Kaplan, Bernie

Bernard Kaplan

An All-East honorable mention selection at Western Maryland, Kaplan played in the NFL in the 1930s. Bernie, who was also a member of the varsity boxing team at Western Maryland, became a professional wrestler in 1937 after he played in the NFL for two seasons.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. June 8, 1913 - d. June 14, 1992

Career Highlights:
Kaplan played three seasons at Western Maryland in the 1930s and was named AP All-East honorable mention in 1934 when Western Maryland went undefeated. After graduating in 1935, Kaplan went on to play in the NFL.
In 1935, Bernard played in all 12 regular season games for the New York Giants (9-3); one of his teammates was Harry Newman. The Giants were NFL Eastern Division champs that year, but lost in the NFL Championship to the Detroit Lions, 26-7.
In 1936, Kaplan played in only seven games for the Giants, who finished 6-3-2 and in second place in the NFL East. Kaplan retired after the season, but returned to the NFL six years later as the league was low on man-power due to World War II. He played in three games for the Philadelphia Eagles (2-9-0) in 1942 and then retired for good, having played in 22 career games.

Origin:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Kaplan played guard at Western Maryland College from 1932-1934. He then played guard in the NFL with the New York Giants in 1935-1936, and for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1942.

Physical description:
6'0", 208 pounds

Use links below to navigate through the football section of Jews In Sports.

< Previous | Next >

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, March 23, 1937