Tar Schwammel

Ade Schwammel
refer to caption
Schwammel as an All-American at Oregon State in 1933.
Personal information
Born:October 14, 1908
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died:November 18, 1979(1979-11-18) (aged 71)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College:Oregon State
Position:Tackle
Placekicker
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:46
Starts:29
Field goals made:6
Extra points made:8
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Adolphe John "Tar" Schwammel (October 14, 1908 – November 18, 1979)[1] was an American football tackle who played collegiately for the Oregon State College Beavers. He was named an All-American in 1933.

Entering the National Football League (NFL) in the years before it had a player draft, Schwammel would play for five seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 1935.

Schwammel was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

High school career

Adolphe "Ade" Schwammel attended Fremont High School in Oakland, California and starred in football.

College career

Schwammel chose to enroll at Oregon State for his college education and to play football. He Lettered in football from 1931 through 1933.

Schwammel was notably a starter on the legendary 1933 Oregon State Beavers football team that battled undefeated two-time national champion USC Trojans to a 0–0 tie using just eleven "Iron Men" for the entire duration of the game.[2]

Schwammel was one of the key players in the now illegal "Pyramid Play" where the Beavers hoisted 6'7" Clyde Devine atop the shoulders of 6'2" Schwammel and 6'2" teammate Harry Shields in order to block a placekick. The play was first successfully used in a game against the University of Oregon. A picture of the play published in the Saturday Evening Post brought the team — and the play — national attention, leading to the pyramid technique being banned by the NCAA's rules committee shortly thereafter.[3]

The 1933 OSC team finished with a 6-2-2 record that included a win on the road over powerhouse Fordham University.[4]

Schwammel was named a first-team All-American and All-Pacific Coast Conference at tackle as a senior was chosen as an All-American at tackle for the 1933 season. He was also chosen to play in the 1934 East-West Shrine Game.[5]

Professional career

Schwammel played in the NFL for five seasons with the Green Bay Packers, in two separate stints, from 1934 to 1936 and from 1943 to 1944. During his time with the Packers, they won two professional titles.[6]

Legacy

Schwammel was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981[7] and the Oregon State University Hall of Fame in 1990, both for his football prowess.[8] He died in Honolulu, Hawaii in November 1979.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Social Security Death Index Search Results". Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  2. ^ Braven Dyer, "Trojans Tied by Oregon State, 0–0; Beavers Use Only Eleven Men in Tilt: SC Win Streak Interrupted," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 22, 1933; pp. Sports 1-2 (53-54).
  3. ^ "Football Play - The Pyramid, 1933". osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  4. ^ Welsch, Jeff. "Tales from Oregon State Sports", via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Ade Schwammel Collection, 1932-1934". osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  6. ^ "Ade Schwammel". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  7. ^ "Inductees: Football". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  8. ^ "Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame". Oregon State Sports Information. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2007.