SWC75
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NORMAN
One big problem for Ben Schwartzwalder was: where to practice for the bowl? “The Orange mentor realizes he will be handicapped here in snow bound Syracuse getting a team ready for the Dallas excursion. Little work will be able to be done outdoors and the Orange has no field house. Today’s drill was expected to be a light affair, held in Archbold Gymnasium The team will be able to get in some running there, a little ball handling, plus some calisthenics. But contact work indoors would be out and that’s what the Orange needs to get sharp again.”
Bud Wilkinson to the rescue! The national champions were barred from going to a bowl by the Big Eight’s contract with the Orange Bowl, who gave them the exclusive right to Big Eight teams with a no-repeat clause, so their practice facilities were going to be unused and they were just 220 miles from Dallas. Bud had been an assistant coach at Syracuse in the late 1930’s and was close friends with SU’s assistant athletic director, Jim Decker. Jim called him and “Bud was very happy at the thought of having the Syracuse squad work out on the Sooner fields and offered the use of the dressing quarters, as well.” It couldn’t hurt to practice on the field of a team that had won 40 games in a row and two straight national championships!
Arnie Burdick: “It’s felt here that the happiest impact of the Bowl trip is the delightful thought that at long last Syracuse University will now get its field house. Reading between the lines of Chancellor Bill Tolley’s remarks yesterday, one immediately realizes that digging for the long-awaited field house must start next spring. The Chancellor said Saturday evening that whatever financial gain accrues from the bowl game will go into the field house fund.” Ben Schwartzwalder told Arnie “It’s too bad that we don’t have that field house NOW. It sure would be a wonderful place to do some work for the next few weeks. “ Arnie noted that the building would also be used for basketball and suggested it be called the “Victor Arthur Hanson Field House” after the SU legend that had been All-American in both sports, (and would later be inducted into the Halls of Fame for both sports).
In a later column, Arnie reported with disappointment that the Cotton Bowl windfall would not be enough to break ground on the field house. It seemed the price for beginning the project had gone up. Six years before SU had established a $15,000,000 Building and Development Fund, “with the field house as one of the pivotal buildings in the fund. It was said at that time that a half million was needed to begin constructions but now, in 1956 it had gone up to a million. There was $335,000 in the fund for the field house at this point and the Cotton Bowl would bring it up to about $400,000. Arnie was not happy. The capital letters are his: “So, after more than six years of fund-raising the university NEEDS ABOUT $60,000,00 MORE before it can start building its field house. IN OTHER WORDS, MORE MONEY MUST BE RAISED TODAY TO START BUILDING THE FIELD HOUSE THAN WAS NEEDED IN 1950 WHEN THE DRIVE FIRST GOT UNDERWAY. This is unfortunate, for university athletic teams need a field house…Ben Schwartzwalder and his football recruiting staff must get their gridders ready for what, to all intents and purposes, is the most important football game the university has ever played. And they have no place to work, since the weekend snows have covered the outdoor playing areas in the Stadium and on Hendricks field.” The construction on the field house didn’t begin until 11/22/60. It opened on 12/15/62 and was named after its primary donor, Dr. George Leroy Manley.
Syracuse left for Norman, Oklahoma from Hancock Field on December 16th, 46 players strong. “The Orange, in an attempt to shun bowl social functions like those that hampered them in 1953, won’t get to Dallas until 10AM, December 30. They will stay at the Melrose Hotel in Dallas and run through a light workout in the Cotton Bowl on December 31. The team has been promised an opportunity to relax from their long training grind in Dallas after the game. They won’t depart for home until 9AM, January 4.”
“We’re going to Norman to work “ Ben Schwartzwalder told Bill Reddy, who added “The team needs work, too. Weather has been poor here for the past week and that’s not all. There have been so many distractions for all the coaches and the players that it was hard to concentrate on the only goal as outlined by Chancellor Tolley in his send-off to the squad. The only goal? Victory!...Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma coach and host to the Orangemen, has pointed out that the football training quarters are set in a lonely spot and Schwartzwalder says “I hope Bud’s absolutely right about that seclusion. No special appearances…nothing but the opportunity to practice: to live, eat and breathe football….We only hope Oklahoma’s victorious habit rubs off on us while we’re there.”
