Position: | Back | ||
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Personal information | |||
Date of birth: | March 22, 1907 | ||
Place of birth: | New York City, New York | ||
Date of death: | February 5, 2001 | (aged 93)||
Place of death: | Carrollton, Georgia | ||
Height: | 5 ft 0 1⁄2 in (1.54 m) | ||
Weight: | 119 lb (54 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
College: | New York University | ||
Career history | |||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at PFR |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Jack Emanuel "Soupy" Shapiro (March 22, 1907 – February 5, 2001) was a professional football player who played in one game with the Staten Island Stapletons of the National Football League (NFL) in 1929. Shapiro is most famous for being the shortest player in NFL history at 5 ft 0 1⁄2 in (1.54 m). He was featured on the special NFL Films Presents: One-game Wonders.
In 1907, Shapiro was born in New York City, New York, United States, North America. His parents had immigrated to the United States with their previous four boys and three girls, as well as their niece. Jack was the only one of his family to be born in America. His father and two of his brothers did odd jobs for a living, resulting in earnings of $9.00 a week.
Shapiro attended Evander Child High School in the Bronx. While in high school, he was a starter on the football team for three straight years. During the last game in his senior year, however, he was injured and was forced out of the game. His playing weight in high school was 85 pounds (39 kg).
Prior to joining the Stapletons, Shapiro played college football, while attending New York University. He played fullback for the Violets in 1927 when the team posted a 7-1-2 record while outscoring their opponents by 345-65. He joined the NYU team his freshman year as a "walk on". By his sophomore year, he was given a full scholarship and was awarded a varsity letterman that season.
Afterwards, Shapiro moonlighted as a professional football player for a team in Meriden, Connecticut. The team was sponsored by the Sons of Italy.