Football is finally back! Tonight, as the Dallas Cowboys face the reigning champions New York Giants and as the weekend is fast approaching with a slate of exciting games (and fantasy outcomes, if you’re me), allow yourself some time to reflect (you should always reflect, it just feels good) and think about the members of the Jewish faith who will be there, on the gridiron, wearing helmets and guards, tackling every monster on their way. Also, think about their mothers, who are probably worried sick about their kids getting hurt out there.
There are currently nine Jewish (or half-Jewish) active professional football players:
Gabe Carimi
Team: Chicago Bears
Position: Offensive Tackle
College: Wisconsin
Nickname: “Bear Jew”
Honors: Recipient of the Marty Glickman Award as Male Jewish Athlete of the Year
Trivia: Carimi fasted on Yom Kippur of 2007, which lasted until an hour before Wisconsin played Iowa. (JTA article)
Brian de la Puente
Team: New Orleans Saints
Position: Center
College: California
Nickname: “De La”
Trivia: De La Puente’s mother is Jewish
Antonio Garay
Team: San DIego Chargers
Position: Nose Tackle
College: Boston College
Nickname: “Mt. Washington”
Trivia: Garay’s mother is Jewish
Adam Goldberg
Team: St. Louis Rams
Position: Tackle/Guard
College: Wyoming
Nickname: “Hebrew Hammer”
Trivia: Goldberg’s father is Jewish, he was raised Catholic but considers himself Jewish according to the Jewish Sports Review.
Erik Lorig
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: Fullback
College: Stanford
Nickname: “King Leonitis”
Trivia: Lorig father is Jewish
Taylor Mays
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Position: Safety
College: USC
Honors: Inducted into the Southern California Hall of Fame
Trivia: Mays was raised in his mother’s Jewish religion and had a Football-themed bar mitzvah
Adam Podlesh
Team: Chicago Bears
Position: Punter
College: Maryland
Honors: Inducted into the Southern California Hall of Fame
Trivia: Podlesh is a cancer survivor.
Geoff Schwartz
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Position: Offensive Tackle
College: Oregon
Hebrew Name: Gedalia Yitzhak
Trivia: Schwartz played football, basketball and baseball in high school, his younger brother Mitchell was recently drafted to the Cleveland Browns
Mitchell Schwartz
Team: Cleveland Browns
Position: Offensive Tackle
College: California
Nickname: “Bigfoot”
Hebrew Name: Mandel
Trivia: Mitchell and older brother Geoff are the first Jewish brothers to play in the NFL since 1923
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