Gerhard Schwedes obit

Gerhard Schwedes, WWII Survivor and College Hall of Fame QB, Dies at 88

The native of Germany came to the U.S. at age 12 and played a critical part in Syracuse's national championship season.

 

He was not on the list.

Gerhard H. “Ger” Schwedes, the Syracuse University halfback who helped lead the Orange to a national football championship and became the first draft pick in the history of the Boston Patriots, died Aug. 23 at his home in Fayetteville, N.Y. He was 88.

According to his obituary in the Syracuse Post Standard, Schwedes died peacefully with family at his side.

Schwedes was born April 23, 1938, in Freiburg, Germany, and was raised in Ulm. His father, Gerhard, was a German Army officer who spent part of World War II as a prisoner of war.

Schwedes' family moved to the United States when he was 12 and settled in New Jersey, where he graduated from Flemington High School in 1956.

According to a 2020 account by Matthew Gutierrez of The Athletic, Schwedes recalled taking shelter with his family during Allied air raids and seeing the effects of the war on people around him. His family often lacked basic necessities, including shoes and adequate food. The Syracuse obituary said that American soldiers had given children in his village an American football, an experience that later influenced Schwedes’ path into the sport.

Schwedes received only one college football offer, from Syracuse. He became a starting halfback in 1957 and also played safety and quarterback. He was named an All-American and an All-Eastern selection and was chosen as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete in 1959.

Schwedes became team captain as a senior in 1959, leading the Orangemen to a 10-0 record in the regular season, and a berth in the Cotton Bowl. Playing Texas on Jan. 1, 1960, Schwedes threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Davis on Syracuse’s third play from scrimmage. He later scored on a three-yard run as Syracuse won, 23-14, completing an undefeated season and securing the national championship.

It remains the only NCAA championship in Syracuse football history. The Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame called the pass one of the most storied plays in Syracuse history.

Schwedes finished ninth in the 1959 Heisman Trophy voting and played in the Senior Bowl. In November 1959, the newly formed Boston Patriots selected him as their territorial choice.

Schwedes was also drafted by the NFL's Baltimore Colts, but he went on to play all 10 of his professional games in the AFL with the Patriots (1960-61) and the New York Titans (1960), a forerunner to the Jets.

Schwedes is survived by two sons, two brothers, and five grandchildren. His son, Scott, played four seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins (1987-90) as a wide receiver and returner.