For the love of the game

by Jake Lurie | 11/05/2012

While a University of Michigan All-American quarterback and New York Giants star, Benny Friedman also served as the only football coach that Brandeis has ever known. He signed on to the role in 1950, preparing to build a dynasty. Just nine years later, the program collapsed, and in its wake, the once-resurgent squad was relegated to the history books. Friedman, a son of Jewish immigrants from Cleveland, Ohio, was the 1926 Big Ten Most Valuable Player. He earned the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award, a tribute whose significance is equivalent to the Heisman Trophy today. The rising quarterback soon made his mark in the National Football League in 1928, heading the league in passing and rushing touchdowns and overall scoring, as well as extra points. He went on to lead a productive career at the helm of the New York Giants' offense for three years. After his playing days, though, Friedman set out on a greater mission.