The Horween Brothers: Jewish American Heritage Month 2023

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month 2023, we will honor the Horween brothers, who played together and are remembered for their contributions to the NFL as a pair. Despite having unique contributions individually, they are most recognized for their impact on football as brothers.

The Origin Story

The Horweens are the first set of Jewish brothers to grace the NFL with their presence.

Ralph was the oldest Horween brother, born in 1896 in Chicago, and two years later, Arnold was also born in Illinois. The boy’s parents were Rose and Isidore Horween, who had immigrated to America from the Ukraine in 1892. Interestingly, their parents decided to change their last name when they entered the US; it was originally either Horowitz or Horwitz. Mr. Horween founded the Horween Leather Company.

Both brothers would play high school football at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, IL.

The Horween’s In College

Ralph Horween was a fullback, halfback, running back, and punter for Harvard University from 1914–1916 and again for the 1919 season. His college career was interrupted by his service in the Navy during WWI. Horween was labeled an All-American and was a member of the 1920 Rose Bowl-winning team. Ralph chipped his collarbone and dislocated his shoulder in the Rose Bowl; he had to be pinned down by two teammates while his shoulder was reset on the field.

Arnold Harween played with his brother, Ralph, in 1916 as a freshman. He would also serve his country from 1917 to 1919 and then go back to Harvard from 1919 to 1921. Arnold was a halfback, fullback, and center for the Crimson team. Harween would also play on the baseball and track teams during his freshman year.

The younger Harween brother was All-American multiple times, a Walter Camp third-team All-American in 1920, and was elected to be the captain of the team in 1920.

Arnold’s position of leadership on the team cannot be emphasized enough. At that time, Harvard would limit the number of Jewish people and other minorities that were accepted to a pre-defined quota. At that time, your last name defined your career trajectory more than your talent level, so Arnold’s ability to rise to success is a testament to him as a person and as a player.

Ralph graduated from Harvard in May 1920 with a bachelor of arts degree. Arnold would graduate in 1921. The older Horween brother would stick around Harvard as a back and kicker coach for the 1920 season, coaching his brother.

Off To The NFL

The dynamic duo headed to professional football in 1921. Ralph would follow his little brother Arnold to play for the Racine Cardinals in the league that would become the NFL. Mama Horween was not happy; she didn’t want her boys to join the “rabble-rousers who ran the hideous professional football circuit.” It was a reputation issue.

The brothers would adopt Irish last names for professional baseball; they became the McMahon brothers. This was done for three reasons: to protect the family’s reputation, keep their profession of choice a secret from their mother, and avoid antisemitism. There was a really heavy emphasis on names in the Horweens’ story; it is unfortunate that they were unable to be themselves without repercussions.

Arnold would play for the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL from 1921 to 1924, and Ralph would play from 1921 to 1923. The younger Horween brother played in 32 NFL games, and the elder would play in 22.

In 1923, the Horweens would score in the same game in two separate games. It’s important to note that scoring was hard to do in the NFL with the 1920s sets of rules, so it isn’t entirely surprising that they didn’t do this more often.

Official statistics were not taken until 1933, so there aren’t a lot of specific details about the brothers’ overall stats; however, Arnold was labeled the greatest player associated with professional football according to the Chicago Cardinals team owner.

That 1923 season, Arnold would become the head coach and player for the Chicago Cardinals. This was fairly common in the 1920s. Ralph would be a player and assistant coach for the Cardinals that year. He would retire in 1923, and Arnold would retire after the 1924 season after one more year of coaching and playing.

The Horween Brothers Branch Out

Starting in 1924, the brothers began to separate into their own unique adult lives.

Ralph Horween 

Ralph would use the money he got in the 1923 season to buy a ring and elope with his wife, Genevieve. The elder Horween would go to Harvard Law School and have some of his work published by the school before graduating in 1929. Ralph would become a member of the Illinois State Bar and become a patent lawyer. He would own his own firm for a time and do some petroleum-related law too.

Never one to avoid hard work, Ralph would also raise cattle and help with the family’s leather-making business. He would inherit the leather business from his father in 1930, along with Arnold. The older Horween would be the Chief Manufacturing Executive. The leather company provided leather for the Wilson NFL Official Football for over 30 years.

Horween’s claim to fame was being the first NFL player to live to 100 years old. Ralph would die in 1997 in Charlottesville, Virginia, possibly being survived by no one as he outlived his wife and his brother.

Arnold Horween

Arnold had a bumpier ride in his life journey, at least in the NFL. Horween would be Harvard’s head coach from 1925 to 1930. Arnold trailblazed again by becoming the first Jewish head coach for the university. Many people were crimson-red in anger over his leadership role. Being a college head coach was an incredibly high social honor, and people weren’t excited to let Horween have it.

In 1927, an article published by the New York Sun reported that people would have preferred a “Cabot or a Wendell; we use the names as symbols.” A former player coached by Arnold remembered antisemitic posters being openly displayed at a football game in Michigan in 1928.

An American Jewish history scholar and the president of Gratz College, Zev Eleff, wrote a book about Arnold Harween. He mentioned in an interview that there was some scrutiny from the Jewish American community because Arnold was not practicing the Jewish religion. Harween cannot win from all angles. However, Eleff also clarified that most members of the community would overlook his religious ideas because he was such an important symbol for the Jewish community and played such an esteemed role in American society.

Despite the discrimination, Horween would be described by the New York Sun as “considerate, unassuming and a friendly bearing toward everyone.” Arnold would treat everyone from all walks of life with respect and dignity, naturally winning friends for himself and the university.

Arnold truly found his better half with his wife, Marion. The two agreed to have an extended engagement; they would marry once Harvard beat Yale. The team would beat Yale on a Saturday in November 1928, and the couple would marry the following Thursday.

Horween would leave coaching behind in 1931 when he resigned after the 1930 season. Arnold would work with Ralph to run the family leather business as president and chairman. In 1945, Horween would return to coaching for a single season at his former high school. There are some missing pockets in Arnold’s history, but we do know that he was the VP of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1952, as well as a trustee of the Chicago Symphony and a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

Arnold would pass away in 1985 at 87 years old, survived by his brother Ralph.

For more historical football fun, look at my other articles here.