There were pictures in the paper the next day of Ben, Jim Brown, Jim Ridlon and Alan Cann after they got off the plane for two weeks in Norman. The location for their workouts was something called the Extension Study Center, a former naval base two miles from campus. A naval base in Oklahoma? It was about naval aviation and air gunnery. The old paratrooper must have felt at home. The Orange would also use Oklahoma’s locker rooms and work out on their practice fields. There was also a “shed big enough to house five full basketball courts” in case of inclement weather. “A cafeteria on the first floor of the living quarters has been made available for a training table. There are also two fine meeting rooms, one equipped with a motion picture projector.” There were two signs in the Oklahoma Dressing Room. The one on the door leading to the stadium read “PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY”. The one leading to the outside world said “BE A CHAMPION ON AND OFF THE FIELD”. The Orange was getting a look at what a first class football program looked like.
The plan was for 90 minute drills each morning and afternoon sandwiched around lunch and a “siesta”. There was also a morning meeting after breakfast. “Watching television is the squad’s number one pastime, though letter-writing, ping-pong, chess, checkers and card playing all come in for their fair share during the leisure hours. Just to be different, the Post Standard said “Basketball will probably be the team’s biggest entertainment while here.” What, no studying?
“The Old Master”, as Texas newsmen call him, (Wilkinson was 40 at the time), Bud Wilkinson wandered by during the morning session and welcomed Schwartzwalder and his squad. Bud has the Indian sign on the elevens form the Lone Star State, hence the complimentary nickname.” Wilkinson, who's record at that point was 85-8-3, had the 'high sign' on everyone in college football in the 1950's. The Herald had a shot of Jim Brown shaking hands with Oklahoma’s Clendon Thomas, who had nipped him for the national scoring crown, 108-106, (in two more games).
“Ben has met Abe Martin, Texas Christian’s head coach, a couple of times in the past and only a year ago Schwartzwalder attended a coach’s meeting at which Martin gave one of the principle speeches. Abe explained his own methods of offense and it proved an intensely interesting lecture. Schwartzwalder took notes and said Thursday “I sure hope I can find those notes before we head south. They might help.”
The SU team was greeted by disappointingly cold conditions, with a high of 56 degrees for their first practice session. There was even talk of moving further south. Ben denied that but said “The boys can’t get their muscles loosened up. We can’t get in shape for this game in weather like this.” The next day the high was 44 degrees. “For weeks the local farmers have been praying for rain. Ministers have been devoting special sermons to this cause for it’s been more than a month since a genuine precipitation has fallen on these parts and the corps are mightily lonesome for it. Yesterday their prayers were answered with an all-day deluge…The only consolidation the Syracuse party could claim was the fact that Dallas offered a 1PM reading of 38 degrees…with snow and sleet…, so maybe the Orangemen are practicing under the correct conditions after all.”
The rain continued, causing Ben to comment “They told me that this was a dry state but I guess they were talking about something other than the weather.“ Oklahoma famously had continued prohibition long after the national government had given up on it. They finally repealed it in 1959. Ben ordered that six basketballs be found and had his team spend their time making use of the several hoops in the old Navy storehouse. “The kids could use a breather. Basketball, (which Ben coached at Muhlenberg), is a good conditioner. Besides, you can only do so much football work indoors.” Finally Ben took to just scrimmaging in the rain. “”If the Orangemen are as rough on Texas Christian as they are on ping pong balls, Schwartzie won’t be unhappy. They’ve worn out a couple dozen here already.”
The players were given a turkey dinner for Christmas and had local Oklahoma girls as hostesses. Each gal made two unusual hats. She wore one and tossed the other into a pile for the gridders. The boys grabbed for the screwy chapeaus, then sought to match them up to find their dates. The results were quite astounding and amusing…the party lasted from dinner until until shortly before midnight.” I wonder if Jim Brown had a date.
Finally it was time to leave for Dallas. Equipment manager Al Zak packed 13 trunks. “I’ve just finished checking all of the equipment. Somebody is always leaving something behind. Especially the coaches. They’re the worst offenders.” A note in the paper said that arrangement had been made for a supply of oxygen to be available on the Syracuse sideline because “The Cotton Bowl is built in such a way that the gridiron is 40 rows below the natural surface of the ground. The weather in Dallas was dry and about 50 degrees. Ben put the team through two practices a day to make up for lost time."
