I know it well. 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. 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. ", Easterly scoffs at that dramatic license. You had an amazing four years, breaking records and you make it easier for Ernie to come to school. The student-athletes four demands were access to the same academic tutoring as their white teammates; better medical care for all team members; starting assignments based on merit; and racially integrating the coaching staff, which had been all white since 1898. The players believed that many of these issues could be remedied by hiring a black coach. 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. Schwartzwalder's teams went to seven bowl games and won four Lambert Trophies. Schwartzwalder was also a hero of the D-Day invasion and several other important engagements of World War II. 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. 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. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. Ben Schwartzwalder AKA Floyd Burdette Schwartzwalder Born: 2-Jun - 1909 Birthplace: Point Pleasant, WV Died: 28-Apr - 1993 Location of death: St. Petersburg, FL Cause of death: Heart Failure Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Football Nationality: United States Quaid, who plays legendary Syracuse University coach Ben Schwartzwalder, described his character as "a hard-nosed, tough guy who stormed the beaches at Normandy. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. 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. Ben led G Company during the D-Day operation and was decorated with the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in his first combat action. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. 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. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Jim was skeptical, Fleder recalls. During the summer, the black players filed a complaint against Syracuse University and the coaching staff with the Syracuse and Onondaga Human Rights Commission. He also was a hero of World War II. 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. By any definition, during the war Ben distinguished himself in service to the nation, and to his men. Ben and Ed trained together and most likely socialized with each other at unit functions and the officers' club. 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 served with the 82nd Airborne and was in the first wave of troops that jumped on D-Day in 1944. All WW11. 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 was also a military veteran. His primary recommendation for every injury was ice and rest. 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. Schwartzwalder, a decorated World War II veteran with just three years of coaching experience at the college level, arrived at Syracuse . Reggie was the widow of legendary Syracuse University head football coach Floyd Ben Schwartzwalder, who died in 1993. Floyd Burdette "Ben" Schwartzwalder Birth 2 Jun 1909. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. "Unfortunately, little else is known about Coach Schwartzwalder's rather outstanding military service in World War II. But there was to be a delay. Gary Fleder: You came before Ernie. Floyd Burdette 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. Schwartzwalder was a West Virginia graduate. But what do you do when youve got these circumstances? He coached high schools in West Virginia and Ohio 1933-41. Fleder didnt simply want Browns take on Davis; he wanted to hear what the former football star thought of Ben Schwartzwalder, the legendary Syracuse coach who wasnt so enthralled by the civil rights fervor that was starting to sweep the nation. He also wrestled and dodged a young coed who was just as fierce a competitor as he when it came to getting her man. 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. Ben Schwartzwalder. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Collapse. At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Quick Facts. At West Virginia, he became a first-string center at only 148 pounds. He eventually was able to link up with some 180 other "lost" paratroopers who had been dropped off target. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. He was captain of the football team in 1933. I wasnt crazy about the original script, Fleder told me over lunch recently. The basics. That makes it exciting. [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. 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. One other thought on that. He was also a military veteran. After the United States entered World War II, Schwartzwalder joined the U.S. Army and served with the 507th Parachute Infantry of the famed Eighty-second Airborne Division. They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. 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. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. 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. In 1946, Ben came east and guided Muhlenberg to a 25-5 slate in three years. Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. You should know his story. West Virginia and Syracuse might have a sordid past as Big East rivals, but you'd never know it by what's not at stake in this month's upcoming Camping World Bowl. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. The story grew each time it was told. 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. 1LT Wagner was promoted to commander of the 3rd battalion's headquarters company. 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. Davis, 23, died the next month in a Cleveland hospital. He thought the first script was a little thin. 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. . Brown portrays Davis as an intense, shy person moved to anger when Schwartzwalder deflects any discriminatory acts. Davis was the team's juggernaut running back, later the first African-American ever to win the Heisman Trophy. george w bush medal, us defense savings. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. I don't know what the ratio of prisoners to guards would have been. These SS troopers also executed the twenty plus wounded US paratroopers who had been too injured to evacuate with the others. Jim told me something really amazing that put things in perspective. "Sometimes outstanding individuals are never appreciated until they are gone," said Beano Cooke, a former sports information director and now with ABC-TV. He is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY. Before the summer of 1970, Coach Schwartzwalder agreed but failed to hire a Black assistant coach more than once. 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. They boycotted knowing that their actions threatened their scholarships as well as potential careers in professional football. Cemetery Policies Our goal is to provide and maintain a facility of respect and dignity for the men and women of the military and their families. As a first lieutenant and S-1/adjutant of the 3rd Battalion, 507th PIR, he jumped into Normandy in the same air drop as Coach Ben. 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 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. "I have a strange feeling that in the years to come, officials, alumni and fans might finally realize what a tremendous asset Ben was. Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA. About Ben Schwartzwalder is a member of the following lists: 1993 deaths , American military personnel of World War II and United States Army officers . You should know his story. 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. He would then later imply he was joking or being sarcastic at the time these promises were made. But it was changing. 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. The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. 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. "By doing the best we can do with the job we have, wherever it is, we can serve our nation in its greatest task.". 222 Waverly Avenue And they made Ben look like a racist, to me.". 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. The teammates also say that Brown's portrayal misses Davis' essence. Starting in the fall of 1968, Black football players at Syracuse University expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. 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. However, that coach often sat in the back of the room and was not listed on the coaching roster. Syracuse 8: Tom Smith, Walker, Muhammad, McGill, Lobon, Harrell, Allen, and Godbolt, Spring 1969. And enthusiasm!! library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. 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. You see, if Ernie didnt perform, all that nice [stuff] wouldnt have been about nothing. 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). Frank Giardina: Sports Legend Dinner, relationships, Ben Schwartzwalder and D-Day. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. Did you feel the constant pressure or did you acclimate to it? 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. He was basically a shy, quiet individual who never got very close to the press or general public. Ben Schwartzwalder, Head Coach 1949-73. 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.
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