He was a real comedian too. Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. He thought the first script was a little thin. 1/11/2013. 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. After the United States entered World War II, Schwartzwalder joined the U.S. Army and served with the 507th Parachute Infantry of the famed Eighty-second Airborne Division. 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. Schwartzwalder's teams went to seven bowl games and won four Lambert Trophies. 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. 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. However, his plane was seriously off course and dropped its "stick" of twelve paratroopers some ten miles away from its designated landing zone. All these years later, Easterly still recalls his teammate not only for his football prowess, but also for his warm, comical personality. What did Jim Brown say that made such a difference? Following his death in 1993, Schwartzwalder was survived by his daughters, Susan Walker and Mary Scofield. 1LT Wagner was promoted to commander of the 3rd battalion's headquarters company. They then approached the Office of the Chancellor. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. I just want to know -- what did you feel on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis? Finally he called Brown, who lives here in L.A., and set up a meeting. 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. 5 in our series looking at the coaches and players who have made the biggest impact in Syracuse University sports. 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. The military also named Schwartzwalder governor of Essen, Germany, for about six months following the fall of Nazi Germany. See About archive blog posts. You find it where you find it. 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. He was performing these new duties at the battalion headquarters on 28 June when the command post was struck by a direct artillery hit. But none of these shortcomings stopped Ben Schwartzwalder from plunging head first into the field of battle. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. A i turned . 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. 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. Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. He earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Presidential Unit Citation. 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. 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. "A lot of things in the movie didn't happen at that time at Syracuse but did happen in the country. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. 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 . Richard Winters (played by Damian Lewis), who also received a battlefield promotion to major and was also from West Virginia, like Ol' Ben. 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. library.syr.edu, Copyright Syracuse University Libraries, A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8, Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee Report. 3 pair military pants 36s 38s 36xs shirt. 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. This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. He is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY. Death 28 Apr 1993 (aged 83) . Mostly, we remember Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder as Syracuse University's successful head football coach, 1949 to 1973. This little-known episode of brutality has been documented by the History Channel in a video titled, "Secret Massacre at D-Day". 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. It doesnt break down in gender. "He was like a magnet to good things, always; polite, smart, a real personality," Whelan said. Ben Schwartzwalder, Head Coach 1949-73. The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. He was bowlegged, sent off to military school and told his IQ was too low to even consider college. Dec. 15, 1991 12 AM PT. Meanwhile, up in central New York, Syracuse was struggling for survival. 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. He graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. Syracuse, New York 13244 Youre always having to think of what youre going to say, what youre going to do, where you can go and where you cant. In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. JavaScript is disabled. You either throw in the towel or you go ahead and try to make your performance speak for you. He would lead the program for more than 20 years, a period that would reach its crescendo with a national championship, in 1959. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. 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 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. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. Jim was skeptical, Fleder recalls. 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). Ben Schwartzwalder. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "Miraculously, Ed and the majority of his "lost" group were able to reach the US lines and by 14 June he was reunited with the regiment outside of St. In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. 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. 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. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. Over 25 season, he compiled a 153-91-3 record and led the team an undefeated season in 1959 that included the National Championship. He is part of Syracuse University history, and a veteran of the U.S. military. 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. Mere Eglise. 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. Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. 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. 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. 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). Search and browse yearbooks online! Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. 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. 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. Ben Schwartzwalder was a decent guy, but he was from another era. Qualities missing from Davis' portrayal in "The Express," opening Friday. New York had the highest population of Schwartzwalder families in 1880. 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. They boycotted knowing that their actions threatened their scholarships as well as potential careers in professional football. 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 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 also a military veteran. When their request was not met, Greg Allen, Richard Bulls, John Godbolt, Robin Griffin (who only boycotted in the spring), Dana D.J. Harrell, John Lobon, Clarence Bucky McGill, A. Alif Muhammad (then known as Al Newton), and Duane Walker began their boycott of spring football practice. The most pivotal character was Company Capt. 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. After returning home, Schwartzwalder began his college coaching career at Muhlenberg College, where he went 25-5. Those units were from the 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Gotz von Berlichingen". When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. The priest, his friar and two elderly women who had been caring for the wounded in the local church, a structure dating back to the 12th Century, were summarily shot, and the village then set aflame. The story grew each time it was told. Schwartzwalder plays a prominent role in the battle. 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.