Ben Schwartzwalder

Floyd Burdette "Ben" Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 – April 28, 1993) was an American football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League (NFL) stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. He is in the school's Hall of Fame

Schwartzwalder was also a hero of the D-Day invasion and several other important engagements of World War II.

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 captain of the football team in 1933.

Early life and career Schwartzwalder was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. — and Ohio — a year at Canton McKinley High School 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 of Essen for a period of six months. 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. When he was personally decorated by General Matthew Ridgway, the General said "Ben, I never expected to see you here to receive this award."

Even as a paratrooper, 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.

College coaching

After returning home, Schwartzwalder began his college coaching career at Muhlenberg College, where he went 25–5. He coached at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973, compiling a 178–96–3 record, and winning one national 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 seven bowl games and won four Lambert 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, including Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Jim Nance, and Larry 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-white Texas Longhorns in the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic and win a national championship.

Personal life In 1973, Schwartzwalder retired from coaching and moved to St. 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.

Legacy In 1967, Schwartzwalder was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. He was inducted into the College 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 the JMA Wireless Dome on the campus of 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. The trophy was established in 1993 and was sculpted by Syracuse sports hall-of-famer Jim Ridlon.

The Express Schwartzwalder is portrayed by actor Dennis Quaid in the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, a biographical film about Syracuse University Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis.

Head coaching record College