Jack McBride: Syracuse star, NFL champ attended Sem
McBride, a 1924 All-American, came from humble beginnings.
The son of Irish immigrants, John F. “Jack” McBride was born Nov. 30, 1901, in Conshohocken, Montgomery County.
McBride has two extraordinary claims to football fame:
He was an All-American fullback at Syracuse University in 1924
He was the New York Giants’ leading scorer for three consecutive seasons — 1925, 1926, 1927 — the last of which ended with the Giants being NFL champions
Not bad for someone who, in high school, did not play football and played basketball only because of a peculiar but profound mentor.
A 1923 article in the Altoona Tribune called McBride “one of the greatest players in the east” and detailed his rise to glory.
According to the newspaper, McBride attended Conshohocken High School at a time when it didn’t offer football. The only chance to learn and play football happened on local sandlots, but McBride didn’t partake. Instead, a school employee who doubled as a janitor and coach saw some athletic ability in the young man and encouraged him to try out for the basketball team.
“He could play any position except center,” said the employee, William Irwin. “He had the makings of an all-around athlete and was one of the best on our team, which lost only two games in the three years he played.”
After graduation, McBride attended prep school at Wyoming Seminary. There, he played varsity football and reserve basketball. Ernest Quay coached both teams. McBride then attended Bellefonte Academy before enrolling at Syracuse.
One of McBride’s greatest moments for Syracuse happened Saturday, Oct. 20, 1923. It was Yankee Stadium’s first season and the ’Cuse had the honor of playing there against Pitt. McBride scored the game’s only points, kicking a 28-yard field to win, 3-0. Postgame reports hailed McBride as the “hero” of the game and described his play as “scintillating.” About 25,000 fans attended the game. Syracuse finished with an 8-1 record, losing only to Colgate.
The following year, Syracuse exacted revenge on Colgate with a 7-3 victory. However, Syracuse lost to West Virginia Wesleyan and USC and tied Pitt, settling for an 8-2-1 record. McBride’s top performance happened against Columbia at another iconic baseball setting, the Polo Grounds, where he kicked all three field goals in a 9-6 win. He was named to multiple All-America teams.
Following college, McBride enjoyed a successful career as a pro. He played 10 years in the NFL, including seven as a New York Giant. He won two NFL titles (1927, 1934) with New York.
McBride played in the 1926 Giants-Pottsville Maroons game at Artillery Park in Wilkes-Barre. Notably, this was the same season the stadium hosted Babe Ruth and a highly hyped Bucknell-Villanova game.
McBride died in 1966. He was 64.
View the constantly updated list of all the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region’s major college football All-Americans by clicking this link.