Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

When you think Temple Football, you have to think about Dave "Dynamite" Smukler-one of the greatest college players of the 1930s. In 1934, Smukler led his Temple University team to an undefeated season. His coach at Temple, the legendary Pop Warner, once called him, "as great a fullback as Jim Thorpe and Ernie Nevers." Smukler was the player most responsible for putting the Temple football team into the first Sugar Bowl game in 1935. The Owls downed the likes of Texas A & M, V.P.I., West Virginia, and Holy Cross to earn the bowl invitation.

A brilliant all-around athlete at Temple during his undergraduate days, Dynamite Dave played the entire 60 minutes as Temple battled Tulane before bowing 20-14 in the inaugural Sugar Bowl Classic. Smukler played sensational football that fall afternoon and was lauded by writers from all over the country. Charles Defour of the New Orleans Item wrote: "Dynamite Dave�. was everything he was billed to be. He was a wild bull, a mad elephant, a rip-roaring locomotive, a human battering ram�.In a word, Mr. Smukler was great."

Smukler went on to set single game records at Temple for most carries (36) and yards gained (152) against Villanova. His record stood until 1967. Not limiting his athletic prowess to the gridiron, he was also an outstanding shot putter for the track team and was a member of the Owl basketball team. In 1936, Dynamite Dave turned professional and played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. After going pro, The New York Times wrote: "He looks more like Bronco Nagurski every time out."

Smukler was with the Eagles in 1939 when the team made history, playing in professional football's first televised game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Later, he played with the Detroit Lions before retiring in 1940. Smukler made a comeback with the Boston Yanks and retired for good in 1944, having played 38 career NFL games. In his later years, he lived in Woodland, California where he managed "Off-the Road" tires sales for the Bridgestone Tire Company of America. Dynamite Dave passed away on February 22, 1971, but his accomplishments and legacy live on.