Edward Kenneth Newman (born June 4, 1951) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) from

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. A four-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

selection, he played 167 games over 12 seasons with the Dolphins. He is now a judge in Florida, and he has recently published his memoir
Warrior Judge: One Man's Journey from Gridiron to Gavel

Early life

Newman was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in

Syosset, New York Syosset is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place in the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state ...

, and Woodbury, New York, and is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

.Woolen Stocking Tales – The New York Times
/ref>The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports ... - Peter S. Horvitz - Google Books
/ref> Once, when asked how he got up for a goal-line stand, he responded with a

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

word to describe the process, saying: "You gotta suck it up from the '' kishkes''." He played high school football and wrestled for Syosset High School in the late 1960s.

College career in football and wrestling

He enrolled in 1969 at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

on an athletic scholarship. He participated for Duke in two sports: twice earning All Conference honors in football as an offensive lineman and defensive lineman, and twice as a heavyweight wrestler winning the ACC heavyweight championship. He was a Football All-American in 1971, and a Football All-ACC in 1971 and 1972.Edward K. Newman - Duke University Blue Devils Official Athletics Site - GoDuke.com
/ref> In 1973, Newman graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.

Football career

The Miami Dolphins drafted Newman in the sixth round of the

1973 NFL draft The 1973 NFL draft was held January 30–31, 1973, at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Houston Oilers selected defensive end John Matuszak. Player selections Round one ...

. In his football career, the Dolphins went to three Super Bowls: Minnesota Vikings (1973 win), Washington Redskins (1982 loss), and San Francisco 49ers (1984 loss); and Newman was a three-time All Pro and was selected by his peers to the Pro Bowl four times (1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984). He did not play the 1985 season with his third serious knee injury, after having overcome

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck, ...

earlier in his career. A knee injury in his 13th season with the Dolphins in 1985 ended his career. During his pro career, he worked as an assistant coach of the

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

wrestling team in the off-season. During his NFL career, Newman spearheaded a community drive for blood donations on behalf of the South Florida Blood Service. This and other charitable efforts resulted in the renaming of Northwest 17th Street (Miami, Florida) to "Ed Newman Street."

Honors

Newman was inducted into the Duke Athletic Hall of Fame, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in the

Wingate Institute Wingate Institute (), officially Orde Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports (), is a sports training institute located south of Netanya, Israel. History Wingate Institute was established in 1957. It was named after Orde Wingate. ...

, outside of

Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...

, in Israel. He was also inducted, alongside a host of other former Miami Dolphins players, into the St. Thomas University (FL) Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He was inducted into the Dolphins Walk of Fame in 2014.Still teammates: Former Dolphins Tony Nathan and Ed Newman a force in court Miami Herald
/ref>

Law career

In 1984, while playing pro football by day, Newman enrolled in the night division of the

University of Miami School of Law The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. Founded in 1926, it is the oldest law school in South Florida, graduating its first ...

.Three years out of the NFL, he's about to graduate from law school - The Washington Post
/ref> After graduating in 1987, Newman practiced law as a

litigation A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. ...

attorney for seven years. In 1994, Newman was elected County Court Judge in Miami, Florida, and began his first term in January 1995. He retired in 2022, after serving for decades at the Richard E. Gerstein Criminal Justice Building alongside his bailiff and former Dolphins teammate Tony Nathan.

Personal life

Newman married his wife Cathy in 1977. Newman serves on the

Alumni Board of Directors, the

alumni board, and the Board of Transition, Inc.

References

External links

Warrior Judge: One Man's Journey from Gridiron to GavelEd Newman for Judge
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Ed 1951 births Living people Miami Dolphins players American Conference Pro Bowl players Duke Blue Devils football players Jewish American players of American football People from Syosset, New York Players of American football from Nassau County, New York American football offensive guards People from Woodbury, Nassau County, New York Syosset High School alumni University of Miami School of Law alumni 21st-century American Jews Jews from New York (state)