Quarterback great and longtime Brandeis coach Benny Friedman has finally gotten past due props from The Pro Football Hall of Fame when he was inducted alongside modern pigskin giants Dan Marino and Steve Young last week.
Former 49er Bill Walsh spoke to Friedman, who died in 1982, as if he were actually there for his induction ceremony, calling him “the catalyst that started the forward pass in professional football.”
Friedman’s former teammates worked long and hard to get the Canton, Ohio organization to recognize his legacy. Bill McKenna, 72, who played with Friedman at Brandeis, said before the celebration weekend that ‘It’s long overdue and Benny deserves it. We’re all men, but I expect there will be a lot of tears.”