Sack, Jack

Jacob Bernard Sacklowsky

Sack, who possesses one of the best names in football history (although he was an offensive lineman) played at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1920s. Later in the decade, he played professionally in two leagues .

Birth and Death Dates:
b. February 22, 1902 - d. March 7, 1980

Career Highlights:
In 1920, the Panthers outscored their opponents 146-44 and had a record of 6-0-2. The following year, they had a record of 5-3-1. In 1922, Pitt improved to a record of 8-2-0, outscoring their opponents 190-43 and Sack was named Walter Camp All-America honorable mention and New York Times All-East honorable mention. Jack was later named by football historian Dr. L.H. Baker to Pittsburgh's All-Time Team.
After graduating in 1923, Sack played professional football for two seasons in two leagues. In 1923, he played nine games in the NFL for the Columbus Tigers who finished eighth in the league with a record 5-4-1. Sack also went into coaching and said, "In 1923 I was assistant football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., and in 1924 became the head football coach at the age of 22. I was the youngest head coach in the country..." Geneva had a record of 3-4-2 under Sack.
After two seasons away from the NFL, Sack returned to the gridiron and played three games for the Canton Bulldogs (1-9-3). That year, he also played with the Cleveland Panthers of the newly-formed American Football League. The league was started by Red Grange's agent so Grange could play in New York (the Giants' owner would not allow another NFL franchise in the area). Unfortunately, the league suffered from low finances and only a few teams lasted the entire season; many of the teams could not even afford to pay their players. Sack's Panthers only played five games and had a record of 3-2-0.

Origin:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Sack played guard at the University of Pittsburgh from 1920-1922. He then played guard in the NFL with the Columbus Tigers in 1923, and for the Canton Bulldogs in 1926. He also played in the AFL with the Cleveland Panthers in 1926.

Physical description:
6'2", 185 pounds

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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)