New York had the highest population of Schwartzwalder families in 1880. Casualties caused the 507th to regroup and reorganize. I remember some story like that and Larry committed to SYR because of Ben doing that. JavaScript is disabled. Bemiller was quite literally at the center of Buffalo's American Football League back-to-back championship teams. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. A good starting place is his home state of West Virginia. He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. The story grew each time it was told. Ben Schwartzwalder. But when he started talking about his own experiences, especially his conflicts with Schwartzwalder and how he was told he couldnt date white girls, I started to see a lot more drama there. Despite promising to do so, Schwartzwalder failed to follow through. 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. Collapse. 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. 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. 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. Schwartzwalder with quarterback Dick Easterly at the Los Angeles Coliseum, 1959. 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). On the Monday following a game, the coaches used to show the game films in Sadler Hall for anyone wishing to see them. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. 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. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. He didn't starve as a boy growing up but he knew what it was to want. What made him tick and what made him one of the giants of the game? 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. You should know his story. Do you find this information helpful? Several units were simultaneously converging on the same objective in a piecemeal, uncoordinated manner. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 April 28, 1993) was a Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained such future National Football League stars as Jim Brown, as well as the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, Ernie Davis. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. Jim told me something really amazing that put things in perspective. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. Yet forget wins and losses. - Ben Schwartzwalder. 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 thought the first script was a little thin. This month marks 50 years since the Syracuse 8 began their peaceful protest. "We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. Did you feel the constant pressure or did you acclimate to it? 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. 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. You should know his story, because its a Syracuse University story one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. One of Buffalo's longest-tenured AFL players, Al Bemiller, passed away on Wednesday. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; We created a day for minority students coming back together. 3 pair military pants 36s 38s 36xs shirt. He was also a military veteran. 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). Quot gosh Quot moaned the hard bitten sex paratrooper Quot All we Are is one deep. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. 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. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. Fleder admits to being something of a nervous wreck. Floyd Little was raised in poverty in New Haven, Connecticut. An endearing photo is one from 90s I believe when Cuse players have Ben raised on their shoulders after a win. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. Syracuse 8 Collection, University Archives. 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). They then approached the Office of the Chancellor. 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. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. 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. Both taught and Ben began coaching in his home state. Even as a paratrooper, Schwartzwalder remained focused on his football career. Since Davis grew up with his grandfather, he always wanted his grandfather, "pops" to have a say in what he did. It is where the seeds of the fierce competitor were nurtured and matured. 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. Schwartzwalder, a decorated World War II veteran with just three years of coaching experience at the college level, arrived at Syracuse . You can't be Black and be a . 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. 5 in our series looking at the coaches and players who have made the biggest impact in Syracuse University sports. He said, You have to realize, in the civil rights movement, there had to be radicals and peacemakers, radicals like Malcolm X and peacemakers like Martin Luther King. Adversity and Ben were old combatants and Ben usually won. 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. In 1946, Ben came east and guided Muhlenberg to a 25-5 slate in three years. Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. Davis' accomplishments and abbreviated life inspire the new movie, which Easterly saw at an Orangemen reunion recently. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. This little-known episode of brutality has been documented by the History Channel in a video titled, "Secret Massacre at D-Day". 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. Ben Schwartzwalder. The rest is now history. A call for help went out and in the end it was that man who was to win more games than Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Bud Wilkinson or Earl Blaik that answered. Capt. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. They boycotted knowing that their actions threatened their scholarships as well as potential careers in professional football. Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA. He finally gets his chance in The Express, playing legendary Syracuse coach Ben. 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. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder began routines of coming up to Elmire to visit Davis and his family. Thats the reason I recruited Ernie, because he was a great, great player and it was starting to change. Jim Brown. Reading your post, I flashed on "Band of Brothers", which detailed a company of the 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching. Born the second daughter to Floyd ("Ben") and Ben and Ed trained together and most likely socialized with each other at unit functions and the officers' club. There is so much joy on the faces of the players and Ben. It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. They claim key events on screen never occurred, like the team being showered with garbage and racial epithets during a game at West Virginia. