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. Is that in the book? Syracuse a Veteran coach Ben Schwartzwalder was musing about his Lack of depth recently. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Ben led G Company during the D-Day operation and was decorated with the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in his first combat action. 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. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. You see, if Ernie didnt perform, all that nice [stuff] wouldnt have been about nothing. 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. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178-96-3 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated. Gary Fleder: I just want to make a film that has the essence of Ernie Davis. Following his completion of ROTC, as a Distinguished. The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. "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. 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. They believed this practice restricted their talents and abilities and decreased the teams likelihood of winning games. Schwartzwalder was a West Virginia graduate. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. A new head coach, Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder, would take over in 1949. 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. If Jim Brown was happy, I was happy., Still, what fascinated me was that first conversation between Fleder and Brown. During the West Virginia fracas, Davis snaps at his coach: "Maybe, just maybe, the rules down here are your rules too. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. 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. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. Today Ed is buried with many of his fallen comrades from the 507th PIR in the beautiful US Military Cemetery, which overlooks Omaha Beach in Normandy. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. The sacrifice that it takes, the [bad stuff] that goes on all around and where it comes from. 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). Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. So the story is like you said -- its a big story and a small story. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; 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. A i turned . 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. "We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. There is so much joy on the faces of the players and Ben. After associate coaches ignored the players request to hire a black assistant for a year, one of the Syracuse 8, Greg Allen, met with head coach Schwartzwalder in spring 1969. Mostly, we remember Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder as Syracuse University's successful head football coach, 1949 to 1973. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The coaches? Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. The public Ben Schwartzwalder often appeared to be a cross between a wounded bear and a crossed bull. A good starting place is his home state of West Virginia. 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. Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. Youre always having to think of what youre going to say, what youre going to do, where you can go and where you cant. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. Then I played Colgate and had a great game and I just sort of broke the back of that whole discriminatory attitude. "What the director tried to accomplish is showing the conditions of those times," Easterly said. 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. He was 80 then and hit every drive down the middle. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. In 1880 there were 6 Schwartzwalder families living in New York. When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award.". He was captain of the football team in 1933. He was a member of the 1964 Sugar Bowl team. However, that coach often sat in the back of the room and was not listed on the coaching roster. Search and browse yearbooks online! Ben organized and coached the 507th's football team. But in real life, there are people -- white people -- who have done wonderful things because they were just good human beings. Although in his thirties, Ben decided he was going to be a paratrooper. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He would lead the program for more than 20 years, a period that would reach its crescendo with a national championship, in 1959. 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. 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. A nice memory. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). Burials may be scheduled by calling the cemetery staff at (315) 484-1564. 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. In "The Express," Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) is initially depicted as reluctant to recruit Davis (Rob Brown) because he's "too old to butt heads with another Jim Brown," one of the first black athletes to openly defy American racism. He thought there was only one way to play football and that was the rough way. 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. Chuck Leavitt did a great page-one rewrite of the script. 5 in our series looking at the coaches and players who have made the biggest impact in Syracuse University sports. 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. I have to give Jim Brown a ton of credit. Even as a paratrooper, Schwartzwalder remained focused on his football career. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. After returning home, Schwartzwalder began his college coaching career at Muhlenberg College, where he went 25-5. As a member of the famed 82nd Airborne, he parachuted onto Normandy Beach on D-Day in 1944. He would then later imply he was joking or being sarcastic at the time these promises were made. Dec. 15, 1991 12 AM PT. Schwartzwalder is portrayed by actor Dennis Quaid in the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express, a biography about Syracuse University Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. Dropped far behind enemy lines and miles off target, Ben, a Captain in Company G of the 507th, organized his men, established command, and a week later delivered a large group of prisoners to the Allied lines. Finally, we got the scene where Ernie wants to give his jersey, with No. He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. 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. SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The year was 1959. He brought the school it's one and only national championship and undefeated season in 1959, but as his career progressed, it seemed to produce more and more cracks in a once so respected man. In fact, I never knew what being an alumnus was. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. However, Ed Wagner's group overlooked the main route of advance for the German armored forces racing to reinforce the town of Carentan. "He was a real taskmaster. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. Years after Davis' death, Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder called him "the best kid I ever had anything to do with." "Ernie was just like a puppy dog, friendly and warm and kind," he told. 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. He recruited black players not . 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. Casualties caused the 507th to regroup and reorganize. The basics. Jim was very quiet in the early part of the film, Fleder recalls. 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. 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. Syracuse University Football Collection, University Archives. 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. 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. 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. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. Ben Schwartzwalder began his football career as a 95-pound high school freshman quarterback. At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. "A lot of things in the movie didn't happen at that time at Syracuse but did happen in the country. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. After talking to him, I knew we had a movie. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. And enthusiasm!! "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder and the SU football team were having a great season.
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