A Legend in his own time - Ambrose Schindler

Ambrose Parks Schindler was a legend in his own time - first at San Diego High School  and afterwards for the Trojans of U.S.C. At 96, he is the only living Trojan from the late Howard Jones teams-at least as far as I know.
   Schindler had been selected as the Rose Bowl player of the game against Tennessee in 1940 and later, the College All Star Player of the Game against Green Bay in that August affair. 

A quarterback at U.S.C.  

   It was March the sixteenth. of 2007. I began interviewing the Trojans star less than one year earlier. This was a special day for me. No longer did he wish me to just call him Mr. Schindler. 
From now on, "Amby" and not Ambrose would be his name. (He hated the name his Mom stuck on him, Ambrose.)
   I had rented an Enterprise Saturn for the drive to his hilly home in Torrance, just above Pacific Coast Highway. Punctual as always, he was ready for me for the  ten o'clock interview. His grey warm up pants were loose fitting, and he wanted me to tightened the string so they wouldn't fall off. Both us needed to use the back toilet - since we were on water pills for high blood pressure. After we got settled, our interview began in his den.
  "George, it is OK for you to use your tape recorder. But don't divulge any of the information I told you about the one who got in trouble. The player had lots of information written about him, but they were all lies."
   "Don't worry Amby, nothing about him or even you will be mentioned if it disgraced the memory of your great teams." I then brought up the name of Braven Dyer, of the Los Angeles Times. The mention of Dyer, a sports writer who traveled with the team.
   "I will never forget the Ohio State game of 1937. It was hotter than hell. Ralph Stanley played end for us. Our regular kicker, Phil Gaspar, acted goofy. He had been cold cocked earlier in the game. Gaspar had missed the first extra point, and Stanley came into the huddle at the end of the game with the score tied at twelve to twelve."
   "'ll kick the son-of-a-bitch!'  Stanley screamed in our huddle. I knew he had practiced only three field goals the entire week. I agonized at what to do. I left it up to him. I placed the ball down and heard the roar of the crowd."
   "He kicked the son-of-a-bitch over the cross bars at peristyle end of the Coliseum. He kicked it 60 yards beyond the crossbars to give us the victory.
   I found, Schindler like myself, had moments when we had a tendency to exaggerate. But the ball did go over the crossbar. He mentioned other teammates. The positions may have been wrong but who was I, to interrupt the Trojan legend.
   "Bob Winslow played tackle and was our fearless leader. Joe Shell, who I grew up with in San Diego, and Phil Gaspar were the leaders of our team. Gaspar came from Modesto Junior College. In those days, you did not lose any year of eligibility when coming to U.S.C. His father was himself, a great college player and died during the season after watching his son play when returning to Modesto. His uncle was also a builder and built some of the buildings at U.S.C.
   Schindler may have gotten the names of Krueger and Gaspar mixed up. He then spoke about more of his U.S.C. family. "Gaspar was an outstanding shot putter and discuss thrower. Ray George was our right tackle and came from a girly school called Komanoch High School."
   "The year we tied U.C.L.A. Jones had created a special defense to stop Jackie Robinson. Winslow was to shadow Robinson weather he had the ball or not and knock the crap out of him. Jackie could not penetrate our picket defense that a crafty Jones drew up. Winslow knocked the crap out of Robinson. On the sidelines I heard him Jackie holler, 'What in the hell ya doin?..Can't ya see I don't have the ball!'" 
   "Each man had his position. When Jackie thought he saw a hole, we swallowed him up. Both Jackie and Kenny Washington lost yardage at the end of the game. U.C.l.A. would have won the game if their best player, Washington had handled the ball on all four downs at the end of the game. I can still hear the hard hits Winslow gave to Robinson. Jackie was clobbered."
   My Sony tape recorder stopped after thirty minutes, but their was no interrupting Amby. Once he got started their was no stopping him. I knew better. He also threw in the name of Sangster,  and said "he got the intelligence award for two years. I got mine my senior year."
   "While in the Navy, I was sent to Stockton and to College of the Pacific in 1943  to train the troops. I was in charge of 50 dentists and doctors. My job was to get them fit and trim in case they were called up to the front lines. I had them doing push-ups and running twenty miles every day."
   "Some days the fog would roll in and my Navy personnel would try and trick me by loafing or sitting down rather than running. Sometimes after a work out, I needed to find the missing men in the fog. I picked them up in a truck."

   The above exchange with Schindler occurred in 2007. At the time, I had no idea ferreting out the events and splicing them in chronicle order would be so difficult two tackle, but I did. I am currently looking for a publisher and if you know of one, please contact the Captain Hays at the Veterans Memorial Church in San Diego or Mr. Zackery at the U.S.C. library. My first book signing will be in Balboa Park.