Swartz was one of the finest all around athletes of his era. He was a strong-armed third baseman with outstanding power. He played three years of varsity baseball from ’35 to ’37, achieving All-High status in 1 936 and 1 937. He was also All-High in football in 1 935, when Bennett won the Harvard Cup, and in 1 936.
In football, he was a genuine triple threat. An elusive halfback, he could throw the ball with great accuracy and also kicked the extra points.
After graduation, Swartz earned an athletic scholarship to Colgate University, where he played football and baseball.
Swartz was a U.S. Marine veteran. He later returned to Buffalo where he became a swimming official and baseball umpire with the Western New York Umpires Association.