View source for Andy Oberlander

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1905–1968)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Andy Oberlander
| image = Andy Oberlander.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 
| sport = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|2|17}}
| birth_place = [[Chelsea, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=y|1968|1|1|1905|2|17}}
| death_place = [[New Vernon, New Jersey]], U.S.
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1925
| player_team1 = [[Dartmouth Big Green football|Dartmouth]]
| player_positions = [[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]]
| coach_years1 = 1926–1929
| coach_team1 = [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 1930–1933
| coach_team2 = [[Wesleyan Cardinals football|Wesleyan]]
| overall_record = 
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 
| championships = 
| awards = 
; As a player
* [[Unanimous All-American]] ([[1925 College Football All-America Team|1925]])
* First-team All-Eastern ([[1925 All-Eastern football team|1925]])
| coaching_records = 
| CFBHOF_year = 1954
| CFBHOF_id = 1353
}}
'''Andrew James "Swede" Oberlander''' (February 17, 1905 – January 1, 1968) was an [[American football]] player and coach. He was an All-American [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] for [[Dartmouth College]]'s [[Dartmouth Big Green football|Indians]] undefeated and national championship football team in [[1925 Dartmouth Indians football team|1925]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ead.dartmouth.edu/html/mss925651_fullguide.html|title=Andrew Oberlander, All American Football Team, 1925 Dec 1, Certificate: Full Finding Aid|work=dartmouth.edu}}</ref> Oberlander was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] as a player in 1954.<ref>{{cite web | url={{College Football HoF/url|id=1353}} | title=Andy "Swede" Oberlander | publisher=footballfoundation.org | accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>

==Dartmouth College==
Oberlander was converted to halfback from the [[Tackle (American football)|tackle]] position, and had a "terrific [[stiff arm|straight arm]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19351109&id=GzMbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3872,4520741&hl=en|title=The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search|work=google.com}}</ref> In 1925, Oberlander passed for 14 touchdowns and ran for 12. Dartmouth defeated [[Harvard Crimson football|Harvard]] 32–9, its best victory to date over the Crimson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://libarchive.dartmouth.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/photofiles/id/79573/rec/23|title=Football Games 1920s|work=dartmouth.edu}}</ref> In a 62–13 victory over [[Cornell Big Red football|Cornell]], Oberlander had 477 yards in total offense, including six touchdown passes,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1925/11/08/page/33/article/dartmouth-shoots-down-cornell-62-13-with-aerials|work=Chicago Tribune|title=Dartmouth Shoots Down Cornell, 62-13, with Aerials|date=November 8, 1925}}</ref> a Dartmouth record which still stands. He was responsible for some 500 yards of total offense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv03/CFHSNv03n4h.pdf|author=Bernie McCarty|title=Oberlander's 500-yard game|page=17}}</ref> Cornell coach [[Gil Dobie]] responded "We won the game 13–0, passing is not football."<ref name=letter>{{cite journal|journal=National Football Foundation's Football Letter|url=https://footballfoundation.org/documents/2018/7/25//2014_Hall_of_Fame_Issue.pdf?id=329|volume=3|number=56|date=October 2014|title=Evolution of the Game: The Introduction of the Forward Pass|page=30}}</ref> The season closed with a 33–7 victory over defending Big Ten champion [[Chicago Maroons football|Chicago]]. Oberlander threw three touchdowns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thedartmouth.com/1998/02/24/how-swede-it-was-1924-football/|title=How Swede it was: 1924 football|work=thedartmouth.com|access-date=2015-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117091924/http://thedartmouth.com/1998/02/24/how-swede-it-was-1924-football/|archive-date=2015-11-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Coaching career==
Oberlander was an assistant coach at [[Ohio State University]] from 1926 to 1929 and head coach at [[Wesleyan University]] from 1930 to 1933.  While at Wesleyan, he commuted to [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and received his [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]] from [[Yale School of Medicine]].

==World War II==
In [[World War II]], as a Lt. Commander in the [[United States Navy Reserve]], he was chief medical officer aboard the [[USS Samaritan (AH-10)|USS ''Samaritan'' (AH-10)]], in the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]]. When the war ended, many U.S. troops remained in the Far East awaiting transportation back to the States. Oberlander was head coach of the Navy All-Stars team that beat the Army team 12–0 in the [[China Bowl (1945)|China Bowl]] on November 30, 1945, in [[Shanghai]].

==Insurance==
Later, Oberlander served as Medical Director for [[National Life Group|National Life Insurance Company]] of [[Vermont]] and [[Prudential Insurance Company]] in [[Chicago]] and [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{College Football HoF|1353}}

{{Wesleyan Cardinals football coach navbox}}
{{1925 Dartmouth Big Green football_navbox}}
{{1925 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberlander, Andy}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:American football halfbacks]]
[[Category:Dartmouth Big Green football players]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches]]
[[Category:Wesleyan Cardinals football coaches]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Yale School of Medicine alumni]]
[[Category:Prudential Financial people]]
[[Category:American people of Swedish descent]]
[[Category:United States Navy Medical Corps officers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Chelsea, Massachusetts]]