Oberlander, "Swede" (Andrew J.)
Football
b. Feb. 17, 1905, Chelsea, MA
d. Jan. 1, 1968
Oberlander played tackle at Dartmouth in 1924 and was moved to the backfield the following season because of his strong passing arm. He threw 14 touchdown passes and ran for 12 touchdowns to lead Dartmouth to victory in all 8 of its games and was named an All-American.
He once explained, "My secret of timing was to whisper to myself, 'Ten thousand Swedes jumped out of the weeds at the Battle of Copenhagen.' After reciting that jingle to myself, I'd let the ball go, confident my ends would be downfield by then."
Oberlander served as an assistant coach at Ohio State for four years and then became head coach at Wesleyan College in Connecticut while studying at Yale Medical School. He had a 15-12-3 record in four years at Wesleyan.
After receiving his medical degree, Oberlander became a practicing physician in New England and served as medical director for Prudential Insurance. He was the chief medical officer for a ship in the Pacific Fleet during World War II. He coached a Navy team to victory over the Army in the China Bowl, played at Shanghai on Nov. 30, 1945.