You know, the funny thing about cinema is, usually when they do a story that has African Americans in it, there always has to be a white guy whos the savior. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. But you needed both of us to make real changes. , Fleder shakes his head. And if you deal with my life, while Im dealing with all these bad people at Syracuse, I got all these good people out there helping [me]. Oct 8, 2008 Dennis Quaid has played both a baseball and football star on the big screen but never a coach. 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. 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. JavaScript is disabled. Ben passed away in 1993 and is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery. 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. 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. In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. With the score Reading 13-6, North Carolina state drove All the Way to the Lions goal but Pound it Over. The sacrifice that it takes, the [bad stuff] that goes on all around and where it comes from. 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. SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The year was 1959. 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. Youre always having to think of what youre going to say, what youre going to do, where you can go and where you cant. He graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. After holding off the vastly superior German forc es for four days, the senior officer in command ordered the paratroopers to withdraw under the cover of darkness and attempt to reach Allied lines by exfilling in small bands through the flooded marshes and swollen streams. Then I played Colgate and had a great game and I just sort of broke the back of that whole discriminatory attitude. And thus, Ruth Simpson became Mrs. Floyd Schwartzwalder. 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 These SS troopers also executed the twenty plus wounded US paratroopers who had been too injured to evacuate with the others. While the regiment was stateside Capt. He was also a military veteran. The teammates also say that Brown's portrayal misses Davis' essence. He recruited black players not . He was a paratrooper in World War II, leaving the serv ice as a . The funny part is that so many people have known this for years, including myself.". How does one describe Ben Schwartzwalder? He was basically a shy, quiet individual who never got very close to the press or general public. Ben gave Syracuse its finest hours in football. Gary Fleder: You faced the exact same thing. He later joined teammate Patrick Whelan, 71, of Safety Harbor, at a Tampa screening. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. Syracuse University Photo & Imaging Collection, University Archives. 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. 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. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University. 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. Parkersburg. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Yet forget wins and losses. 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. 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. She was 76 years old. New York had the highest population of Schwartzwalder families in 1880. Played golf in an SU golf outing at Drrumliuns years back with Ben and an offensive lineman on the championship team (Yeager??). Syracuse, New York 13244 Damn right. During the summer, the black players filed a complaint against Syracuse University and the coaching staff with the Syracuse and Onondaga Human Rights Commission. 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. 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. Quick Facts. 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. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. Anyways, getting back to the rivalry, the trophy was introduced in 1993 after the death of Coach Ben Schwartzwalder. 1 after winning their first seven games. 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. The basics. 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 Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl. 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. Capt. 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. During the West Virginia fracas, Davis snaps at his coach: "Maybe, just maybe, the rules down here are your rules too. Soon after being drafted No. 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. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Ben Schwartzwalder began his football career as a 95-pound high school freshman quarterback. He was a member of the 1964 Sugar Bowl team. Both sites mention that in addition to the Silver Star, Major Ben was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, the latter indicating a combat wound.". At first, Ben Schwartzwalder was a legend at Syracuse. Cemetery staff is on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Truth is sometimes rearranged in screen biographies, when facts aren't dramatic enough for the filmmaker's vision. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Penn state then killed the clock and Tom Cherry took a deliberate safety with eight seconds to play to preserve the Victory. Before the summer of 1970, Coach Schwartzwalder agreed but failed to hire a Black assistant coach more than once. Dropped far behind enemy lines and miles off target, Ben organized his command immediately and a week later brought a bunch of prisoners to the Allied lines. He was 80 then and hit every drive down the middle. Just watched Seize and Secure a one hour documentary on PBS about the battle to secure the bridge at La Fire on DDay Capt. In 1969 a group of nine student-athletes boycotted Syracuse Universitys football program to demand change and promote racial equality. He didn't starve as a boy growing up but he knew what it was to want. 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. Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. Jim told me something really amazing that put things in perspective. Casualties caused the 507th to regroup and reorganize. . 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. He was a real comedian too. "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. Schwartzwalder, a decorated paratrooper during World War II in the 82nd Airborne Division who was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped at D-Day in 1944, coached the Orange from 1949 through 1973. 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. "Ed Wagner, Class of '41, is the namesake of the ROTC Building at Penn State. 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. Hell, the movie's more about him than Ernie. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd . 