Director Gary Fleder uses Davis' football career to illustrate racial intolerance that Easterly and Whelan claim seldom existed for him. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd Little 67 to help with spring practice under the guise of an assistant football coach, but the Black athletes were upset to learn it was just for a few days. He also watched Spike Lees documentary, Jim Brown All-American, which offered more insight into the era. 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. Then I played Colgate and had a great game and I just sort of broke the back of that whole discriminatory attitude. He had the same burning drive in 1973 as he did as a rookie coach back in West Virginia in 1933. He was performing these new duties at the battalion headquarters on 28 June when the command post was struck by a direct artillery hit. He thought there was only one way to play football and that was the rough way. Syracuse University did not strip the players of their scholarships, but. Both taught and Ben began coaching in his home state. 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. 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. Quaid, who plays legendary Syracuse University coach Ben Schwartzwalder, described his character as "a hard-nosed, tough guy who stormed the beaches at Normandy. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982. And enthusiasm!! He was also a military veteran. 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. Soon after being drafted No. Both websites for the West Virginia University, where he played center for the Mountaineers and graduated in 1935, and Syracuse University having disappointingly little information on this period of the coach's life. He later joined teammate Patrick Whelan, 71, of Safety Harbor, at a Tampa screening. He thought there was only one way to play football and that was the rough way . I am not sure the assistant coach had the facts correct. 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. Neither believes "The Express" captures his personality, or accurately portrays his relationships with head coach Ben Schwartzwalder and teammates. Syracuse leads the overall record of the series 31-27, however West Virginia has won the trophy 11 times to Syracuse's 7. 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. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. No portion of this site may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written permission of Syracuse University. 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. During the D-Day invasion in 1944, Schwartzwalder parachuted into Normandy and was wounded. By Frank Giardina For the Gazette-Mail; Jun 10, 2017 Jun 10, 2017 Updated Nov 21, 2017; Comments; January 25, 2010 Floyd Benjamin "Ben" Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. He is part of Syracuse University history, and a veteran of the U.S. military. He would lead the program for more than 20 years, a period that would reach its crescendo with a national championship, in 1959. But it was changing. They identify him as later coaching Syracuse University to the national championship in 1959. But in real life, there are people -- white people -- who have done wonderful things because they were just good human beings. 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) "Nor would Ben ever talk to Ernie like that.". Ben led G Company during the D-Day operation and was decorated with the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry in his first combat action. Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben. I didnt know why people loved their university. Jim Brown: The coaches. [continued on next page] Pages: 1 2 3 4 Wiping Systems Market Is Likely To Boost In Upcoming Years. Biography Lists News Also Viewed. In 1941, Ben found himself a 33 year old high school football coach, working in Canton, Ohio, on the day that the Japanese attached Pearl Harbor. Before the summer of 1970, Coach Schwartzwalder agreed but failed to hire a Black assistant coach more than once. The teammates also say that Brown's portrayal misses Davis' essence. Ben organized and coached the 507th's football team. He was 80 then and hit every drive down the middle. You should know his story. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. The trophy was established in 1993, the year Schwartzwalder died, and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon. No. Chuck Leavitt did a great page-one rewrite of the script. He was personally decorated by Matthew Ridgeway who recalled Ben well. 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. 222 Waverly Avenue 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. Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs through their college careers, including Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Jim Nance, and Larry Csonka. His primary recommendation for every injury was ice and rest. But there was to be a delay. 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. The Syracuse 8 continued their boycott through the 1969 football season. SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) The year was 1959. The most Schwartzwalder families were found in USA in 1920. This remains Syracuse's only football national championship to date. Syracuse head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Soon thereafter, a force of 80 507th paratroopers led by G Company commander, Captain Ben Schwartzwalder, joined the developing battle. He was captain of the football team in 1933. Syracuse Chancellor John Corbally, prompted by faculty sympathetic to the 8, allowed the players to keep their scholarships and to graduate, which they did. Schwartzwalder plays a prominent role in the battle. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. Ben Schwartzwalder. Chancellor John Corbally Records, University Archives. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. 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. 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 "He would never in a million years talk to Ben Schwartzwalder like that," Easterly said. Schwartzwalder's teams went to seven bowl games and won four Lambert Trophies. He was captain of the football team in 1933. A good starting place is his home state of West Virginia. 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 was just an old fashioned guy who thought you were privileged to play. He said, You have to realize, in the civil rights movement, there had to be radicals and peacemakers, radicals like Malcolm X and peacemakers like Martin Luther King. Jim told me something really amazing that put things in perspective. Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. "We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. While the regiment was stateside Capt. And that was the first time I ever felt like an alumni. [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 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. He was a paratrooper in World War II, rose to the rank of major, and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple . Christian Rudolph Kessler was the school's first teacher and administrator. "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. The Schwartzwalder Trophy was named after former Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who led the Orange to the 1959 national title. During the summer, the black players filed a complaint against Syracuse University and the coaching staff with the Syracuse and Onondaga Human Rights Commission. Syracuse University Photo & Imaging Collection, University Archives. Under Bens leadership, SU produced 22 straight years of non-losing football. Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. He coached the 507th PIR football team, leading them through a ten-game season in which the 507th was never defeated and never even scored upon. See About archive blog posts. Cemetery staff is on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. JavaScript is disabled. 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. Despite promising to do so, Schwartzwalder failed to follow through. I just want to know -- what did you feel on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis? When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award.". 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. "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. West Virginia and Syracuse might have a sordid past as Big East rivals, but you'd never know it by what's not at stake in this month's upcoming Camping World Bowl. "Ernie knew everybody's name and went out of his way to say hello. The public Ben Schwartzwalder often appeared to be a cross between a wounded bear and a crossed bull. I remember Ben as gruff, but kind. In the spring of 1970, he arranged for former Syracuse football great Floyd . Cutting black players from the list of team members mak ing trips. Schwartzwalder was the head football coach of the Syracuse Orange from 1949 to 1973. Floyd Benjamin Ben Schwartzwalder was for 25 years a teacher, a mentor, and a coach at Syracuse University. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching. 3 pair military pants 36s 38s 36xs shirt. In 1969 a group of nine student-athletes boycotted Syracuse Universitys football program to demand change and promote racial equality. An endearing photo is one from 90s I believe when Cuse players have Ben raised on their shoulders after a win. In fact, he didnt even look at the original script. By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. It was superficial and cloying and didnt give enough dimension to the story. When he refused their request, they walked out of spring practice and leaked their act of resistance to the media. You find it where you find it. 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. Lindquist was coming in from the east, and Levy was ensconced in a graveyard across the river at Cauquigny. 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. Ernie doesnt scream and he doesnt protest, but hes raging inside. 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. What did Jim Brown say that made such a difference? Here's more about their relationship (all from the unknown emailer): Jim was very quiet in the early part of the film, Fleder recalls. 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. Because in my experience, I just wanted to get out of there and get moving. As a paratrooper with the 82nd, he was among the first wave of soldiers that jumped on D-Day in 1944. ". It's a scene included in tonight's world premier of "The Express" at the Landmark Theatre. Brown portrays Davis as an intense, shy person moved to anger when Schwartzwalder deflects any discriminatory acts. 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. 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. 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. After the war, Ben came back to coaching, and eventually found his way to Syracuse University.
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