Tar Schwammel

Adolphe John "Tar" Schwammel (October 14, 1908 – November 18, 1979) 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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