Erving Max "Goldy" Goldstein (July 17, 1904 – December 28, 1948) was an American college football player for the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida. Goldstein was an All-Southern selection following each of his three college football seasons, from 1923 to 1925.

Goldy Goldstein
Head-and-shoulders photo of Goldstein in suit jacket and tie
Goldstein from 1922 Oracle yearbook
Florida Gators
PositionTackle/Guard
ClassGraduate
Personal information
Born:(1904-07-17)July 17, 1904
New Jersey
Died:December 28, 1948(1948-12-28) (aged 44)
Dade County, Florida
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolDuval
Career highlights and awards

Early years edit

Goldstein was born in 1904 and graduated in 1922 from Duval High School in Jacksonville, Florida. While attending high school, he was a member of the basketball and football teams and the Latin Club.[1] The 1921 Duval Tigers were 8–0 and became the first Florida team ever to be declared national champions by any organization (National Sports News Service).[2]

University of Florida edit

 
Goldstein in 1925

Goldstein enrolled in the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1922. He played at the tackle and guard positions for the Florida Gators football teams from 1923 to 1925 under coaches James Van Fleet and Harold Sebring. In his first year on the freshman team, he was a part of the team which won the southern crown for freshmen squads.[3] Goldstein was a starter for the 16-to-6 upset victory in the rain over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Rickwood Field.[4] He was selected as an All-Southern player each year from 1923 to 1925.[5] He graduated with a Bachelor of Law in 1926.[6] Goldstein was one of the first Jews to ever play for the Florida Gators.

Later years edit

In 1926, Goldstein played professional football with the Newark Bears of the American Football League.[7][8][9] The Bears are remembered for the team's financially weak ownership group, which led to the folding of the team mid-season.[10] The team played only five games before folding in October 1926.[5]

After his brief career as a professional football player ended, Goldstein worked as a lawyer in Miami Beach.[11] He was a founder of the law firm of Goldstein, Klein, Burris & Lehrman, the ranks of which later included Florida Governor Fuller Warren.[12]

In 1942, he received a commission as a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. In 1945, he was discharged at the rank of Captain after serving in China, Burma, India.[13]

Goldstein died in an automobile accident in 1948 at age 44.[11] He was posthumously inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.[14][15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ 1922 Oracle (Duval High School yearbook), page 22.
  2. ^ http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122407/hig_228776259.shtml#.VgMuwJd4D20 [bare URL]
  3. ^ "Florida Freshmen Claim The Crown". Winston-Salem Journal. Associated Press. December 1, 1922. p. 6. Retrieved February 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Mike Bynum (October 1997). Greatest Moments In Florida Gators Football. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 4. ISBN 9781571671967.
  5. ^ a b "Goldstein, Erving "Goldy"". jewsinsports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "June Graduates Will Number More Than 150". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. May 30, 1926. p. 12.
  7. ^ "Erving Max 'Goldy' Goldstein". OldestLivingProFootball.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  8. ^ "Goldy Goldstein". ProFootballArchives.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  9. ^ Steve Rajtar (July 21, 2014). Gone Pro: Florida Gator Athletes Who Became Pros. Clerisy Press. p. 89. ISBN 9781578605439.
  10. ^ David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen and Rick Korch, The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Football, From 1892 to the Present, St. Martin's Press, New York, New York (1994).
  11. ^ a b "Goldstein's Florida Grid Feats Recalled". The Miami News. December 31, 1948.
  12. ^ "Governor Warren To Join Law Firm In Miami Beach". The Palm Beach Post. December 27, 1952. p. 7.
  13. ^ "Goldstein Becomes Air Corps Officer". The Miami News. August 14, 1942.
  14. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  15. ^ "Letterwinner's Hall to honor 7 past Gators". The Gainesville Sun. April 12, 1989. p. 4C.

External links edit