Shapiro, Jack Emanuel "Soupy" Jack Emanuel "Soupy" Shapiro (March 22, 1907 – February 5, 2001) was an American gridiron football player who appeared in one National Football League (NFL) game with the Staten Island Stapletons in 1929. Shapiro is most known for being the NFL's tiniest player, standing at roughly 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m). His weight is estimated to have been around 100 pounds (45 kg).
He was born on March 22, 1907, in New York City and died on February 5, 2001, in Massapequa, New York.
Shapiro played college football at Columbia University before joining the NFL. He was drafted by the Boston Bulldogs but never played a down for them due to an injury during training camp. He did, however, play in one game for the Staten Island Stapletons, a team that competed in the NFL from 1928 to 1930. In that first game of the season against the Brooklyn Dodgers, he scored a touchdown on a reverse pass from Dan Mangan to beat the Dodgers, 7-6. After his only career game, Shapiro returned home to New York City where he worked as a messenger for the Associated Press until retiring in 1950. He later served as an assistant coach under Mangan at Columbia University from 1952 to 1955.
Currently, the record holder for the smallest person to play pro football is 5-foot-3, 105-pound running back/linebacker Paul Bennett.
Jack Shapiro, a professional football player with a talent for the game, was renowned as the National Football League's smallest player. Despite his little stature (5 feet 1 inch), he was motivated to play football and become a great football player. Jack Shapiro started at quarterback for the Pottsville Air Pirates of the NFL from 1920 to 1921. He died at the young age of 36 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Shapiro is also known for being the first player drafted by the NFL. On May 15, 1919, he became the first player selected in the 1919 NFL Draft when the Chicago Staleys picked him up second overall. The last player picked in the draft was Yale's Elmer Layden, who was selected by the New York Giants with a pick obtained from the Cardinals.
In addition to football, Shapiro played baseball for several minor league teams between 1917 and 1922. He went on to coach football at Boston University and Lafayette College before becoming a police officer in Pottsville.
He is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. During his two-year career, Shapiro passed for 1,366 yards while leading the Air Pirates to a 6-4 record. After his death in 1923, his body was returned to college where he had been buried in an unmarked grave. In 1993, his family hired a forensic anthropologist to identify his body.
He also has the distinction of having the shortest NFL career. The former University of Miami star played in only four games before he was killed in a car crash at the age of 24.
Other small linebackers include Deion Bartley, who stood 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and weighed 157 lb (72 kg), and David Robinson, who was 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) and weighed 230 lb (100 kg). Both players are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The shortest full-time NFL linebacker is not currently in the league. Lawrence Wilson was listed as 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) and 228 lb (101 kg). He played for three teams between 1999 and 2001 before being released by all three clubs.
The shortest current or former college football player is Dexter Coakley, who was listed as 5 ft 7 in (173 cm) and 160 lb (73 kg). He played center for Boston College from 1971 to 1973.
Another tiny college football player was Charles White, who played running back for Vanderbilt from 1958 to 1960. He was 5 ft 3 in (1.5 m) tall and weighed 140 lb (63 kg).
NFL left tackles may be as tall as 6-foot-9 and as heavy as 340 pounds. In the realm of skyscrapers, Charles Leno is your unassuming, robust office building that is just getting the job done.
On the other hand, the NFL features some of the world's smallest athletes. Most positions need a player to be of a specific size, however some shorter players have achieved success in the league at other skill positions.
While Robey-Coleman is one of the shortest cornerbacks in recent NFL history, he's had a solid career with 178 tackles.
Newman Lowrance/Associated Press Holliday, the NFL's smallest player, is most renowned for his speed. Holliday, a top-ranked sprinter at LSU, rose to prominence as the Denver Broncos' primary kick and punt returner in 2012.
Tarik Cohen became the 83rd player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass. Maryland, Baltimore... Tarik Cohen's stature last threw a touchdown pass in 1934, and that player's name was Wee Willie Smith. There has been an 83-year gap between touchdowns thrown in an NFL game by players 5 feet 6 inches or less.
The shortest player who has thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL is Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears. Cohen is only 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was drafted by the Eagles in 2014 after playing one season at Maryland. The last five players to throw touchdown passes as small children were Rod Gardner (5 feet 9 inches), Dave Logan (5 feet 11 inches), Timmy Brown (5 feet 10 inches), Terrell Owens (5 feet 10 inches), and Cooper Kupp (5 feet 11 inches). None of them are still playing in the NFL today.
Cohen hasn't yet turned 26 years old. It isn't clear how long he will be able to continue throwing touchdown passes. His career completion rate is only 40 percent.
The longest-running team in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills. They have played more than 100 games in every year since their first game in July 1946. The most recent game they played was December 31, 2018 against the New York Jets. The match ended in a 24-14 victory for the Bills with Tarik Cohen contributing two touchdowns from scrimmage.
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