Mielziner, Saul

Saul Robert Mielziner

Mielziner played football for Carnegie Tech in the 1920s and then played for six seasons in the NFL. After his playing days ended, Saul became an assistant coach at CCNY (City College of New York).

Birth and Death Dates:
b. June 1, 1905 - d. October 13, 1985

Career Highlights:
Saul played college ball during the era of Carnegie Tech's greatest teams. In 1926, Tech went 7-2-0 and defeated Knute Rockne's Notre Dame squad, 19-0; the game ball from the victory is still displayed in the coaches' suite at Carnegie.
The following year, the Tartans had a record of 5-4-1, but rebounded in 1928 to finished with a record of 7-1-0. That year, they defeated Notre Dame again and Mielziner considered that particular contest his greatest game. He said: "There were no gains over my position. In addition, I opened big holes on the offense." That year, Mielziner was named AP All-East honorable mention, and first team Jewish All-America by the Jewish Advocate.
After graduating in 1929, Saul played six seasons in the NFL and appeared in a total of 60 career NFL games. In 1929 and 1930, he played with Benny Friedman for the New York Giants, who finished second in the league both seasons and had a combined record of 26-5-1. In 1931, he moved to the Giants' rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Saul played four seasons with the Dodgers (including 1932 when Friedman was the player/coach) and suffered through some bad seasons.
In 1933, the team had its best finish during Saul's career with a record of 5-4-1, placing them second in the NFL East behind the Giants. Mielziner retired following the 1934 season, and then became an assistant coach at CCNY under former teammate Benny Friedman in 1934-35 and 1940-41.

Origin:
Cleveland, Ohio

Career Dates:
Mielziner played center for Carnegie Tech from 1926-1928. He then played as a center, guard, and tackle and as a linebacker in the NFL with the New York Giants from 1929-1930, and with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1931-1934.

Physical description:
235 pounds (college)
250 pounds (pros)

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References:
The Encyclopedia of Football, by Roger Treat (New York: A.S. Barnes and Co., 1976 -- 14th Edition)
Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League, edited by Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft, and John Thorn (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1999)
encyclopedia of JEWS in sports, by Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, and Roy Silver (New York: Bloch Publishing Co., 1965)
Washington Post, December 5, 1928