Tar Schwammel
 Schwammel as an All-American at Oregon State in 1933. | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Born: | October 14, 1908 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died: | November 18, 1979 (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 | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Adolphe John "Tar" Schwammel (October 14, 1908 – November 18, 1979) was an American former football tackle who played collegiately for the Oregon State College Beavers. He was named an All-American in 1933.
Schwammel entered the National Football League (NFL) in 1934 and played for five seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 1935 and named to the second team the next year. Schwammel was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Oregon State University Hall of Fame in 1990, both for his football prowess.
Early life and college career
[edit]Adolphe Schwammel was born on October 14, 1908, in Los Angeles, and attended Fremont High School in Oakland, California.[1] He attended Oregon State University where he played for the school's football team.[1] He lettered in football from 1931 through 1933.[2]
Schwammel was a starter on the 1933 Oregon State Beavers football team that played undefeated two-time national champion USC Trojans to a 0–0 tie using just eleven "Iron Men" for the entire duration of the game.[3] He was named a 1933 College Football All-America Team tackle.[4] Schwammel was one of the key players in the now illegal "Pyramid Play", where the Beavers lifted 6 foot 7 inches, Clyde Devine atop the shoulders of 6 foot 2 inches Schwammel and 6 foot 2 inches 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.[5] The 1933 OSC team finished with a 6-2-2 record that included a win on the road over Fordham University.[6]
Schwammel was named as the first-team All-American and All-Pacific Coast Conference tackle as a senior in the 1933 season. He was also chosen to play in the 1934 East-West Shrine Game.[7]
Professional career
[edit]Schwammel played in the NFL for five seasons with the Green Bay Packers, in two separate stints.[1] He first signed for the Packers in 1934, beginning play with them the same season.[8] He won the 1936 NFL Championship with the Packers.[9] He was put on to the first 1935 and the second 1936 NFL All-Pro team.[10][11] He played until he left in 1936 to take a 7 year break from football for military service.[1][12] He came back to play more seasons with the team from 1943 to 1944,[1] winning another NFL Championship in 1944.[9] During his time with the team, he also served as a placekicker, scoring 6 field goals and 8 extra points, totalling 26 points. He retired in 1944.[1]
Later life
[edit]Schwammel and the other "Iron Men" performed a recreation of the "Pyramid Play" at halftime for a 1958 Oregon State college football game.[13] He was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981[14] and the Oregon State University Hall of Fame in 1990, both for his football prowess.[15] He died in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 18, 1979.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Ade Schwammel". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
- ^ "Adolph "Ade" Schwammel (1990) – Hall of Fame". Oregon State University Athletics. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Braven Dyer, "Trojans Tied by Oregon State, 0–0; Beavers Use Only Eleven Men in Tilt: SC Win Streak Interrupted," Los Angeles Times, October 22, 1933; pp. Sports 1-2 (53–54).
- ^ "Football Big Success". The Oregonian. December 23, 1933. p. 15. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Football Play – The Pyramid, 1933". osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
- ^ Welsch, Jeff. "Tales from Oregon State Sports", via Google Books.
- ^ "Ade Schwammel Collection, 1932–1934". osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
- ^ "Packers Get Schwammel". Reading Times. August 31, 1934. p. 19. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ a b "Adolphe "Tar" Schwammel – Football | Oregon Sports Hall of Fame & Museum". November 26, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "1935 NFL All-Pros". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "1936 NFL All-Pros". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Adolphe "Tar" Schwammel – Football | Oregon Sports Hall of Fame & Museum". November 26, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Just Like 25 Years Ago". The Oregon Daily Journal. September 28, 1958. p. 37. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Inductees: Football". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
- ^ "Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame". Oregon State Sports Information. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2007.