The Commission subsequently chaired several meetings between the parties, but without success. 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. He coached high schools in West Virginia and Ohio 1933-41. He was bowlegged, sent off to military school and told his IQ was too low to even consider college. December 23, 2014 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. He was also a military veteran. The private Ben was a very devoted family man who loved to putter around in his garden or who always had time to stop and give a stray dog a reassuring pat on the head or say hello to a youngster. Syracuse, New York 13244 What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? But it was changing. Truth is sometimes rearranged in screen biographies, when facts aren't dramatic enough for the filmmaker's vision. Here's more about their relationship (all from the unknown emailer): [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. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. 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. Schwartzwalder, a decorated World War II veteran with just three years of coaching experience at the college level, arrived at Syracuse . Starting in the fall of 1968, Black football players at Syracuse University expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. Led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the Orange were unranked to start the season, but climbed to No. 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. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. 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. 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. JavaScript is disabled. He was captain of the football team in 1933. 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. Parkersburg. This was about 67% of all the recorded Schwartzwalder's in USA. Davis was the team's juggernaut running back, later the first African-American ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Courtesy Syracuse Library Special Collections (Syracuse 8 Collection, John Lobon Box 1), African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Racial Conflict - Segregation/Integration, https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/syracuse-football-1960s-race-civil-rights, https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/11/17/syracuse-8-football-boycott-kaepernick, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. Quot gosh Quot moaned the hard bitten sex paratrooper Quot All we Are is one deep. Qualities missing from Davis' portrayal in "The Express," opening Friday. 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. 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. 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 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. I wasnt crazy about the original script, Fleder told me over lunch recently. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. He recruited black players not . 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. Jim Brown: The coaches. During his 25 years as head coach Syracuse teams outrushed their opponents by more than 22,000 yards. He gave me a way in to tell this story. His wife Ruth "Reggie" Schwartzwalder died on August 25, 2012, aged 100. Did you feel the constant pressure or did you acclimate to it? 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. At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. The Syracuse 8 demand for equal access as white players to tutors and academic advisors was based on their being relegated to general reading and education classes predicated on notions of their limited academic ability. Thats the reason I recruited Ernie, because he was a great, great player and it was starting to change. The war ended and football again became his life. 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 Rights Reserved. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:55, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "'The Express' and the movie's connections to Parkersburg", by Jody Murphy. 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 remember some story like that and Larry committed to SYR because of Ben doing that. Mere Eglise. Significance: The Ben . 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. He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart . Here are some excerpts from a 2005 conversation between Fleder and Brown that paved the way for the making of The Express.. Collapse. 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 . While the regiment was stateside Capt. Jim Brown: I was going to leave because it was almost unbearable. I didnt know why people loved their university. - Ben Schwartzwalder. But because that promise already had been made and broken repeatedly, the student-athletes decided to not return to practice and instead hold their own practice for the time being. Capt. Walk Where They Fought: La Fire, 82d Airborne Division, D-Day 1944 | Armchair General Magazine - We Put YOU in Command! As head coach from 1949-73, he mounted an impressive 153-91-3 record there. 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. 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 You had an amazing four years, breaking records and you make it easier for Ernie to come to school. 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. Before the summer of 1970, Coach Schwartzwalder agreed but failed to hire a Black assistant coach more than once. 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. 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. 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. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. 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. 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. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. 1/11/2013. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. 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 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 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 had many reasons for doing what he did, but he stood up against his own people. 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. But there was to be a delay. The 1959 team was an unprecedented powerhouse with both the toughest offense (313.6 yards rushing, 451.5 yard total and 39 points per game on average) and the toughest defense (giving only 19.3 yards rushing, 96.2 yards total per game on average) in the country. 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. 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. Even as a paratrooper, Schwartzwalder remained focused on his football career. And then people, the fans, used to always call for me. Later that afternoon, a beaming Davis, seeing Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, went floating toward him through a. He was also a military veteran. Reggie was the widow of legendary Syracuse University head football coach Floyd Ben Schwartzwalder, who died in 1993. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. In 2006, thirty-six years after leaving the team, during a Syracuse University-University of Louisville halftime ceremony, the nine former players were recognized with their letterman jackets for the courageous stand they took against racism. Following his death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield. In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. The media focused on only one request, the hiring of a black assistant coach, ignoring their other grievances. 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. (2017, November 17). 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. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. They boycotted knowing that their actions threatened their scholarships as well as potential careers in professional football. And then we played Illinois, and I had to play. He was a real comedian too. You see, if Ernie didnt perform, all that nice [stuff] wouldnt have been about nothing. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. He also was a hero of World War II. I have to give Jim Brown a ton of credit. 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. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. Lots of midgets. And thus, Ruth Simpson became Mrs. Floyd Schwartzwalder. 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. 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. They basically tried to take all my self-esteem away. Gary Fleder: Did you feel it from the players? No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written permission of Syracuse University. Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. At West Virginia, he became a first-string center at only 148 pounds. 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. The 1959 team was an unprecedented powerhouse with both the toughest offense (313.6 yards rushing, 451.5 yard total and 39 points per game on average) and the toughest defense (giving only 19.3 yards rushing, 96.2 yards total per game on average) in the country. Ben died in 1993 at the age of 84.. Ben Schwartzwalder. Penn state then killed the clock and Tom Cherry took a deliberate safety with eight seconds to play to preserve the Victory. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. Coach Schwartzwalder's Decision A Black assistant football coach, Carlmon Jones, was finally hired in the summer of 1970, but neither the administration nor the football coaching staff took any other steps to address the boycotting athletes' other grievances. [continued on next page] Pages: 1 2 3 4 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. National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244. With the score Reading 13-6, North Carolina state drove All the Way to the Lions goal but Pound it Over. 1LT Wagner was promoted to commander of the 3rd battalion's headquarters company. 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 rose to the rank of major and in the process picked up the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart, four battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. Ben Schwartzwalder . Ben Schwartzwalder, Head Coach 1949-73. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Schwartzwalder plays a prominent role in the battle. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching. Biography Edit Early life and career Edit. 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. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. 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 "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 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. Syracuse University Football Recruiting Database, Syracuse Men's Basketball Recruiting Database, La Fire Bridge: The D-Day Battle You Should Have Heard Of. When Ben recruited Larry, he did all that and also drove Larry out to the beautiful Central NY countryside and showed him where he could hunt and fish. And that was the first time I ever felt like an alumni. 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. Less than a dozen men rank in this category. 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.
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