Athlete Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg was born in Elkins on October 25, 1918. He was an all-state football and basketball player at Elkins High School. After graduating, he became a two-time All-American at the University of Pittsburgh and led Pitt to the 1937 national football championship.
As a senior, Goldberg asked to switch from tailback to fullback. Pitt’s coach tried to discourage him, but Goldberg made the move and repeated as an All-American.
In the National Football League, “Biggie” Goldberg played for the Chicago Cardinals. He missed two seasons while serving in the military during World War II. After the war, he returned to lead the Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947.
In 1958, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and later inducted into the West Virginia Sports Writers and National Jewish Sports halls of fame. After his playing days ended, he ran a successful machine parts business outside of Chicago. Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg died in 2006 at age 87. After Goldberg’s death, his widow and daughter helped set up a fund in his name to focus attention on brain injuries in football.
