Joe Starkey writes a very good piece on Marshall Goldberg, and his number being retired.
Soon after he became Pitt’s athletic director in 1996, Steve Pederson sat down with the school’s former director of football operations, Alex Kramer, to discuss the program’s history.
Pederson was surprised to learn that three Pitt football legends — Mike Ditka, Joe Schmidt and Marshall Goldberg — never had their jerseys retired.
“It did appear, at that time, that football started at the University of Pittsburgh in 1976,” Pederson said Thursday, three days after the 88-year-old Goldberg died at a Chicago nursing home. “I said to Alex, ‘The only time it’s too late to (address the situation) is when the people are gone.’ ”
So, Pederson addressed the situation.
Ditka, Schmidt and Goldberg all had their jerseys retired Sept. 18, 1997, at halftime of Pitt’s 21-17 victory over Miami. Goldberg had waited the longest. He hadn’t worn his old No. 42 in nearly 60 years.
They didn’t show the jersey retiring on ESPN. Of course I was getting totally blitzed in some bar in Youngstown that night while watching the game, so I could be wrong.
Pederson, now the athletic director at Nebraska, arranged more such occasions. On Nov. 13, 1999, for example, 20 minutes after Pitt stunned Notre Dame in the final game at Pitt Stadium, Goldberg was escorted to the middle of the field.
A wild celebration had just begun to subside when all eyes turned to Goldberg clutching an open wooden box. He took a moment to “capture the spirit of Pitt Stadium” then slowly shut the lid. The place erupted. He left, with the box, in a Brinks truck.
Along with many of the others, I joined fans on the field to rip up the turf celebrate. Everyone stopped the impromptu early destruction to focus on mid-field. No one ran up to him, or did anything stupid (okay, the cops not too far from him probably had something to do with that as well).
As many of the headlines, mention his passing went with his NFL and Pitt connections, I enjoyed seeing this headline in a brief obit.
Jewish football star dies
You expect the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, to lead with any other factoid. The obit only specifically mentions one hall of fame of which he is a part: The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. As you can imagine, it’s not an extensive list. When I visit the family for Passover next week, I’m going to have to try and find the book on great Jewish athletes to see if he’s in there.
The New York Times has a pretty good piece on Goldberg today.
Goldberg was born on Oct. 24, 1917, in Elkins, W.Va. His father owned the local movie theater. Goldberg was captain of his high school football, basketball and track teams, winning all-state honors in football. He was recruited by numerous colleges, including Notre Dame.
“In those days, a Goldberg at Notre Dame would have been a big thing,” he once said in an interview, alluding to his being Jewish and the university’s being Roman Catholic. He chose Pittsburgh.
At 5-11, 190 pounds, Goldberg was an explosive runner. As a sophomore, he was part of the 1936 team that beat Washington in the Rose Bowl, 21-0. In one game that season, against mighty Notre Dame, he ran for 131 yards. He also made first-team All-American at halfback in 1937.
In 1938, when the team was shorthanded at fullback, Goldberg volunteered to play the position. He went on to win All-American honors again, surprising even his coach, the legendary Jock Sutherland, and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Pitt is lucky to have him be a part of the school’s history.
