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. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. 20072023 Blackpast.org. 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. george w bush medal, us defense savings. 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. 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. Before the summer of 1970, Coach Schwartzwalder agreed but failed to hire a Black assistant coach more than once. 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. 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. 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). He wanted p And enthusiasm!! 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. By any definition, during the war Ben distinguished himself in service to the nation, and to his men. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. You should know his story, because its a Syracuse University story one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching. You must log in or register to reply here. 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. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. Chancellor John Corbally Records, University Archives. 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. And if you deal with my life, while Im dealing with all these bad people at Syracuse, I got all these good people out there helping [me]. 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. 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. 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). Syracuse University Photo & Imaging Collection, University Archives. 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. He was a real comedian too. Fleder admits to being something of a nervous wreck. More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. Davis still had no idea where he was going to attend, but what sealed the deal with Syracuse was when Jim Brown the former Syracuse . He is part of Syracuse University history, and a veteran of the U.S. military. The most Schwartzwalder families were found in USA in 1920. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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 wasnt crazy about the original script, Fleder told me over lunch recently. At West Virginia, he became a first-string center at only 148 pounds. Finally, we got the scene where Ernie wants to give his jersey, with No. Gary Fleder: Did you feel it from the players? He remained with the 507th PIR when it was reassigned to the newly formed 17th Abn Div, and fought with this unit during the Battle of the Bulge and in the airborne drop across the Rhine River at Wessel in March 1945. He was the starting center at 152 pounds for the Mountaineers of coach Greasey Neale. His report card shows 178 wins, 96 losses and three ties during his 28-year tenure as a head coach (three years at Muhlenberg, 25 at Syracuse). Syracuse leads the overall record of the series 31-27, however West Virginia has won the trophy 11 times to Syracuse's 7. They identify him as later coaching Syracuse University to the national championship in 1959. He had many reasons for doing what he did, but he stood up against his own people. He was captain of the football team in 1933. 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. The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. Please disable your ad blocker to view the video content. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. Even if you go to Syracuse now, there is a constant battle that goes on. 2023 Syracuse University. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. Ben Schwartzwalder. He would then later imply he was joking or being sarcastic at the time these promises were made. He was also a military veteran. Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 as Floyd Benjamin Schwartzwalder - April 28, 1993) AKA Ben Schwartzwalder 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 Am Casualties caused the 507th to regroup and reorganize. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? "By doing the best we can do with the job we have, wherever it is, we can serve our nation in its greatest task.". "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. Cemetery staff is on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. We created a day for minority students coming back together. Ed was killed and the acting battalion commander seriously wounded. 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 completion of ROTC, as a Distinguished. Ernie Davis was only weeks from dying the last time Dick Easterly saw his Heisman Trophy-winning teammate. The public Ben Schwartzwalder often appeared to be a cross between a wounded bear and a crossed bull. He had the same burning drive in 1973 as he did as a rookie coach back in West Virginia in 1933. 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. "I have a strange feeling that in the years to come, officials, alumni and fans might finally realize what a tremendous asset Ben was. "What the director tried to accomplish is showing the conditions of those times," Easterly said. The two men shook hands outside the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. 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 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. Ben Schwartzwalder began his football career as a 95-pound high school freshman quarterback. 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 like a magnet to good things, always; polite, smart, a real personality," Whelan said. He overcame those . He gave me a way in to tell this story. He coached high schools in West Virginia and Ohio 1933-41. What is a filmmaker looking for when hes researching a film based on real-life events? In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Very similar to Ronald Spiers story in episode 2 of that series when he supposedly gave a handful of German soldiers a cigarette and then executed all but one. (Courtesy Syracuse University Press) "So he looks me in the eye, and he said, 'Well then, you have a decision to make. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. He served with the 82nd Airborne and was in the first wave of troops that jumped on D-Day in 1944. Syracuse, New York 13244 However, Ed Wagner's group overlooked the main route of advance for the German armored forces racing to reinforce the town of Carentan. Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Ben died in 1993 at the age of 84.. 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. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. Ben and Ed trained together and most likely socialized with each other at unit functions and the officers' club. Significance: The Ben . 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. 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. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. And then we played Illinois, and I had to play. 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 National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244, Notable Veteran Alumni: Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder. He is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY. You can't be Black and be a . 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. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. Lots of midgets. The Commission subsequently chaired several meetings between the parties, but without success. It doesnt break down in color. 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. From 1946-48 he coached Muhlenberg (Pa.) College to a 25-5 record before heading to Syracuse to coach the Orangemen. But its also a great drama about how both the athletes and coaches of that era were profoundly transformed by the civil rights movement, which initially had a far greater impact on society than on the football field. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Do you find this information helpful? As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 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. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. Carolina a amp to 0 a Murray state 21 Livingston 0 j. C. Smith 15 William amp Mary 7 a West Liberty 20 Virginia military 9 appalachian 0 Austin play 6 Gonso. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. In fact, I never knew what being an alumnus was. Syracuse passing More than Ever in Ben Schwartzwalder s 19 year career took holy Cross apart 41-7. Ben organized and coached the 507th's football team. 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. Wiping Systems Market Is Likely To Boost In Upcoming Years. 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. 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 a paratrooper in World War II, rose to the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple . While the regiment was stateside Capt. You should know his story. 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. One other thought on that. But you needed both of us to make real changes. , Fleder shakes his head. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. 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 and Ohio a year at Canton McKinley High School and won two state championships. When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award.". About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. This remains Syracuse's only national football title in football to date. All WW11. 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 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. 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. And that was the first time I ever felt like an alumni. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. You know, the funny thing about cinema is, usually when they do a story that has African Americans in it, there always has to be a white guy whos the savior. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. The military also named Schwartzwalder governor of Essen, Germany, for about six months following the fall of Nazi Germany. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. 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. 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. We might have to change and modify things Jim Brown: You can do a hell of a film if you can understand what it is to be a man in America. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder began routines of coming up to Elmire to visit Davis and his family. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. Since Davis grew up with his grandfather, he always wanted his grandfather, "pops" to have a say in what he did. Scoop: Fans want The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy to be awarded to the winner of the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which features old Big East rivals Syracuse and West Virginia. They claim key events on screen never occurred, like the team being showered with garbage and racial epithets during a game at West Virginia. 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. 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. Finally he called Brown, who lives here in L.A., and set up a meeting. One of Buffalo's longest-tenured AFL players, Al Bemiller, passed away on Wednesday. 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. "I never expected to see you here to receive this award," said the commander of the 82nd. Ben gave Syracuse its finest hours in football. As a member of the famed 82nd Airborne, he parachuted onto Normandy Beach on D-Day in 1944. You find it where you find it. Ben passed away in 1993 and is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery. He was also a military veteran. The ROTC building at Penn State is named after Wagner. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder had no interest in acknowledging race and how racism affects the experience of black athletes. It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. But none of these shortcomings stopped Ben Schwartzwalder from plunging head first into the field of battle. So the story is like you said -- its a big story and a small story. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. After the intervention of Syracuse football alumnus Jim Brown, who acted as an intermediary between the coach and the players, a black assistant coach was hired. "Ed Wagner, Class of '41, is the namesake of the ROTC Building at Penn State. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178-96-3 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated. 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. 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. 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. The story grew each time it was told. Over that time he led Syracuse to its only football national title, in 1959. When the Waffen-SS troops finally overran Graignes, they took out severe revenge on the villagers for having "collaborated with the enemy". December 23, 2014 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Syracuse football was coached at the time by Ben Schwartzwalder, a beloved figure on campus, who led the Orange to.
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