He was still uncertain about his starting quarterback and fullback. Ferd Kuczala was said to be ahead of Chuck Zimmerman at QB due to his superior defensive play. At FB Alan Cann and Ed Coffin were neck and neck, (if they had one). The Orange was reported to be installing new plays “which the Horned Frogs won’t be able to find in the films they’ve been studying”. Ben was also working on his passing game, both on offense and defense. He was hindered somewhat by a nagging injury to Jim Ridlon’s left leg.
Bill Reddy: “One of the advantages of training here by the Orangemen has been the opportunity to absorb some of the coaching philosophy of Bud Wilkinson. The Sooners coach surprised everyone, particularly Maryland, by flashing a hurry-up system of running off plays in the Orange Bowl a year ago. It would seem to require endless drilling to effect the precision with which the Sooners run off a play, leap into a huddle and rush back to the line of scrimmage, ready to execute another play before then enemy has had a chance to set its defenses. Part of the secret is that Wilkinson has taken the complicated matter of football offense and reduced it to nine basic plays. They have variations but by concentrating on those nine and becoming letter-perfect in their execution, the Sooners are able to leap in and out of action with precise timing and without a host of mental adjustments to be made by each player on every new signal. The Sooner’s continued success on the gridiron is proof that it’s not the bewildering variety of plays but the solid execution of each play which actually pays off. “
Bud Wilkinson predicted that the team that controlled the ball would win. Arnie Burdick: “Control of the pigskin, which has become quite prominent in the last few years, had ruled Syracuse’s grid fortunes this year. Bill Orange has been able to control the football in every game this year, save one- Pittsburgh. And, of course, the Panthers were the only team to trip Coach Ben Schwartzwalder’s array. Being able to pass from any point behind the line of scrimmage, rather than five yards back, has given the offense quite a break. it’s tough today to stop the other fellow. And that’s why coaches are devoting much of their waking hours trying to dope out how they can keep the ball once they get it away from the other fellow’s powerful attack.
Arnie reported that Oklahoma fans were now Syracuse fans. One wrote him: “We feel honored that you selected Oklahoma University as a site of preparation for your coming encounter. However, we do wish to apologize for our untimely weather in which you have had to train. We are extending to you our moral support in the New Year’s tilt with Texas. When I say Texas, I don’t especially mean the University of Texas. I mean any Texas institution. Because when you cross that Red River south, suh, that’s just too far south. Good luck to you all.”
One big problem for Ben Schwartzwalder was: where to practice for the bowl? “The Orange mentor realizes he will be handicapped here in snow bound Syracuse getting a team ready for the Dallas excursion. Little work will be able to be done outdoors and the Orange has no field house. Today’s drill was expected to be a light affair, held in Archbold Gymnasium The team will be able to get in some running there, a little ball handling, plus some calisthenics. But contact work indoors would be out and that’s what the Orange needs to get sharp again.”
Bud Wilkinson to the rescue! The national champions were barred from going to a bowl by the Big Eight’s contract with the Orange Bowl, who gave them the exclusive right to Big Eight teams with a no-repeat clause, so their practice facilities were going to be unused and they were just 220 miles from Dallas. Bud had been an assistant coach at Syracuse in the late 1930’s and was close friends with SU’s assistant athletic director, Jim Decker. Jim called him and “Bud was very happy at the thought of having the Syracuse squad work out on the Sooner fields and offered the use of the dressing quarters, as well.” It couldn’t hurt to practice on the field of a team that had won 40 games in a row and two straight national championships!
Arnie Burdick: “It’s felt here that the happiest impact of the Bowl trip is the delightful thought that at long last Syracuse University will now get its field house. Reading between the lines of Chancellor Bill Tolley’s remarks yesterday, one immediately realizes that digging for the long-awaited field house must start next spring. The Chancellor said Saturday evening that whatever financial gain accrues from the bowl game will go into the field house fund.” Ben Schwartzwalder told Arnie “It’s too bad that we don’t have that field house NOW. It sure would be a wonderful place to do some work for the next few weeks. “ Arnie noted that the building would also be used for basketball and suggested it be called the “Victor Arthur Hanson Field House” after the SU legend that had been All-American in both sports, (and would later be inducted into the Halls of Fame for both sports).
