Ben Goldfaden
Benjamin Paul Goldfaden (September 6, 1913 – March 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player.[1] He played two games in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) as a member of the Washington Capitols during the 1946–47 season. Goldfaden spent most of his professional career playing in the American Basketball League.[2]
 Goldfaden with the Washington Capitols in 1946 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 6, 1913 |
| Died | March 25, 2013 (aged 99) Tavares, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | South Side (Newark, New Jersey) |
| College | George Washington (1934–1937) |
| Playing career | 1938–1947 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1938–1942 | Washington Brewers |
| 1942–1943 | Philadelphia Sphas |
| 1943–1945 | Wilmington Bombers |
| 1945–1946 | Trenton Tigers |
| 1946 | Washington Capitols |
| 1946–1947 | Trenton Tigers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Goldfaden began playing basketball in Detroit during his early years due to his height.[2] He attended South Side High School in Newark, New Jersey, where he was an all-state team selection in 1933.[3] Goldfaden was so highly recruited during his teenage years that he was pursued by Catholic and other sectarian prep schools despite that he was Jewish.[1] He was paid to play for barnstorming teams in exhibition games as a 16-year-old that would have marred his amateur status and disqualified him from playing college basketball.[1] Goldfaden played collegiately for the George Washington Colonials on an athletic scholarship.[1]
Goldfaden quit playing basketball at the age of 33 to become a physical education teacher as its salary of US$2,000 ($26,222 adjusted for inflation) was better than his basketball career.[1] He worked 20 years as an agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance and served as a city recreation director in Maryland.[1] Goldfaden died of congestive heart failure, aged 99, in Tavares, Florida.[1] He was believed to be the oldest living former National Basketball Association (NBA) player at the time of his death.[1]
BAA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | ||||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
| APG | Assists per game | ||||
| PPG | Points per game | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Washington | 2 | .000 | .500 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 2 | .000 | .500 | .0 | 1.0 | |
References
- "Ben Goldfaden: He played 2 games in NBA's initial season". Orlando Sentinel. orlandosentinel.com. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- Tranum, Sam (August 30, 2003). "Basketball's Bygone League". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Bloom Unanimous Choice For All-State Center Position". Asbury Park Press. March 24, 1933. p. 19. Retrieved October 6, 2020.