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. The Commission subsequently chaired several meetings between the parties, but without success. 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. 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. 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. He was captain of the football team in 1933. 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. 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. Adversity and Ben were old combatants and Ben usually won. Soon thereafter, a force of 80 507th paratroopers led by G Company commander, Captain Ben Schwartzwalder, joined the developing battle. 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. Lindquist was coming in from the east, and Levy was ensconced in a graveyard across the river at Cauquigny. 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. He had the same burning drive in 1973 as he did as a rookie coach back in West Virginia in 1933. Ben Schwartzwalder was in a relationship with Ruth Schwartzwalder. 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. map this locationGoogle map location Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. There is so much joy on the faces of the players and Ben. "Unfortunately, little else is known about Coach Schwartzwalder's rather outstanding military service in World War II. Ben was just an old fashioned guy who thought you were privileged to play. You should know his story, because its a Syracuse University story one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. Later that afternoon, a beaming Davis, seeing Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, went floating toward him through a. 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. One other thought on that. About coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said: The alumni wanted a big-name coach. The most Schwartzwalder families were found in USA in 1920. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Davis' accomplishments and abbreviated life inspire the new movie, which Easterly saw at an Orangemen reunion recently. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. 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. He thought the first script was a little thin. After being labeled black dissidents, the Syracuse 8 were suspended from the team. I remember some story like that and Larry committed to SYR because of Ben doing that. Allen explained his position, but the coach refused to listen. 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. During his 25 years as head coach Syracuse teams outrushed their opponents by more than 22,000 yards. No. From 1946-48 he coached Muhlenberg (Pa.) College to a 25-5 record before heading to Syracuse to coach the Orangemen. They claim key events on screen never occurred, like the team being showered with garbage and racial epithets during a game at West Virginia. 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. Mountaineer fans are just over . 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. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. January 25, 2010 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. Gary Fleders The Express, which hits theaters next month, is really two compelling movies in one. "He was a real taskmaster. He gave me a way in to tell this story. He also wrestled and dodged a young coed who was just as fierce a competitor as he when it came to getting her man. Gary Fleder: You came before Ernie. "By doing the best we can do with the job we have, wherever it is, we can serve our nation in its greatest task.". 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). National Veterans Resource Center | Daniel & Gayle DAniello Building | 101 Waverly Ave, Syracuse, NY 13244, Notable Veteran Alumni: Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder. Chuck Leavitt did a great page-one rewrite of the script. He was like a Marine, with a real army attitude. This little-known episode of brutality has been documented by the History Channel in a video titled, "Secret Massacre at D-Day". It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. 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. He was captain of the football team in 1933. !8 holes of golf and Ben never said a word about football. Almost immediately, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder enlisted in the United States Army, earning his paratrooper wings as part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. 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 . They identify him as later coaching Syracuse University to the national championship in 1959. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. This month marks 50 years since the Syracuse 8 began their peaceful protest. 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). 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. During the war, Schwartzwalder was a military hero, a paratrooper, part of the D-Day invasion in June 1944 fighting behind enemy lines. Jim was skeptical, Fleder recalls. They included the battalion surgeon who had stayed behind to care for the wounded. He wore street clothes at the alumni game, serving as an honorary coach. 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. Schwartzwalder was a West Virginia graduate. 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. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. 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. This was about 67% of all the recorded Schwartzwalder's in USA. 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. Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. 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 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. He brought the school it's one and only national championship and undefeated season in 1959, but as his career progressed, it seemed to produce more and more cracks in a once so respected man. You should know his story, because it's a Syracuse University story - one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future. . Doesn't the story go that when Larry was recruited by all the Big Ten schools and Notre Dame, they only showed him around the football facilities, stadiums and campuses? (2017, November 17). The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. 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. 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. I didnt know why people loved their university. Ben organized and coached the 507th's football team. I don't know what the ratio of prisoners to guards would have been. In fact, he didnt even look at the original script. 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. Christian Rudolph Kessler was the school's first teacher and administrator. Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Floyd Little was raised in poverty in New Haven, Connecticut.
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