John Goldsberry (American football)

John Goldsberry
refer to caption
John Goldsberry, 1947
No. 82
Position:Tackle, guard
Personal information
Born:(1926-11-22)November 22, 1926
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died:January 23, 1972(1972-01-23) (aged 45)
South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:John Adams (IN)
College:Indiana
NFL draft:1949 / round: 4 / pick: 40
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games:20
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Gerard Goldsberry (November 22, 1926 – January 23, 1972) was an American football defensive tackle and tackle.

Goldsberry was born in 1926 in Indianapolis. As a boy, Goldsberry's father, Alonzo Goldsberry, coached various Indiana football teams, including Wabash College.[1] The younger Goldsberry attended John Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana.[2] In April 1945, he became only the third Indiana high school athlete to exceed 53 feet in the 12-pound shot put.[3] He also won the state shot put title in both his junior and senior years and starred in football and basketball in high school.[1]

He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1945 to 1948.[2] He was the regular right tackle on the 1945 Indiana team that won the Big Ten Conference championship. He missed the last half of the 1947 after suffering a knee injury and undergoing surgery to repair the knee.[4] He was selected as captain of the 1948 Indiana Hoosiers football team.[5][6]

Goldsberry was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in the fourth round (40th overall pick) of the 1948 NFL draft.[7] He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals in the 1949 and 1950 seasons, appearing in a total of 21 NFL games at the guard and tackle positions.[2]

After retiring from football, he worked as an agent for Jefferson National Life Insurance Co. for 22 years. He died in 1972 at age 45.[8]

  1. ^ a b "John Goldsberry Gets Football Urge Early, And Follows Through in Big Way at Indiana". The South Bend Tribune. November 3, 1948. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "John Goldsberry". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Record Broken by Goldsberry". The South Bend Tribune. April 12, 1945. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Hoosiers' John Goldsberry Lost For Rest of Campaign". The Indianapolis Star. October 17, 1947. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "The Captain". The South Bend Tribune. December 3, 1947. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Captain John Goldsberry". The Evening Republican. Columbus, Indiana. August 25, 1948. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "John Goldsberry Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Ex-Adams High Star Goldsberry Is Dead". The South Bend Tribune. January 25, 1972 – via Newspapers.com.