In a later column, Arnie reported with disappointment that the Cotton Bowl windfall would not be enough to break ground on the field house. It seemed the price for beginning the project had gone up. Six years before SU had established a $15,000,000 Building and Development Fund, “with the field house as one of the pivotal buildings in the fund. It was said at that time that a half million was needed to begin constructions but now, in 1956 it had gone up to a million. There was $335,000 in the fund for the field house at this point and the Cotton Bowl would bring it up to about $400,000. Arnie was not happy. The capital letters are his: “So, after more than six years of fund-raising the university NEEDS ABOUT $60,000,00 MORE before it can start building its field house. IN OTHER WORDS, MORE MONEY MUST BE RAISED TODAY TO START BUILDING THE FIELD HOUSE THAN WAS NEEDED IN 1950 WHEN THE DRIVE FIRST GOT UNDERWAY. This is unfortunate, for university athletic teams need a field house…Ben Schwartzwalder and his football recruiting staff must get their gridders ready for what, to all intents and purposes, is the most important football game the university has ever played. And they have no place to work, since the weekend snows have covered the outdoor playing areas in the Stadium and on Hendricks field.” The construction on the field house didn’t begin until 11/22/60. It opened on 12/15/62 and was named after its primary donor, Dr. George Leroy Manley.
Syracuse left for Norman, Oklahoma from Hancock Field on December 16th, 46 players strong. “The Orange, in an attempt to shun bowl social functions like those that hampered them in 1953, won’t get to Dallas until 10AM, December 30. They will stay at the Melrose Hotel in Dallas and run through a light workout in the Cotton Bowl on December 31. The team has been promised an opportunity to relax from their long training grind in Dallas after the game. They won’t depart for home until 9AM, January 4.”
“We’re going to Norman to work “ Ben Schwartzwalder told Bill Reddy, who added “The team needs work, too. Weather has been poor here for the past week and that’s not all. There have been so many distractions for all the coaches and the players that it was hard to concentrate on the only goal as outlined by Chancellor Tolley in his send-off to the squad. The only goal? Victory!...Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma coach and host to the Orangemen, has pointed out that the football training quarters are set in a lonely spot and Schwartzwalder says “I hope Bud’s absolutely right about that seclusion. No special appearances…nothing but the opportunity to practice: to live, eat and breathe football….We only hope Oklahoma’s victorious habit rubs off on us while we’re there.”
There were pictures in the paper the next day of Ben, Jim Brown, Jim Ridlon and Alan Cann after they got off the plane for two weeks in Norman. The location for their workouts was something called the Extension Study Center, a former naval base two miles from campus. A naval base in Oklahoma? It was about naval aviation and air gunnery. The old paratrooper must have felt at home. The Orange would also use Oklahoma’s locker rooms and work out on their practice fields. There was also a “shed big enough to house five full basketball courts” in case of inclement weather. “A cafeteria on the first floor of the living quarters has been made available for a training table. There are also two fine meeting rooms, one equipped with a motion picture projector.” There were two signs in the Oklahoma Dressing Room. The one on the door leading to the stadium read “PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY”. The one leading to the outside world said “BE A CHAMPION ON AND OFF THE FIELD”. The Orange was getting a look at what a first class football program looked like.
The plan was for 90 minute drills each morning and afternoon sandwiched around lunch and a “siesta”. There was also a morning meeting after breakfast. “Watching television is the squad’s number one pastime, though letter-writing, ping-pong, chess, checkers and card playing all come in for their fair share during the leisure hours. Just to be different, the Post Standard said “Basketball will probably be the team’s biggest entertainment while here.” What, no studying?
“The Old Master”, as Texas newsmen call him, (Wilkinson was 40 at the time), Bud Wilkinson wandered by during the morning session and welcomed Schwartzwalder and his squad. Bud has the Indian sign on the elevens form the Lone Star State, hence the complimentary nickname.” Wilkinson, who's record at that point was 85-8-3, had the 'high sign' on everyone in college football in the 1950's. The Herald had a shot of Jim Brown shaking hands with Oklahoma’s Clendon Thomas, who had nipped him for the national scoring crown, 108-106, (in two more games).
“Ben has met Abe Martin, Texas Christian’s head coach, a couple of times in the past and only a year ago Schwartzwalder attended a coach’s meeting at which Martin gave one of the principle speeches. Abe explained his own methods of offense and it proved an intensely interesting lecture. Schwartzwalder took notes and said Thursday “I sure hope I can find those notes before we head south. They might help.”
