College football Hall of Famer Gerhard Schwedes dies at age 88

Gerhard H. “Ger” Schwedes, a standout athlete who captained the Syracuse University football team to its only national championship, died Aug. 23 at his home in Fayetteville, New York. He was 88. Born in Germany, Schwedes lived through Allied air raids during World War II before moving to New Jersey at age 12. At Syracuse, he played halfback, safety, and quarterback, earning All-American honors and helping the Orange finish the 1959 season with an undefeated 10-0 record. During the 1960 Cotton Bowl, he threw an 87-yard touchdown pass and scored on a three-yard run in a 23-14 victory over Texas. Schwedes later played two seasons in the American Football League with the New York Titans and the Boston Patriots before serving as a captain in the U.S. Army.

• 9:32 PMYahoo Sports — College football Hall of Famer who survived Nazi bombings in WWII dies