Joe Marhefka: Difference between revisions

{{InfoboxShort gridirondescription|American football personplayer (1902–2003)}}

'''Joseph Cyril "Joe" Marhefka''' (February 16, 1902 – June 30, 2003) was a professional [[American football]] player who played [[halfback (American football)|halfback]] for the [[Pottsville Maroons]] and the [[Philadelphia Quakers (AFL)|Philadelphia Quakers]]. A native of [[Phillipsburg, New Jersey]], he was recruited to [[Lafayette College]], where he played on their football team for four years. He then had a three-year professional football career in the [[Anthracite League|Anthracite]], [[National Football League|National Football]], and [[American Football League (1926)|first American Football]] leagues. Afterwards he worked as an English and Latin teacher, remaining involved in football by officiating high school and college games. He died in June 2003 at the age of 101.

Marhefka, the son of Czech immigrants, was born in 1902 in [[Phillipsburg, New Jersey]]. He was an orphan by the age of 13 and attended the [[Benedictine Academy]], where he was athletically involved in several sports. He entered [[Lafayette College]] in [[Easton, Pennsylvania]], in 1920.<ref name="Last">{{cite news|last = Devlin|first = Ron|title = The last of the Maroons|newspaper = [[The Morning Call]]|publisher = [[Tribune Company]]|date = 2003-07-05|url = httphttps://articleswww.mcall.com/2003-/07-/05/news/3495441_1_socksthe-lafayettelast-collegeof-tenderthe-feetmaroons-joe-marhefka-was-final-tie-to-pottsvilles-1925-football-team/|accessdateaccess-date = 2013-05-25}}</ref>

A [[halfback (American football)|halfback]], Marhefka spent four seasons, 1920 through 1924, on [[Lafayette Leopards football|Lafayette's football team]] under coach [[Jock Sutherland]]. In [[1921 Lafayette football team|1921]] the squad went undefeated, but the college's president refused to allow them to compete in the [[1922 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]]. After graduation, he was picked up by the [[Pottsville Maroons]]<ref name="Last"/> and played with them during their sole season in the [[Anthracite League]], in which they were the champions.<ref name="Anthracite">{{cite news|title = POTTSVILLE WINS ANTHRACITE TITLE|newspaper = [[Philadelphia Bulletin]]|date = 1924-11-24|accessdate = 2013-05-25}}</ref> He remained with the team when they joined the [[National Football League]] the following year and was with them when, despite having the [[1925 Pottsville Maroons season|best record]] in the league, they were denied the 1925 NFL championship after being [[1925 NFL Championship controversy|controversially suspended]]. He did not, however, not play in any games for the Maroons during the 1925 season.<ref name="1925Maroons">{{cite web|url = https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/m/marh00200.html|title = Joe Marhefka|date = 1 May 2024|publisher = Pro Football Archives|access-date = 27 October 2024}}</ref> Marhefka had a final season in professional football with the [[Philadelphia Quakers (AFL)|1926 Philadelphia Quakers]] of the [[American Football League (1926)|first American Football League]], in which they were the champions.<ref name="Last"/> Marhekfa appeared in two games for the team during the season.<ref name="DBFootball">{{cite web|title = Joe Marhefka, Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards|publisher = databaseFootball.com|date = 2011|url = http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARHEJOE01|accessdate = 2013-05-25|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120601123808/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARHEJOE01|archivedate = 2012-06-01}}</ref>

After his playing career ended, Marhefka settled in Easton and worked as an English and Latin teacher at the local high school until 1968. He also served for many years as a swimming coach<ref name="Last"/> and a high school and college football official.<ref name="Lafayette">{{cite press release|title = Lafayette Football Great Joe Marhefka Passes Away|publisher = [[Lafayette Leopards]]|date = 2003-07-02|url = http://www.goleopards.com/genrel/070203aaa.html|accessdate = 2013-05-25}}</ref> He had one child, Joe Jr., with his first wife, prior to her death, and married his second wife, Gladys Walker, in 1947. Joe Jr. also played football for Layfayette.<ref name="Lehigh">{{cite news|last = Meixell|first = Ted|title = Joe Marhefka Played 4 Times In The Game|newspaper = [[The Morning Call]]|publisher = [[Tribune Company]]|date = 1996-11-22|url = httphttps://articleswww.mcall.com/1996-/11-/22/sports/3117458_1_lehighjoe-popmarhefka-warnerplayed-marhefka4-times-in-the-game-the-easton-resident-was-fortunate-never-to-be-on-the-losing-side-vs-lehigh/|accessdateaccess-date = 2013-05-25}}</ref> He died on June 30, 2003, of congestive [[heart failure]], at the [[centenarian|age of 101]], several months after falling at his home. He was the last surviving member of the 1925 Pottsville Maroons<ref name="Last"/> and Lafayette's oldest alumnus.<ref name="Lafayette"/>

[[Category:AmericanPeople centenariansfrom Phillipsburg, New Jersey]]