BEN SCHWARTZWALDER (1909-93) - Syracuse University Athletics


The Schwartzwalder Trophy
Year	Winner	Score
1993	West Virginia	43-0
1994	West Virginia	13-0
1995	Syracuse	22-0
1996	Syracuse	30-7
1997	Syracuse	40-10
1998	West Virginia	35-28
1999	Syracuse	30-7
2000	Syracuse	31-27
2001	Syracuse	24-13
2002	West Virginia	34-7
2003	West Virginia	34-23
2004	West Virginia	27-6
2005	West Virginia	15-7
2006	West Virginia	41-17
2007	West Virginia	55-14
2008	West Virginia	6-17
2009	West Virginia	13-34
2010	Syracuse	19-14

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. It was a scene he had repeated several hundred times but on this particular day, November 24, 1973, it was different. It marked the end of the brilliant coaching career of Floyd (Ben) Schwartzwalder, head man of the Syracuse Orange for the past 25 years. He had retired, after a quarter of a century as the head coach at one school.

Less than a dozen men rank in this category. And less than a handful of men who have entered the coaching profession since Princeton and Rutgers started the madness back in 1869 have recorded as many victories as did this crew-cut, bespectacled quiet little giant out of the hills of West Virginia.

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).

How does one describe Ben Schwartzwalder? What made him tick and what made him one of the giants of the game?

A good starting place is his home state of West Virginia. It is where the seeds of the fierce competitor were nurtured and matured. He didn't starve as a boy growing up but he knew what it was to want. 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. But none of these shortcomings stopped Ben Schwartzwalder from plunging head first into the field of battle. This is where that appetite of desire was whetted and the burning determination to succeed was honed.

Ben enrolled at West Virginia University and went out for football. He was the starting center at 152 pounds for the Mountaineers of coach Greasey Neale. He also wrestled and dodged a young coed who was just as fierce a competitor as he when it came to getting her man. And thus, Ruth Simpson became Mrs. Floyd Schwartzwalder.

Both taught and Ben began coaching in his home state. 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. Ben was clearly on his way to the top. But there was to be a delay.

Shortly after Dec. 7, 1941, Canton McKinley lost a coach and the U.S. Army gained a soldier.

Although in his thirties, Ben decided he was going to be a paratrooper. He served with the 82nd Airborne and was in the first wave of troops that jumped on D-Day in 1944. 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 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. He was personally decorated by Matthew Ridgeway who recalled Ben well. "I never expected to see you here to receive this award," said the commander of the 82nd.

Adversity and Ben were old combatants and Ben usually won.

The war ended and football again became his life. In 1946, Ben came east and guided Muhlenberg to a 25-5 slate in three years. Meanwhile, up in central New York, Syracuse was struggling for survival. The Orange had won but nine games in four years and everyone was unhappy. 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.

The rest is now history. Ben gave Syracuse its finest hours in football. He produced 22 straight years of non-losing football, took the Orange to seven bowls, and won the national championship in 1959. 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. Orange teams outrushed opponents by more than 22,000 yards under Ben.

The public Ben Schwartzwalder often appeared to be a cross between a wounded bear and a crossed bull. He was basically a shy, quiet individual who never got very close to the press or general public. 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. And enthusiasm!! He had the same burning drive in 1973 as he did as a rookie coach back in West Virginia in 1933.

"Sometimes outstanding individuals are never appreciated until they are gone," said Beano Cooke, a former sports information director and now with ABC-TV. "I have a strange feeling that in the years to come, officials, alumni and fans might finally realize what a tremendous asset Ben was. The funny part is that so many people have known this for years, including myself."

Ben always refused to pick a favorite team or make comparisons. The team he was coaching at the time was his favorite simply because of his great love of coaching.

"We football coaches are most fortunate," Ben said as he left office as the president of the American Football Coaches Association. "By doing the best we can do with the job we have, wherever it is, we can serve our nation in its greatest task."

The winner of the annual Syracuse-West Virginia football game receives the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy. Schwartzwalder coached Syracuse and was a graduate of West Virginia.