Shapiro, Jack "Soapy"

Jack Emanuel Shapiro

Shapiro, the shortest player in NFL history at 5'0-1/2", played one game in 1929. A short (no pun intended) feature on Shapiro is in NFL Films Presents: One-game Wonders.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 22, 1907

Career Highlights:
Shapiro was a member of NYU's (New York University) football team in 1927 when the Violets had a record of 7-1-2 and outscored their opponents by 345-65. Their only loss of the season came against Nebraska in the final game of the year.
In 1929, Shapiro played in one NFL game with Staten Island. The most diminutive player in the history of the NFL, Shapiro played as a blocking back in the Stapletons' 34-0 victory over the Minneapolis Red Jackets.

Origin:
New York City

Career Dates:
Shapiro played as a back at New York University in 1927. He then played blocking back in the NFL with the Staten Island Stapletons in 1929.

Physical description:
5'0 1/2", 119 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)