Barsha, John

Abraham Barshofsky

Barsha, who also played basketball and baseball at Syracuse University, starred for the football team and helped lead them to a three-year combined record of 21-5-1. One of his teammates was Joe Alexander.
According to the encyclopedia of JEWS in sports, John changed his name from Barshofsky to Barsha during his senior year in high school because his basketball team played an unscheduled game without the coach's knowledge.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. December 25, 1898 - d. February 18, 1976

Career Highlights:
In 1918, Barsha was named Walter Camp All-America honorable mention at halfback. After graduating, Barsha played three games with the Rochester Jeffersons in the American Professional Football League (predecessor of the NFL) in 1920. The Jeffs finished with a record of 6-3-2 in league play.

Origin:
Russia

Career Dates:
Barsha played for Syracuse University from 1917-1919. He then played in the NFL as a fullback with the Rochester Jeffersons in 1919-20 and for the Hammond Pros in 1920.

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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)