Marshall Goldberg
Encyclopedia
Marshall Goldberg was an American football
halfback
with the Chicago Cardinals
in the National Football League
.
, West Virginia
. He was a high school legend there, captaining his Elkins High School
football, basketball, and track teams in 1935, and was elected All-State in each sport.
, under coach Jock Sutherland
, he led the Panthers
to back-to-back national championships in 1936 and 1937. Goldberg's 1936 team won the Rose Bowl
, and the 1937 Panthers earned the National Collegiate Championship.
He finished third in the 1937 Heisman Trophy
voting, and was runner-up for the 1938 Heisman Trophy. He was also a two-time All-America
n in both 1937 and 1938, first as a half back and then as a full back. During his Pitt career he amassed 1,957 rushing yards, a school record that stood until 1974 when Tony Dorsett
surpassed it.
for the Chicago Cardinals from 1939–43, interrupted by his service during World War II
in the U.S. Navy
, then again from 1946–48. The Cardinals won the 1947 NFL Championship and captured the Division title in 1948. Goldberg was named 2nd team all-pro once, in 1942.
Later, Sports Illustrated
named him a member of the 1930s College Football Team of the Decade. In 1958 he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
, and later he was also inducted into the Halls of Fame of West Virginia, the City of Pittsburgh, Pop Warner Football, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
On August 24, 2007, Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas
were selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame
’s Seniors Committee as finalists for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2008. However, he was not selected with the class of 2008.
in the United States, where he met and married the woman who later become Marshall's mother. The couple settled in the small mountain community of Elkins, West Virginia, some 170 miles (273.6 km) from Pittsburgh, where they set up a ladies clothing store.
Goldberg joined Navy in 1943 and spent two years in the South Pacific earning the rank of lieutenant.
Goldberg worked in the insurance industry after his football career ended. In 1965 he took over a machine parts company, Marshall Goldberg Machine Tools Ltd., of Rosemont
, Illinois
.
Goldberg died at age 88 at a nursing home in Chicago.
Following his death, his daughter, Ellen Tullos, and his widow, Rita Goldberg, helped to set up The Marshall Goldberg Traumatic Brain Injury Fund at The University of Illinois at Chicago
. Goldberg had sustained a number of concussions during his career, which the family felt contributed to difficulties later in his life. This fund has been instrumental in bringing attention to the problem of head injury in athletes.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
with the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Football career
Goldberg was born in ElkinsElkins, West Virginia
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins , a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He was a high school legend there, captaining his Elkins High School
Elkins High School (West Virginia)
Elkins High School is a public high school located in Elkins, West Virginia. The school serves students ranging from grades 9 through 12....
football, basketball, and track teams in 1935, and was elected All-State in each sport.
College
At the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, under coach Jock Sutherland
Jock Sutherland
Dr. John Bain "Jock" Sutherland, D.D.S., was an American football coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College and the University of Pittsburgh and professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers...
, he led the Panthers
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
to back-to-back national championships in 1936 and 1937. Goldberg's 1936 team won the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, and the 1937 Panthers earned the National Collegiate Championship.
He finished third in the 1937 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
voting, and was runner-up for the 1938 Heisman Trophy. He was also a two-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in both 1937 and 1938, first as a half back and then as a full back. During his Pitt career he amassed 1,957 rushing yards, a school record that stood until 1974 when Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett
Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
surpassed it.
Professional
After college he played in the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Chicago Cardinals from 1939–43, interrupted by his service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, then again from 1946–48. The Cardinals won the 1947 NFL Championship and captured the Division title in 1948. Goldberg was named 2nd team all-pro once, in 1942.
Later, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named him a member of the 1930s College Football Team of the Decade. In 1958 he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, and later he was also inducted into the Halls of Fame of West Virginia, the City of Pittsburgh, Pop Warner Football, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
On August 24, 2007, Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas
Emmitt Thomas
Emmitt Earl Thomas is currently the secondary coach of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. He is a former college and professional football player who played for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs from 1966 to 1969, and then for the Chiefs in the NFL from 1970 to 1978...
were selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
’s Seniors Committee as finalists for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2008. However, he was not selected with the class of 2008.
Personal
Goldberg's father emigrated from Rumania to Cumberland, MarylandCumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
in the United States, where he met and married the woman who later become Marshall's mother. The couple settled in the small mountain community of Elkins, West Virginia, some 170 miles (273.6 km) from Pittsburgh, where they set up a ladies clothing store.
Goldberg joined Navy in 1943 and spent two years in the South Pacific earning the rank of lieutenant.
Goldberg worked in the insurance industry after his football career ended. In 1965 he took over a machine parts company, Marshall Goldberg Machine Tools Ltd., of Rosemont
Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States located immediately northwest of Chicago. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Goldberg died at age 88 at a nursing home in Chicago.
Following his death, his daughter, Ellen Tullos, and his widow, Rita Goldberg, helped to set up The Marshall Goldberg Traumatic Brain Injury Fund at The University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
. Goldberg had sustained a number of concussions during his career, which the family felt contributed to difficulties later in his life. This fund has been instrumental in bringing attention to the problem of head injury in athletes.