Do you find this information helpful? By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. 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. Davis, 23, died the next month in a Cleveland hospital. He was basically a shy, quiet individual who never got very close to the press or general public. 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. Syracuse leads the overall record of the series 31-27, however West Virginia has won the trophy 11 times to Syracuse's 7. 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. From 1946-48 he coached Muhlenberg (Pa.) College to a 25-5 record before heading to Syracuse to coach the Orangemen. The basics. 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. They wanted me to change positions, all kinds of stuff. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. This was about 67% of all the recorded Schwartzwalder's in USA. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder had no interest in acknowledging race and how racism affects the experience of black athletes. 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). They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. A nice memory. All Rights Reserved. Mostly, we remember Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder as Syracuse University's successful head football coach, 1949 to 1973. Youre always having to think of what youre going to say, what youre going to do, where you can go and where you cant. 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. 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. An endearing photo is one from 90s I believe when Cuse players have Ben raised on their shoulders after a win. What is a filmmaker looking for when hes researching a film based on real-life events? At Syracuse, I was the radical and Ernie was the peacemaker, the guy everyone loved. map this locationGoogle map location Following his completion of ROTC, as a Distinguished. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178-96-3 record, and winning one national championship in 1959 while going undefeated. Schwartzwalder plays a prominent role in the battle. 1LT Wagner was promoted to commander of the 3rd battalion's headquarters company. Jim told me something really amazing that put things in perspective. He recruited black players not . 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. 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). Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). That makes it exciting. 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. When the Waffen-SS troops finally overran Graignes, they took out severe revenge on the villagers for having "collaborated with the enemy". But in real life, there are people -- white people -- who have done wonderful things because they were just good human beings. 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. 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. He was a member of the 1964 Sugar Bowl team. 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). Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben. It's a scene included in tonight's world premier of "The Express" at the Landmark Theatre. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. 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 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. Following his death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield, his wife Ruth "Reggie" Schwartzwalder died on August 25, 2012, aged 100. The two men shook hands outside the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria. george w bush medal, us defense savings. 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. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. 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. Ben led G Company during the D-Day operation and was decorated with the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in his first combat action. 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. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. Between 1848 and 1867, the college operated as the Allentown Seminary, the Allentown Collegiate and Military Institute, and the Allentown Collegiate Institute. Ruth Simpson Reggie Schwartzwalder, 100, of Syracuse, died peacefully and surrounded by her family on August 25, 2012, at Crouse Hospital. ". I know it well. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. Christian Rudolph Kessler was the school's first teacher and administrator. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. 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. 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. Is that in the book? The Syracuse 8 continued their boycott through the 1969 football season. 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 will probably buy this book too. The Schwartzwalder family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. An ad blocker has likely prevented this video content from loading. Adversity and Ben were old combatants and Ben usually won. The teammates also say that Brown's portrayal misses Davis' essence. 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. She was 76 years old. Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Jim was skeptical, Fleder recalls. Meanwhile, up in central New York, Syracuse was struggling for survival. The school? 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. He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. Enjoyed the story, I am sure Czonka repeated what he heard. Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, USA. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. He wore street clothes at the alumni game, serving as an honorary coach. Jim Brown: If you deal with the times, you have a pretty gritty story. 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. "I see a lot of things that never were done to Ernie but maybe happened to [Syracuse great] Jim Brown (in the 1950s). Heres a clip from a recent Bob Costas interview talking with Brown about Ernie Davis: Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 15 arrested across L.A. County in crackdown on fraudulent benefit cards, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles. 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. !8 holes of golf and Ben never said a word about football. Syracuse University Football Collection, University Archives. The rest is now history. Capt. Syracuse University Photo & Imaging Collection, University Archives. Yet forget wins and losses. Mary ScofieldMary Scofield (born Mary Schwartzwalder) passed away on December 7, 2017 after battling ovarian cancer for three years. Because in my experience, I just wanted to get out of there and get moving. 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. Just watched Seize and Secure a one hour documentary on PBS about the battle to secure the bridge at La Fire on DDay Capt. National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244, Notable Veteran Alumni: Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder. Schwartzwalder, a decorated World War II veteran with just three years of coaching experience at the college level, arrived at Syracuse . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 20072023 Blackpast.org. As head coach from 1949-73, he mounted an impressive 153-91-3 record there. All WW11. Walk Where They Fought: La Fire, 82d Airborne Division, D-Day 1944 | Armchair General Magazine - We Put YOU in Command! I wasnt crazy about the original script, Fleder told me over lunch recently. Gary Fleders The Express, which hits theaters next month, is really two compelling movies in one. Ben Schwartzwalder. Since Davis grew up with his grandfather, he always wanted his grandfather, "pops" to have a say in what he did. He also was a hero of World War II. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 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. Led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the Orange were unranked to start the season, but climbed to No. "A lot of things in the movie didn't happen at that time at Syracuse but did happen in the country. Fleder admits to being something of a nervous wreck. [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. Ben and Ed trained together and most likely socialized with each other at unit functions and the officers' club. In fact, I never knew what being an alumnus was. Ben Schwartzwalder. Floyd Burdette "Ben" Schwartzwalder Birth 2 Jun 1909. And enthusiasm!! Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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. Those units were from the 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Gotz von Berlichingen". Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. "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. On the Monday following a game, the coaches used to show the game films in Sadler Hall for anyone wishing to see them. By the time he was in college, it was apparent that he wasn't going to weigh much more than 150 and grow taller than 5-9. Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. How does one describe Ben Schwartzwalder? 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. Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. Popularized erroneously in 1970 by the media as the Syracuse 8, the nine students behind the boycott were Gregory Allen, Richard Bulls, Dana Harrell, John Godbolt, John Lobon, Clarence Bucky McGill, A. Alif Muhammad, Duane Walker, and Ron Womack. Jim was very quiet in the early part of the film, Fleder recalls. "I never expected to see you here to receive this award," said the commander of the 82nd. We created a day for minority students coming back together. 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. He was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart . 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. But what do you do when youve got these circumstances? 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. I remember all I was thinking was, Great, hes not gonna kill me. After it was over, Jim said, You got it right. That was the best compliment a filmmaker could ask for. The players believed that many of these issues could be remedied by hiring a black coach. He was the starting center at 152 pounds for the Mountaineers of coach Greasey Neale. 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 was a West Virginia graduate. 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. Syracuse 8: Tom Smith, Walker, Muhammad, McGill, Lobon, Harrell, Allen, and Godbolt, Spring 1969. 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. 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. It is very likely that Lt. Wagner assisted him with this extracurricular athletic program in view of the fact that Ed had been an assistant manager for the Penn State football team in 1939, and as the 3rd Battalion's personnel officer, or S-1, he would have been able to identify unit personnel with football experience and "facilitate" their assignment to "extra duties". If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "He was like a magnet to good things, always; polite, smart, a real personality," Whelan said. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. Coach Ben Schwartzwalder began routines of coming up to Elmire to visit Davis and his family. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The media focused on only one request, the hiring of a black assistant coach, ignoring their other grievances. In fact, he didnt even look at the original script. It doesnt break down in gender. He also wrestled and dodged a young coed who was just as fierce a competitor as he when it came to getting her man. 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. 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. Ben Schwartzwalder. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. ben schwartzwalder autograph hotel. The war ended and football again became his life. 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. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. And they made Ben look like a racist, to me.". The coaches? He was personally decorated by Matthew Ridgeway who recalled Ben well.