Prior to the 1935 Rose Bowl matchup between Alabama and Stanford, JTA "Slants on Sports" columnist Morris Weiner was allegedly spotting members of the tribe for the Rose Bowl matchup between the Stanford Cardinal and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
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After the New Year’s Day matchup, JTA published a message from a reader who took exception to Weiner’s count:
"Gus A. Fan," 705 Felcher avenue, Montgomery, Ala., writes, "As one of the readers of your Bulletin sports section, I noticed that you stated that no Jewish athlete would play in the Rose Bowl for either team. I want to tell you that you are mistaken. Alabama has a ball player who is Jewish from head to foot. He is Leroy Goldberg and hails from Pine Bluff, Ark. He saw action against Stanford and intercepted one of their last-minute attempts at forward passing to stem the Crimson Tide. He is a quarterback. It is expected that Goldberg, although a substitute this year, will make the Varsity grade before he leaves Alabama."
The decision to publish the letter is odd, considering that Weiner previously noted Goldberg’s performance in the Jan. 3 issue of the Jewish Daily Bulletin (albeit as Abraham Goldberg):
Abraham Goldberg, third string quarterback on the Crimson Tide eleven that swept a formidable Stanford grid aggregation to a 29-13 defeat, broke into action in the thrilling second period. His signalling accounted for Alabama’s third score of the afternoon.
For the Jewish ‘Bama fans out there, enjoy archival footage from the game posted above.
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