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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 741087, member: 289"] I have both the Street and Smiths and NCAA Guides from the 1956 seasons. In the Guide, Murray Olderman of the Newspaper Enterprise Association said “Syracuse, eager to form a combine with the East’s other top independents, might scare them off with material like the versatile Jimmy brown , who could be the big name back in this sector…Syracuse, tougher than it’s 5-3 slate last year indicates, should make Floyd Schwartzwalders’s dozenth season on Piety Hill festive. Few backs can be classed with Brown, both strong and elusive and surrounded by familiar faces.” (Ben’s ‘dozenth’ season was 1960,not 1956). In Street and Smiths Jesse Abramson of the New York Herald-Tribune noted that Syracuse might have won the eastern title the year before except for the Penn State loss, where a 20-7 lead turned into a 20-21 defeat in the late-going. He said that Ben Schwartzwalder “isn’t one to shrink from challenging the best” and that “his current vehicle (is) both faster and deeper” than the 1955 team. “Jimmy Brown, 212 pound workhorse left half, durable and hard-running, is heading for a big senior year, operating behind a more mobile line and complemented by other good backs, provided the new boy at quarterback delivers as the director of the unbalanced T.” That was a battle between Kuzala and Zimmerman. “Jimmy Ridlon converted to wingback last year but literally knocked back to end by Maryland when he suffered a concussion, is installed at right half for his defensive quality as much as his running and receiving. He caught only 6 passes but 5 were for touchdowns.” I guess ends don’t’ get hit as hard as backs. Abrahamson noted that the line averaged an impressive 205 pounds per man. He also described the schedule as “murderous” and said that Syracuse had resumed spring practices to prepare for it. There were two small pictures of Syracuse players, Brown and Kuczala, both portraits. The Herald-Journal got a new sports columnist just before the season began, Arnie Burdick, who had been the SID at Syracuse. In one of his first columns, he described the high expectations SU fans had for the season: “The Salina Street quarterbacks are rolling in expectation these days. Old faces that have been missing for decades are coming out of the woodwork and climbing aboard the Syracuse bandwagon. And the full-throated, husky cheers all sound something like this “BEN SCHWARTZWALDER’S LOADED.” Not with whiskey, but with football players…Ben, admittedly is high on his eighth Orange squad that will be reporting for drills on the Hill, September 1 but unlike a good many of the well-wishers, his feet are still touching the ground. Twenty three years in the coaching game makes a fellow realistic- makes him aware of the shortcomings and pitfalls- makes him realize that a key injury here plus a costly mistake there and the whole bloomin’ mess might come part at the seams. No matter how long fans or sportswriters have been at it, most of them have short or convenient memories. They like to dream, for instance, that every Saturday this fall will be a replay of the Army and West Virginia games of a year ago: they like to forget how Maryland out-speeded the Orange and Pitt over-powered them. And, as luck would have it, Maryland and Pitt open Syracuse’s new season, both away from home to make matters worse…Whipping the Black Knights and the Mountaineers was something special. They were the shots in the arm that the Hillmen have been searching for ever since their Orange Bowl bubble was ed so violently by Hurricane ‘Bama three years ago. Those big wins made believers out of the “Show-Me” fans and it meant, basically, that the Orange belonged with the Big Boys…. Ben’s brand of football is exciting and daring because it’s unorthodox much of the time. As often as not, Orange quarterbacks will go against the book and run on fourth down plays when a punt is due. Or they’ll pass from deep in their own territory when more conservative football is dictated. This catches up with him every now and then, like last year’s Penn State game. But it wins games, too, like the Fordham affair of 1952, when Pat Stark hit Art Trolio with a sleeper pass from his own end zone. Gus Pfan sort of likes it that way, for he doesn’t know what’s coming next. Win, lose or draw, though, the best thing that Schwartzie’s teams do is play good, hard, bruising, aggressive, old-fashioned, rough-tough football. They block and tackle with fire. All good teams do. And this year, the Orange should have even more bounce to the ounce, for they should have gained a lot of poise and confidence from playing footsie with the Big Boys and not coming off second best….No longer should the Orange hold an opponent in awe as they did Maryland last year nor should they get exhausted as they did late in the games against Pitt and Penn State. …a deep bench is a must if the Hillmen are to be successful in the league that they’re now operating their store.” [/QUOTE]

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