Erving Max "Goldy" Goldstein (July 17, 1904 – December 28, 1948) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player for the

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of ...

team of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. Goldstein was an All-Southern selection following each of his three college football seasons, from 1923 to 1925.

Early years

Goldstein was born in 1904 and graduated in 1922 from Duval High School in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. While attending high school, he was a member of the basketball and football teams and the Latin Club. 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).

University of Florida

Goldstein enrolled in the

in Gainesville in 1922. He played at the tackle and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

positions for the

teams from 1923 to 1925 under coaches

James Van Fleet General James Alward Van Fleet (March 19, 1892 – September 23, 1992) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and gradu ...

and

Harold Sebring Harold Leon Sebring (March 9, 1898 – July 26, 1968), nicknamed Tom Sebring, was a Florida Supreme Court justice, and an American judge at one of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World War II. Sebring was a native ...

. In his first year on the freshman team, he was a part of the team which won the southern crown for freshmen squads. Goldstein was a starter for the 16-to-6 upset victory in the rain over the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

. He was selected as an All-Southern player each year from 1923 to 1925. He graduated with a Bachelor of Law in 1926. Goldstein was one of the first

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

s to ever play for the Florida Gators.

Later years

In 1926, Goldstein played professional football with the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

. The Bears are remembered for the team's financially weak ownership group, which led to the folding of the team mid-season. The team played only five games before folding in October 1926. After his brief career as a professional football player ended, Goldstein worked as a lawyer in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

. He was a founder of the law firm of Goldstein, Klein, Burris & Lehrman, the ranks of which later included Florida Governor

Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...

. 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. Goldstein died in an automobile accident in 1948 at age 44. He was posthumously inducted into the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

in 1989.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Goldy 1904 births 1948 deaths American football guards American football tackles Florida Gators football players Newark Bears (AFL) players Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida Florida lawyers Jewish American sportspeople Road incident deaths in Florida All-Southern college football players 20th-century American lawyers United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American Jews

Early years

University of Florida

Later years

See also

References

External links