Age: 22
1st
season in pro football
College: Michigan
Height: 5’10” Weight: 183
Prelude:
Friedman
established himself as an outstanding passer in college and was a consensus
first-team All-American in 1925 and ’26. Turning pro, he proved to be extremely
accurate, if not possessed of an exceptionally strong arm, and was innovative
in his willingness to pass on any down despite the less-streamlined ball in use
at the time and rules that discouraged reliance on throwing the ball. Friedman
was also a capable runner and fair kicker.
1927 Season Summary
Appeared in all
13 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
TD Passes –
11 [1]
Scoring
Rushing TDs –
2 [14, tied with twelve others]
Receiving TDs
– 0
Other TDs – 0
Total TDs – 2
Field Goals –
0
Extra Points
– 11 [2]
Points – 23 [19]
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: Chicago Tribune, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Bulldogs went
8-4-1 to finish fourth in the NFL while leading the league in touchdowns (30)
and scoring (209 points).
Aftermath:
Friedman
moved on to the Detroit Panthers in 1928 and again led the NFL with 9 TD passes
as well as rushing touchdowns (6, tied with two others). The franchise was bought
out by Tim Mara of the Giants and Friedman went to New York and continued to
lead the league in touchdown passes for the next two years, including a
remarkable 20 in 1929 (the runner-up threw 6). Friedman received consensus
first team All-NFL honors in each of his first four NFL seasons, but a leg
injury reduced his effectiveness in 1931 and he moved on to the Brooklyn
Dodgers in ’32. He finished up with one game for the Dodgers in 1934, having
already moved into assistant coaching at the college level that reduced his
playing time. While passing statistics are incomplete for that era, Friedman
was certainly far ahead of the rest of the field in passing yards (7650) and TD
passes (68), and his single-season record of 20 lasted until 1942. Friedman
went on to become a college head coach at City College of New York and Brandeis
University, where he also served as athletic director. His brashness might have
been off-putting, but he was a keen student of the game and one of its early
innovators and notable performers. Friedman was inducted into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame, Class of 2005.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
