On April 28th, 1993 Syracuse University Football legend, Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder, passed away at the age 83. 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.
Over 25 season, he compiled a 153-91-3 record and led the team an undefeated season in 1959 that included the National Championship.
Before joining S.U., Schwartzwalder’s college coaching career was brief. He coached at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania for three seasons, going 27-4. Despite his success, few at S.U. were confident in his ability to turn the program around. When asked about coming to Syracuse, Schwartzwalder famously said, “The alumni wanted a big-name coach. They got a long-name coach.” He went on to coach 22 years of winning seasons and developed some of the most impressive running backs the game has ever seen – Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Jim Nance, Floyd Little and Larry Csonka.