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 . Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. 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. "I have a strange feeling that in the years to come, officials, alumni and fans might finally realize what a tremendous asset Ben was. During World War II, Schwartzwalder enlisted and served as a paratrooper in the United States Army. He earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Presidential Unit Citation. He didn't starve as a boy growing up but he knew what it was to want. This month marks 50 years since the Syracuse 8 began their peaceful protest. 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. 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. Capt. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. "Sometimes outstanding individuals are never appreciated until they are gone," said Beano Cooke, a former sports information director and now with ABC-TV. He was a paratrooper in World War II, rose to the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple . 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. ", Easterly scoffs at that dramatic license. "By doing the best we can do with the job we have, wherever it is, we can serve our nation in its greatest task.". The greatest part of Ernie Davis was that he could cross over lines. While the regiment was stateside Capt. Intro: American football player and coach: Was: Sports coach American football player: From: United States of America: Field: Sports: Gender: male: Birth: 2 June 1909: Death: 28 April 1993 (aged 83 years) 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). We created a day for minority students coming back together. 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. Syracuse football was coached at the time by Ben Schwartzwalder, a beloved figure on campus, who led the Orange to. Syracuse leads the overall record of the series 31-27, however West Virginia has won the trophy 11 times to Syracuse's 7. Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. 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. And thus, Ruth Simpson became Mrs. Floyd Schwartzwalder. BIO. Lindquist was coming in from the east, and Levy was ensconced in a graveyard across the river at Cauquigny. 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 . 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. 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. 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 was personally decorated by Matthew Ridgeway who recalled Ben well. serving during World War II, Ben Schwartzwalder returned home and began coaching college football; and WHEREAS, In 1949, the couple moved to Syracuse, New York, and Ben Schwartzwalder began his long and distinguished coaching career with the football team at Syracuse University; and The student-athletes stated they would not return until the University hired a Black coach and addressed racial discrimination in starting assignments, the use of racist language by the coaching staff, racial disparities in disciplinary action, lack of academic support, and substandard medical care for all players. Despite promising to do so, Schwartzwalder failed to follow through. Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. Mere Eglise. 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 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. In 1946, Ben came east and guided Muhlenberg to a 25-5 slate in three years. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. 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'm guessing it's after beating WVU to claim the Schwartzwalder Trophy. Im just saying you have an opportunity to take that story and do some things thatve never been done. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. 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. That makes it exciting. "He would never in a million years talk to Ben Schwartzwalder like that," Easterly said. The Orange had won but nine games in four years and everyone was unhappy. ben schwartzwalder autograph hotel. He was also a military veteran. 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. Their demand was based on their awareness of how their academic potential exceeded the universitys expectations. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. He coached high schools in West Virginia and Ohio 1933-41. Allen explained his position, but the coach refused to listen. Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. Cemetery staff is on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Chancellor John Corbally Records, University Archives. But you needed both of us to make real changes. , Fleder shakes his head. And according to the emailer, Schwartzwalder and Wagner served together as paratroopers in the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. It's a scene included in tonight's world premier of "The Express" at the Landmark Theatre. The most pivotal character was Company Capt. 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. 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. 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. Brown portrays Davis as an intense, shy person moved to anger when Schwartzwalder deflects any discriminatory acts. During the spring season, the players attempted to nudge coach Schwartzwalder one more time. 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. This remains Syracuse's only football national championship to date. Penn state then killed the clock and Tom Cherry took a deliberate safety with eight seconds to play to preserve the Victory. Jim was very quiet in the early part of the film, Fleder recalls. 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. He was the starting center at 152 pounds for the Mountaineers of coach Greasey Neale. Syracuse 8 Collection, University Archives. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. Davis, 23, died the next month in a Cleveland hospital. Both taught and Ben began coaching in his home state. No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written permission of Syracuse University. 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. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Gary Fleders The Express, which hits theaters next month, is really two compelling movies in one. This remains Syracuse's only national football title in football to date. 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. Meanwhile, up in central New York, Syracuse was struggling for survival. 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. wood stock homemade appx 30 3/4l 2" metal lincoln bust heavy appx 5" politician dewey bust copyright 1899 5" general john j pershing 1917 glass mold. You should know his story. Lots of midgets. Here's more about their relationship (all from the unknown emailer): A good starting place is his home state of West Virginia. 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. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. 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 death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield. 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. Gary Fleder: You came before Ernie. Quick Facts. 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. "Ed Wagner, Class of '41, is the namesake of the ROTC Building at Penn State. 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. Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder (Ben was a childhood nickname) had a major impact on the Syracuse University football program during his 25 years as head coach including winning a national championship in 1959. 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. Schwartzwalder was the head football coach of the Syracuse Orange from 1949 to 1973. One other thought on that. 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. On the Monday following a game, the coaches used to show the game films in Sadler Hall for anyone wishing to see them. I will probably buy this book too. 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. They claim key events on screen never occurred, like the team being showered with garbage and racial epithets during a game at West Virginia. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Dec. 15, 1991 12 AM PT. 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 media focused on only one request, the hiring of a black assistant coach, ignoring their other grievances. Ben Schwartzwalder . Parkersburg. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He served with the 82nd Airborne and was in the first wave of troops that jumped on D-Day in 1944. 222 Waverly Avenue 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. Schwartzwalder with quarterback Dick Easterly at the Los Angeles Coliseum, 1959. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. kids games foreign dolls asst. t: 1.315.443.2093f: 1.315.443.4083 scrc@syr.edu Starting in the fall of 1968, Black football players at Syracuse University expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. 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. Ben Schwartzwalder, Head Coach 1949-73. 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. Richard Winters (played by Damian Lewis), who also received a battlefield promotion to major and was also from West Virginia, like Ol' Ben. 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. "He was a real taskmaster. The Black student-athletes first sent their grievances to Coach Schwartzwalder, though that document does not exist in the University Archives. I know it well. Did you feel the constant pressure or did you acclimate to it? He finally gets his chance in The Express, playing legendary Syracuse coach Ben. During the West Virginia fracas, Davis snaps at his coach: "Maybe, just maybe, the rules down here are your rules too. 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. 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's teams went to seven bowl games and won four Lambert Trophies. The public Ben Schwartzwalder often appeared to be a cross between a wounded bear and a crossed bull. [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 had many reasons for doing what he did, but he stood up against his own people. Ben and Ed trained together and most likely socialized with each other at unit functions and the officers' club. Syracuse, New York 13244 But what do you do when youve got these circumstances? 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.. - Ben Schwartzwalder. He was also a military veteran. December 23, 2014 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd . They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. The Schwartzwalder family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. The war ended and football again became his life. At Syracuse, I was the radical and Ernie was the peacemaker, the guy everyone loved. He would lead the program for more than 20 years, a period that would reach its crescendo with a national championship, in 1959. By any definition, during the war Ben distinguished himself in service to the nation, and to his men. 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. He was bowlegged, sent off to military school and told his IQ was too low to even consider college. 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. On the right side of the photograph are several Black team members who boycotted the football program the following spring. He gave me a way in to tell this story. The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. Those units were from the 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Gotz von Berlichingen". 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 eventually was able to link up with some 180 other "lost" paratroopers who had been dropped off target. As head coach from 1949-73, he mounted an impressive 153-91-3 record there. You can't be Black and be a . It was 1963 at Syracuse University's alumni football game, where teammates celebrated the Orangemen's 1959 national championship. 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. In 1880 there were 6 Schwartzwalder families living in New York. 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. 1/11/2013. All Rights Reserved. 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 . Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. 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.