whelan, 71, of Safety Harbor, at a Tampa screening. Fleder admits to being something of a nervous wreck. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. One of Buffalo's longest-tenured AFL players, Al Bemiller, passed away on Wednesday. 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. Following his death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield. 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. The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. But none of these shortcomings stopped Ben Schwartzwalder from plunging head first into the field of battle. 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". Bemiller was quite literally at the center of Buffalo's American Football League back-to-back championship teams. Search and browse yearbooks online! He wore street clothes at the alumni game, serving as an honorary coach. 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. 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. Some white teammates stood in solidarity and threatened to boycott if the black players were not allowed back, but they were overpowered by the alumni who wanted all the black players off the team and their scholarships revoked. I'm guessing it's after beating WVU to claim the Schwartzwalder Trophy. Schwartzwalder is portrayed by actor Dennis Quaid in the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, a biographical film about Syracuse University Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. Allen explained his position, but the coach refused to listen. He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. In fact, I never knew what being an alumnus was. "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. Floyd Burdette "Ben" Schwartzwalder Birth 2 Jun 1909.

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