Friedman, "Benny" (Benjamin)
Football
b. March 18, 1905, Cleveland, OH
d. Nov. 23, 1982
For more than 40 years, Friedman was the best player who wasn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He openly campaigned to be elected. That created some resentment among the voters, which may be why he it didn't make it until long after his death.
He certainly had the credentials. In 1928, Friedman led the NFL in both rushing touchdowns and touchdown passes; no other player has ever accomplished that. In 1929, he threw 20 touchdown passes, including 4 in one game, both NFL records for years.
Friedman played at the University of Michigan, where he was an All-American in 1925 and 1926. He and end Benny Oosterbaan formed one of the best passing combinations in college history. Though known as a passer, Friedman was also a fine runner and a fierce competitor. In a 21-0 victory over Wisconsin in 1926, he threw a touchdown pass on the first play of the game, returned a kickoff 85 yards for a second touchdown, and added another touchdown pass for Michigan's third score.
In 1927, Friedman joined the Cleveland Bulldogs of the National Football League. He moved to the Detroit Wolverines the following season. Tim Mara, owner of the New York Giants, bought the Detroit franchise in 1929 primarily to get Friedman. It was a good move. The Giants won 13 games, lost 1, and tied 1 and made a profit of $8,500 after having lost $40,000 the previous year.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Friedman was with the Giants through 1933 and played one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1934 before retiring. The NFL didn't keep official statistics during most of his career, but incomplete figures credit him with nearly 7,500 yards and 68 touchdown passes, as well as more than 2,000 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Friedman had unusually large hands, a distinct asset since the ball was much fatter than it is now, and he began lifting weights at an early age to strengthen his forearms. He was a deadly accurate passer who threw a soft, easy-to-catch ball. As sportswriter Paul Gallico described it, "The receiver merely has to reach up to take hold of it, like picking a grapefruit from a tree."
After retiring, Friedman coached football at City College of New York and was athletic director at Brandeis University for a time. His left leg was amputated because of a blood clot in 1979 and Friedman then developed shingles, a very painful skin condition. He shot himself with a pistol in 1979, leaving a suicide note that said he didn't want to end up as "the old man on the park bench."