The SU team was greeted by disappointingly cold conditions, with a high of 56 degrees for their first practice session. There was even talk of moving further south. Ben denied that but said “The boys can’t get their muscles loosened up. We can’t get in shape for this game in weather like this.” The next day the high was 44 degrees. “For weeks the local farmers have been praying for rain. Ministers have been devoting special sermons to this cause for it’s been more than a month since a genuine precipitation has fallen on these parts and the corps are mightily lonesome for it. Yesterday their prayers were answered with an all-day deluge…The only consolidation the Syracuse party could claim was the fact that Dallas offered a 1PM reading of 38 degrees…with snow and sleet…, so maybe the Orangemen are practicing under the correct conditions after all.”
The rain continued, causing Ben to comment “They told me that this was a dry state but I guess they were talking about something other than the weather.“ Oklahoma famously had continued prohibition long after the national government had given up on it. They finally repealed it in 1959. Ben ordered that six basketballs be found and had his team spend their time making use of the several hoops in the old Navy storehouse. “The kids could use a breather. Basketball, (which Ben coached at Muhlenberg), is a good conditioner. Besides, you can only do so much football work indoors.” Finally Ben took to just scrimmaging in the rain. “”If the Orangemen are as rough on Texas Christian as they are on ping pong balls, Schwartzie won’t be unhappy. They’ve worn out a couple dozen here already.”
The players were given a turkey dinner for Christmas and had local Oklahoma girls as hostesses. Each gal made two unusual hats. She wore one and tossed the other into a pile for the gridders. The boys grabbed for the screwy chapeaus, then sought to match them up to find their dates. The results were quite astounding and amusing…the party lasted from dinner until until shortly before midnight.” I wonder if Jim Brown had a date.
Finally it was time to leave for Dallas. Equipment manager Al Zak packed 13 trunks. “I’ve just finished checking all of the equipment. Somebody is always leaving something behind. Especially the coaches. They’re the worst offenders.” A note in the paper said that arrangement had been made for a supply of oxygen to be available on the Syracuse sideline because “The Cotton Bowl is built in such a way that the gridiron is 40 rows below the natural surface of the ground. The weather in Dallas was dry and about 50 degrees. Ben put the team through two practices a day to make up for lost time."
He was still uncertain about his starting quarterback and fullback. Ferd Kuczala was said to be ahead of Chuck Zimmerman at QB due to his superior defensive play. At FB Alan Cann and Ed Coffin were neck and neck, (if they had one). The Orange was reported to be installing new plays “which the Horned Frogs won’t be able to find in the films they’ve been studying”. Ben was also working on his passing game, both on offense and defense. He was hindered somewhat by a nagging injury to Jim Ridlon’s left leg.
Bill Reddy: “One of the advantages of training here by the Orangemen has been the opportunity to absorb some of the coaching philosophy of Bud Wilkinson. The Sooners coach surprised everyone, particularly Maryland, by flashing a hurry-up system of running off plays in the Orange Bowl a year ago. It would seem to require endless drilling to effect the precision with which the Sooners run off a play, leap into a huddle and rush back to the line of scrimmage, ready to execute another play before then enemy has had a chance to set its defenses. Part of the secret is that Wilkinson has taken the complicated matter of football offense and reduced it to nine basic plays. They have variations but by concentrating on those nine and becoming letter-perfect in their execution, the Sooners are able to leap in and out of action with precise timing and without a host of mental adjustments to be made by each player on every new signal. The Sooner’s continued success on the gridiron is proof that it’s not the bewildering variety of plays but the solid execution of each play which actually pays off. “
Bud Wilkinson predicted that the team that controlled the ball would win. Arnie Burdick: “Control of the pigskin, which has become quite prominent in the last few years, had ruled Syracuse’s grid fortunes this year. Bill Orange has been able to control the football in every game this year, save one- Pittsburgh. And, of course, the Panthers were the only team to trip Coach Ben Schwartzwalder’s array. Being able to pass from any point behind the line of scrimmage, rather than five yards back, has given the offense quite a break. it’s tough today to stop the other fellow. And that’s why coaches are devoting much of their waking hours trying to dope out how they can keep the ball once they get it away from the other fellow’s powerful attack.
Arnie reported that Oklahoma fans were now Syracuse fans. One wrote him: “We feel honored that you selected Oklahoma University as a site of preparation for your coming encounter. However, we do wish to apologize for our untimely weather in which you have had to train. We are extending to you our moral support in the New Year’s tilt with Texas. When I say Texas, I don’t especially mean the University of Texas. I mean any Texas institution. Because when you cross that Red River south, suh, that’s just too far south. Good luck to you all.”
