Nat Machlowitz, twenty-one year old junior at New York University, has been unanimously elected captain of the 1935 Violet football team. This is the first time since Dave Serres led the Hall of Fame grid machine in 1924 that a Jewish football player has been chosen to lead a N. Y. U. varsity team.
Machlowitz, who lives in the Bronx, was an all-scholastic back at James Monroe. He entered City College in 1931 and played on the Lavender freshman team, where he made an enviable reputation. However, he realized that C. C. N. Y. was not the place for him, and he switched to the School of Physical Education at N. Y. U.
MADE GRADE UNDER COACH CANN
Nat first crashed into a varsity post as substitute ball carrier for Harry Temple last season. Temple was injured in the second game of the season when the Hall of Fame eleven tackled the Lafayette Tigers. Machlowitz revealed his ability in that game and Coach Cann started the Bronx sophomore regularly thereafter for the remainder of the season.
At the Lake Sebago training camp coach Mal Stevens realized the football talents of the former Monroe star. Stevens planned to alternate Machlowitz with Siegal, another Jewish star, in the quarterback post, but injuries altered the schedule. In the last scrimmage at the training camp big Eddie Smith was hurt and Machlowitz started the first game against Johns Hopkins as fullback.
The combination of Siegal at the signal-calling post and Machlowitz in fullback position proved so successful that the invaders from Washington were swamped, 39-0.
In the second game against West Virginia Wesleyan, which ended with the Violets on the short end of a 23-3 score, Charlie Siegal was hurt. Machlowitz, with the ease of the man on the flying trapeze, stepped into the shoes of the field-general and directed the N. Y. U. gridders to victory in their next game over Lafayette. During the remainder of the season he played in all backfield positions, and called signals from whatever position he was playing. When the season was concluded with the Fordham game he was playing halfback.
OUTSTANDING PLAYER IN FORDHAM GAME
The traditional Thanksgiving football clash between the Violet and the Ram found the Rose Hill boys an overwhelming favorite. The game proved a rout for the N. Y. U. team. However the playing of Machlowitz stood out both on the defensive and offensive.
The game, played on a muddy field, was a thrilling match between two fighting teams. It was Machlowitz’s tackles that caught the Fordham runners nine times out of ten. His kicking, passing and running made him the spear-head of the Violet attack. As a result he was chosen the most valuable player of the game and was awarded the Mado Trophy.
Ed Danowski of Fordham, who starred with the pro-football Giants this year, received the trophy last year.
ALONG CAULIFLOWER ALLEY
Jewish boxers are back in the fistic limelight. Maxie Baer has been appearing in exhibition scraps in the Mid-West during the last two weeks on the same card with his younger brother, Buddy. The champ keeps clowning through every fight and usually is booed by the cauliflower fans who show no love for the Livermore Larruper. His brother Buddy is more popular with the gallery lads. The two-bit fans claim that Buddy gives them a run for their money, but Maxie—phooey—he should go back to the movies. Max fights King Levinsky this month in the Windy City.
When Maxie Rosenbloom, the song and dance man of the light heavyweight division, lost to Bob Olin of Brooklyn, the title passed from one Jewish fighter to another. And where Maxie tossed his money away on frivolities Bob is banking the do-re-mi. Bob is scheduled for a championship fight this month at the Garden.
Barney Ross, fistic favorite of this corner, a few days ago won a decision over Bobby Pacho, in Cleveland. The fight revealed Barney’s rusty timing and erratic hitting due to the long layoff he has taken. His manager is now dickering with the Garden for a non-title bout here in February.
Art Lasky, the California giant, will meet Max Schmeling in Miami during the winter in an elimination bout for a crack at Baer’s title next June. Lasky is not afraid of the German Maxie, but his managers are sceptical of Yussel Jacob’s financial phenagling.
THE BULLETIN SPORTS CLUB
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ALL SCHOLASTIC CORRECTION
On December 4 this corner picked all-scholastic first and second teams which had been compiled by Coach Mike Torgan, of the championship Madison team, Irv Resnick, his assistant coach, Babe Scheuer, mentor of the Roosevelt squad, and Irv Mondschein, coach at Evander Childs.
Lesser, of White Plains High School, was chosen second team all-scholastic center by this board. As published in the Bulletin, Lesser was a student of John Adams High School.
Inasmuch as Lesser was credited with playing ball for John Adams, Theodore Pearlstein of that school raises an objection. “You have as centers Stein and Lesser. Now the John Adams center is Leo Kagan, a Jewish boy, too. He was the varsity center and played full games in all but two, in which he was out a few minutes. The opponents of Adams never made much of a gain through center, in fact, they made hardly any. Now, if you don’t think he merits a place on your team, look at the teams he faced—Manual, Jamaica, Flushing and Washington, to name a few.
“I hope that when you overlooked Kagan you thought he was Irish or something of the sort.”
Henry Biegeleisen, Polish critic and author, was born in 1855 in Galicia. He became director of the Hebrew school at Lemberg (Lwow).
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
