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John Barsha

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John Barsha
refer to caption
Barsha while at Syracuse
Personal information
Born:(1898-12-25)December 25, 1898
Russia
Died:February 18, 1976(1976-02-18) (aged 77)
New York, New York, U.S.
Career information
High school:Brooklyn (NY) Boys
College:Syracuse
Position:Fullback
Career history
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John F. Barsha[1][2] (born Abraham Barshofsky, December 25, 1898 – February 18, 1976),[3] was a Russian-American professional American football fullback who played for the Rochester Jeffersons of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) and the Syracuse Pros, who may or may not have been members of the same league. He played college football, basketball and baseball at Syracuse. He was also nicknamed "the Brooklyn Bullet".[1][4]

Early and personal life

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Barsha was Jewish,[5][6] and his family immigrated from Russia to the United States when he was a small child. He attended Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York. During his senior year of high school, he changed his name from Abraham Barshofsky to John Barsha. According to OrangeHoops.org, he did it to "hide his participation in an unscheduled game that his basketball team played without the coach's knowledge".[7] He lived in Brooklyn, New York.[8]

Barsha also attended the Syracuse University College of Law and worked as a lawyer.[9] He also coached basketball and football at Norwich High School in Norwich, New York.[9][10] He had two children (son; Jerry, and daughter; Betty Schwartz) with his wife Daisy Ferrari.[8] He died at the age of 78 in 1976.[8]

College career

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Barsha lettered in football, basketball and baseball for the Syracuse Orangemen of Syracuse University, serving as captain of both the basketball and the baseball teams.[6][11][9] He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was a magna cum laude graduate of the university.[9][12][8]

He lettered four seasons for the football team from 1916 to 1919.[7] He was co‐captain of the 1918 Walter Camp All American football team and named an Honorable Mention.[13][8]

Barsha played guard on the basketball team. He played in 17 games, starting 16, during the 1917–18 college basketball season and averaged 2.0 points per game. The team finished with a 16–1 record and were later retroactively named national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation. He played in 16 games, all starts, during the 1918–19 season and averaged 6.1 points per game. Barsha was the team's designated free throw shooter that season. He played in 18 games, all starts, during the 1919–20 season and averaged 3.5 points per game. He was a team captain that season. Barsha played in 51 games, starting 50, during his college basketball career and averaged 3.8 points per game.[7]

He also played catcher on the baseball team.[7]

Professional career

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Barsha played in three games, all starts, as a fullback for the Rochester Jeffersons of the APFA in 1920 and scored one rushing touchdown.[14][15][2] He later played for the Syracuse Pros.[16][17]

After his professional career ended, Barsha worked as an attorney.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Syracuse Dazzles Brown Eleven". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 10, 1918. p. 36. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Johnny Barsha". nfl.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "1979 - 1970 Pro Football Necrology List". oldestlivingprofootball.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Sherman, Cy (November 28, 1917). "Ideal Weather for Turkey Day Game". The Lincoln Star. p. 9. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "Barsha, John". Jews in Sports. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  6. ^ a b The American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger
  7. ^ a b c d "John Barsha". orangehoops.org. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b c d e John Barsha, 78, Lawyer, Football All‐America in 1918 - The New York Times
  9. ^ a b c d e "John Barsha, 78, Lawyer, Football All-America in 1918". The New York Times. February 21, 1976. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "NHS Sports Hall of Fame Induction: Frank R. Wassung, Coach/Superintendent 1915-37". evesun.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Barsha, John". jewsinsports.org. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "Athlete and Scholar". The Buffalo Enquirer. March 26, 1920. p. 15. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Fifty Years of Football at Syracuse University 1889-1939. Syracuse University Football history committee. 1939. p. 89. Archived from the original on 2017-10-28.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ^ "1920 Rochester Jeffersons" (PDF). kencrippen.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ "All-Time Player Roster: Rochester Jeffersons" (PDF). kencrippen.com. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "Syracuse Pros Have Heavy Grid Machine". The Washington Post. November 11, 1921. p. 16. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. ^ "Barsha To Play Pro Football On Syracuse Team". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 15, 1920. p. 23. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
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