# Who should be in the pamphlet “Famous Jewish Sports Legends”... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 4, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998 "2019-06-04T04:04:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/21 "2019-06-04T23:12:44Z")
Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medalist winner in wrestling, who was sadly murdered by crazy rich guy John du Pont. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave\_Schultz\_(wrestler)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Schultz_(wrestler)) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/22 "2019-06-04T23:27:18Z")
lotta worse baseball players than Alex Bregman mentioned so far. (And a few better ones.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/23 "2019-06-04T23:36:12Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medalist winner in wrestling, who was sadly murdered by crazy rich guy John du Pont. > > [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave\_Schultz\_(wrestler)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Schultz_(wrestler)) His brother Mark also won a gold at the same Olympic event, he should count too. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/24 "2019-06-05T00:08:02Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > His brother Mark also won a gold at the same Olympic event, he should count too. True, also Mark fought at UFC 1 and beat the brakes off his much larger opponent around 6 months after his brother’s death. He could have been a champ in MMA if he had chosen to pursue it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/25 "2019-06-05T00:23:26Z")
Backstroke expert Lenny Krayzelburg [“broke the 50, 100 and the 200 m world records”](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Krayzelburg) in the pool even before he earned four Olympic gold medals. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/26 "2019-06-05T05:34:16Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Kenny Bernstein (Motorsports) NHRA drag racing is probably a _bit_ too obscure to be found in a book of “legends” - though he was indeed highly dominant in that small niche of motorsport. Jody Scheckter is surely better known, having been very successful in Formula One in the 1970s and also noted for driving a unique six-wheeled car, the Tyrrell P-34, at one point. Francois Cevert from the same era, was also Jewish - or at least “half” Jewish, by ancestry, I have no idea about his personal beliefs and he’s no longer around to explain them, but he was without a doubt legendary. Current F1 driver Lance Stroll is Jewish, and while only time will tell if he will be a legend, he’s off to a decent start just by virtue of being in F1 at all, as he is literally not yet old enough to buy a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/27 "2019-06-05T07:04:36Z")
[Mike Epstein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Epstein), first baseman for the Orioles, Senators, A’s, Rangers, and Angels, was known as SuperJew. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/28 "2019-06-22T01:19:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Jews were also basketball’s ethnic stereotype then. Then somebody (it’s contested) invented the jump shot. Sure were. Does anyone here know what the original name of the (originally Philadelphia) Warriors was? The SPHAs, which stood for South Philadelphia Hebrew Association ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/29 "2019-06-22T03:22:31Z")
Moe Berg > **[Moe Berg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_Berg)** > > Morris Berg (March 2, 1902 – May 29, 1972) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball, who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Although he played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, Berg was never more than an average player and was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball." Casey Stengel once described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball". > A graduate of Princeton Un... ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/30 "2019-06-22T04:45:24Z")
More of a footnote than famous, but I can’t resist mentioning [Mose Solomon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mose_Solomon), the “Rabbi of Swat,” supposedly the Jewish Babe Ruth (The Sultan of Swat). He set a minor league record for homers in 1923 but played only a couple of games for the NY Giants in the majors. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2019, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/31 "2019-06-22T08:27:38Z")
**Bill Goldberg** Played College Football, and four years in the NFL. However he got all of his fame for his major role in professional wrestling, WCW and later WWE. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/32 "2019-06-24T00:30:44Z")
I have to mention brothers Terry and Ron Braunstein, who were two members (skip and second) of the winning team in the 1965 Brier (Canadian men’s curling championship). ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/33 "2019-06-24T00:57:41Z")
Jack Dempsey claimed to have a Jewish great-grand-mother named Rachel Solomon. His wife sometimes called him “Ginsberg”. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/34 "2019-06-24T13:02:15Z")
I believe Dempsey’s family was nominally Mormon. Mormons call non-Mormons “Gentiles”, including Jews. So, depending on the criteria, Dempsey was a Mormon Jewish Gentile. I have to go lie down now. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/35 "2019-06-25T15:51:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > lotta worse baseball players than Alex Bregman mentioned so far. But no one brought up Art Shamsky, member of the Jewish Baseball Hall of Fame. He has a new book out about the '69 Miracle Mets. Moe Berg is more deserving of making the list of Great Jewish Spies, along with Sidney Reilly a.k.a. the Ace of Spies, and Two-Gun Cohen. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/36 "2019-06-26T15:20:34Z")
A tad bit early for either “famous” or “legend”, but Jack Hughes, a hotly sought-after prospect, just became the first Jewish person to be the 1st overall draft pick in the NHL. > **[First Jewish player to be drafted No. 1 overall by the NHL](https://www.jpost.com/J-Spot/First-Jewish-player-to-be-drafted-No-1-overall-by-the-NHL-593713)** > > Jack Hughes, even at 18, is no stranger to making history. And now he’s done it again. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/37 "2019-06-26T18:35:03Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > **Bill Goldberg** > > Played College Football, and four years in the NFL. However he got all of his fame for his major role in professional wrestling, WCW and later WWE. Oh heck yeah, Goldberg! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/38 "2019-06-26T19:11:30Z")
Unfortunately, IRS, Irwin R. Schyster, seems to have been just a stage name used by an Italian-American guy. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/39 "2019-06-26T20:00:08Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I believe Dempsey’s family was nominally Mormon. Mormons call non-Mormons “Gentiles”, including Jews. So, depending on the criteria, Dempsey was a Mormon Jewish Gentile. > > I have to go lie down now. > > Regards, > Shodan Not long after he won the heavyweight championship from Jack Johnson in 1915, Jess Willard attended a performance by magician Harry Houdini in New York City. Houdini was unfailingly gracious, introducing Willard to the audience as “our champion”. But Willard was in a foul mood, calling Houdini a “fake” and a “four flusher”. They had words, which ended with Houdini declaring that “one day, when you are no longer champion, I will still be Harry Houdini, and a gentleman”. It would have really cemented Houdini’s reputation as a seer if he had added, “And four years from now, a skinny Jewish Mormon is going to beat the crap out of you”. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998/40 "2019-06-26T20:27:48Z")
David Beckham, as in “Bend It Like”, has referred to himself as “half-Jewish”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-pamphlet-famous-jewish-sports-legends/834998.md?page=3)