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Philip Jacob Handler (July 21, 1908 – December 8, 1968) was an
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
player and coach who spent his entire professional career in the city of Chicago. He had a seven-year, 53-game NFL playing career, during which he was named All-Pro four times. On three separate occasions, Handler served as head coach of the
Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...
, and later as an assistant coach for the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
. He served as an assistant coach for the Cardinals when they won the 1947 NFL Championship; and with the Bears when they won the 1963 NFL Championship.


Early life

Handler was born in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, and was Jewish.Encyclopedia of Jews in Sports - Bernard Postal, Jesse Silver, Roy Silver - Google Books
/ref> His parents had immigrated to the United States from
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. He was nicknamed "Motsy."


College career

Prior to his professional debut, Handler played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at Texas Christian University. He played at TCU for three years beginning in 1927 under head coach Francis Schmidt. During his college career, Handler earned All-SWC honors as an offensive guard, and was an Honorable Mention
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
in 1929. In 1929 Handler and the Horned Frogs won the Southwest Conference.


NFL career

After graduating from college in 1930, Handler decided to pursue a career in pro football. However, he was an undersized lineman, standing at just , . Despite Cardinals' coach Ernie Nevers' dismissive comment upon his arrival with the Cardinals in summer 1930: "You'll never make it kid. You're too small", Handler went on to a seven-year, 53-game NFL playing career with the team, during which he was named All-Pro from 1931 to 1933, and 2nd Team All-Pro (UPI) in 1935.Phil Handler Stats , Pro-Football-Reference.com
/ref> He also served in a
player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
during the 1935 and 1936 seasons.


Coaching career


Chicago Cardinals

Upon his retirement during the 1937 NFL season, Handler was named to the Cardinals' coaching staff. His career with the Cardinals appeared to have ended on November 28, 1938, when he and head coach Milan Creighton resigned following a 2–9 finish, however Handler later reconsidered his decision and continued as an assistant coach. On July 3, 1943, Handler took over the Cardinals' head coaching duties when head coach Jimmy Conzelman accepted a front office position with baseball's St. Louis Browns. However, with manning shortages due to World War II, the Cardinals lost all 10 games that season. The team then merged with the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in 1944 to form what was referred to as "
Card-Pitt Card-Pitt was the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Chicago Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, during the 1944 season. It was the second such merger for the Steelers, who had combined with ...
" in the standings. Handler and
Walt Kiesling Walter Andrew Kiesling (May 27, 1903 – March 2, 1962) was an American professional football guard and coach who spent 36 years in the National Football League (NFL). He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and ...
were named the team's co-coaches. That effort also resulted in a winless season in 1944, and after a 1–9 season the next year, Handler gave way for the returning Conzelman. The return of Conzelman and many of their top players, helped the Cardinals improve to 6–5 in 1946, followed by the franchise's only undisputed NFL title the next season, with a 28–21 victory over the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
on December 28, 1947, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. That season Handler was an assistant coach on the Cardinals' NFL Championship team. In 1949 Conzelman again resigned as head coach of the Cardinals. As a result, Handler and fellow assistant Buddy Parker were named as co-head coaches for the team in a unique arrangement on February 3, 1949. The decision was brought about by the two owners' different coaching preferences. The decision was blamed for the Cardinals 2–4 start that season. However Parker soon took over as sole coach when Handler shifted to a front office role later that season. When Parker left after the season, Curly Lambeau, the legendary coach and founder of the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
, was hired as his replacement. Upon taking over the coaching position, Lambeau brought back Handler as the team's offensive line coach. However, the new staff continued to struggle, and after a 7–15 mark, Lambeau resigned as the team's coach on December 7, 1951. Handler and
Cecil Isbell Cecil Frank Isbell (July 11, 1915 – June 23, 1985) was an American football quarterback and coach. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939 NFL Champion ...
were then left to coach the team's last two games. Handler's 0.105 winning percentage is the lowest in NFL history for coaches with at least five seasons.


Chicago Bears

After more than two decades with the same team, Handler moved to the north side of Chicago to become the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears on July 19, 1952. There he soon became a top assistant under coach
George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (February 2, 1895 – October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear", was an American professional football end, coach, and executive. He was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), ...
. In addition to his coaching duties, Handler also served as a scout for the team for the next 16 seasons. In 1956 Handler helped the team reach the NFL Championship game. He then helped the squad capture the NFL title seven years later, in a storied 14–10 Bears victory over the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
, on a frigid day at
Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...
in late 1963.


Death and legacy

Several months after the 1967 NFL season had ended, Handler was vacationing in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
when he suffered the first of two heart attacks and spent several weeks in a hospital for treatment. Upon his release, doctors decreed that while he could spend time with the team during the week, at practices, and in helping the coaching staff with its weekly game plan, he would not be able to attend Bears' games. Indeed, he was advised not to watch the games — an order Handler did not follow. On Sunday, December 8, 1968, just moments after a dramatic 17–16 Bears win over the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
in Los Angeles, he died of his third heart attack at home in
Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a Village (United States), village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's dow ...
. Two days after his death, more than 500 people attended his funeral, with the Bears canceling a team practice so players, coaches, and staff could attend. The following Sunday, December 15, 1968, when the Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers at
Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...
, a moment of silence was held before kickoff. Handler had two children and two grandchildren when he died, and was survived by his wife. Notably, Handler's third grandson was born five days after his death and was not only named after the coach — Philip Handler — but also later worked for the Chicago Bears for 11 years. Handler is a member of the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame, the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the B'nai B'rith Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. His 17 seasons as a Chicago Bears assistant rank second in the history of the NFL's oldest franchise. All told, Handler spent 39 years as a player and coach in the NFL.


See also

* List of select Jewish football players


References


External links


Pro Football Reference (player)


{{DEFAULTSORT:Handler, Phil 1908 births 1968 deaths American football guards Chicago Bears coaches Chicago Cardinals coaches Chicago Cardinals head coaches Chicago Cardinals players Jewish American players of American football Players of American football from Fort Worth, Texas TCU Horned Frogs football players 20th-century American Jews Jews from Texas Jewish American coaches of American football