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Ben Schwartzwalder

Schwartzwalder with quarterbackDick Easterly at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1959
Biographical details
Born	(1909-06-02)June 2, 1909 Point Pleasant, West Virginia, U.S.
Died	April 28, 1993(1993-04-28) (aged 83) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Playing career
1930–1932	West Virginia
Position	Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1935	Sistersville HS (WV)
1936–1940	Parkersburg HS (WV)
1941	Canton McKinley HS (OH)
1946–1948	Muhlenberg
1949–1973	Syracuse
Head coaching record
Overall	178–96–3 (college)
Bowls	2–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1National (1959)
Awards
AFCA Coach of the Year (1959) Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1959) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1977)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1982 (profile)

Floyd Burdette "Ben"Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 – April 28, 1993) was an Americanfootballcoach atSyracuse University, where he trained futureNational Football League (NFL) stars such asJim Brown,Larry Csonka,Floyd Little andErnie Davis, the firstAfrican American to win theHeisman Trophy. He is in the school'sHall of Fame

Schwartzwalder was also a hero of theD-Day invasion and several other important engagements ofWorld War II.

He playedcenter atWest Virginia University, despite weighing only 146 pounds, and was an all-campus wrestler in 1930 in the 155-pound weight class. He was captain of the football team in 1933.

Schwartzwalder was born inPoint Pleasant, West Virginia.^[1] He coachedhigh school football for six years inWest Virginia — a year at Sistersville High School, followed by the Parkersburg High School Big Reds football from 1936 to 1940^[1] — andOhio — a year atCanton McKinley High School^[1] — and won two state championships. In 1941, he was coach ofCanton McKinley High School in Ohio when, even though he was in his 30s, he was commissioned in theUS Army and fought inWorld War II.

As acaptain in the82nd Airborne (CO of Company G of the507th), Schwartzwalder earned a distinction during the invasion ofNormandy and battles that followed in the last days of the war. He played key roles in the capture of the La Fière Causeway andSainte-Mère-Église, crucial points of entry into France during theD-Day invasion.^[2] By the time the 507th reached the battle for Hill 95, they had suffered more than 65% casualties. Schwartzwalder continued his campaign all the way into Germany and acted as military governor of the town ofEssen for a period of six months. He was awarded aSilver Star, aBronze Star, aPurple Heart, fourbattle stars,Presidential Unit Citation and was promoted to the rank ofMajor for his actions during the invasion. When he was personally decorated by GeneralMatthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award."

Even as aparatrooper, Schwartzwalder remained focused on his football career. 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. 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.

After returning home, Schwartzwalder began his college coaching career atMuhlenberg College, where he went 25–5. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178–96–3 record, and winning onenational championship in 1959 while going undefeated with an 11–0 record. 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. This remains Syracuse's only football national championship to date.

Schwartzwalder's teams went to sevenbowl games and won fourLambert Trophies. In 1959, he also won the national coach of the year award. During his 25 years as head coach Syracuse teams outrushed their opponents by more than 22,000 yards.

Schwartzwalder had a knack for developing excellent running backs through their college careers, includingHeisman Trophy winnerErnie Davis,Jim Brown,Floyd Little,Jim Nance, andLarry Csonka.

Schwartzwalder had a significant history of recruiting and developing black players during the 1950s and 1960s when many other major programs refused to do so. He coached the first African-American to win a Heisman Trophy and maintained team unity and cohesiveness in a racially charged environment to defeat the all-whiteTexas Longhorns in the1960 Cotton Bowl Classic and win a national championship.

In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved toSt. Petersburg, Florida. 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. He is buried in the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Syracuse, NY.

In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of theAmerican Football Coaches Association. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1982.On September 23, 2023, prior to the game against Army, his name was placed in the Ring of Honor in theJMA Wireless Dome on the campus ofSyracuse University.

The coach is also remembered through theBen Schwartzwalder Trophy which, goes to the winner of each game betweenWest Virginia University (where he had played as a college student) andSyracuse University. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famerJim Ridlon.

Schwartzwalder is portrayed by actorDennis Quaid in the 2008Universal PicturesfilmThe Express: The Ernie Davis Story, abiographical film about Syracuse UniversityHeisman Trophy winnerErnie Davis.

• List of teachers portrayed in films

• College Football Hall of Fame profile

• Ben Schwartzwalder atFind a Grave

• 1909 births
• 1993 deaths
• American people of German descent
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• United States Army personnel of World War II
• United States Army officers
• People from Point Pleasant, West Virginia
• Recipients of the Silver Star
• Military personnel from West Virginia
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• Players of American football from West Virginia
• Presidents of the American Football Coaches Association
• College Football Hall of Fame inductees
• Sportspeople from Mason County, West Virginia

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