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. About Ben Schwartzwalder is a member of the following lists: 1993 deaths , American military personnel of World War II and United States Army officers . The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. Jim Brown: If you deal with the times, you have a pretty gritty story. BIO. And enthusiasm!! Quite a story, but as an amateur historian, that kind of second or third hand quote, especially one delivered 50 years after it was shared, makes me very skeptical to its veracity. Less than a dozen men rank in this category. 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. Ruth Simpson Reggie Schwartzwalder, 100, of Syracuse, died peacefully and surrounded by her family on August 25, 2012, at Crouse Hospital. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs. You must log in or register to reply here. Although in his thirties, Ben decided he was going to be a paratrooper. Ernie doesnt scream and he doesnt protest, but hes raging inside. 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. But there was to be a delay. 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. 44 on it, back to Ben Schwartzwalder, saying Im not Jim Brown. And Ben says to him, God I hope not and God I hope so. And Jim started laughing out loud, watching that, and I finally relaxed. Corbally and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Jim Carleton met with the boycotting players that spring and committed to hiring a Black assistant football coach before fall practice. BEN SCHWARTZWALDER (1909-93) 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. He was also a military veteran. Muhlenberg College was founded in 1848 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the Allentown Seminary by Samuel K. Brobst, a Reformed Lutheran minister. 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. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. The ROTC building at Penn State is named after Wagner. 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. Brown portrays Davis as an intense, shy person moved to anger when Schwartzwalder deflects any discriminatory acts. Its also a genuine comeback for Fleder, who hasnt made a feature in five years (hes been directing TV pilots), and he finally seems poised to recapture the promise of his early career work on such films as Things To Do in Denver When Youre Dead and Kiss the Girls. Before Fleder began work on the film, he knew he had to have one key figure on board -- Jim Brown, who was a star running back at Syracuse in the 1950s, helped recruit Davis (after Brown left to play in the NFL) and later become an action film star and civil rights activist. The war ended and football again became his life. 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. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. He was captain of the football team in 1933. "He would never in a million years talk to Ben Schwartzwalder like that," Easterly said. He also was a hero of World War II. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. I just want to know -- what did you feel on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis? 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. 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. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Later that afternoon, a beaming Davis, seeing Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, went floating toward him through a. Penn state then killed the clock and Tom Cherry took a deliberate safety with eight seconds to play to preserve the Victory. Lindquist was coming in from the east, and Levy was ensconced in a graveyard across the river at Cauquigny. According to an email sent to SU's office of athletics communication and passed along to me, Schwartzwalder served in the same World War II unit and fought together during the D-Day invasion of Normandy with Penn State's Harry Edward Wagner, a Phi Betta Kappa graduate. 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. One other thought on that. He was captain of the football team in 1933. Soon after being drafted No. 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. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. Google Image Result for https://d3d4f9a2nwdz4m.cloudfront.net/images/2011/9/28/SchwartzwalderBenonshoulderscolor.jpg, The Penn State game looms down there in Jersey; not so long ago, it delivered Dome delirium. 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. Syracuse a Veteran coach Ben Schwartzwalder was musing about his Lack of depth recently. Finally, we got the scene where Ernie wants to give his jersey, with No. 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. No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written permission of Syracuse University. This remains Syracuse's only national football title in football to date. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd . It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. She was 76 years old. He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart . 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. That makes it exciting. Starting in the fall of 1968, Black football players at Syracuse University expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. Ben Schwartzwalder . Biography Lists News Also Viewed. The 1987 Orangemen electrified a crowd of more than 50,000 up there on their campus while routing these Nittany Lions' ancestors behind Don McPherson & Co. Find high-quality images, photos, and animated GIFS with Bing Images. 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 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. A new head coach, Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder, would take over in 1949. All Rights Reserved. January 25, 2010 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. 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. 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. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. The sacrifice that it takes, the [bad stuff] that goes on all around and where it comes from. Hell, the movie's more about him than Ernie. 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 . 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.