David Smukler (May 31, 1914 – February 22, 1971), also known as "Dynamite Dave", was an American football player who played in 38 National Football League games, mostly for the Philadelphia Eagles in the late 1930s. He was also the star player for the Temple University Owls in the inaugural Sugar Bowl game on January 1, 1935, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
High school
The youngest of seven children, Smukler was born on May 31, 1914, in Gloversville, New York, to Russian immigrants Morris Smukler and Eva Cohen. He was Jewish.
His family moved to Newark, New Jersey, in 1918, where he played tackle at East Side High School in 1929 and 1930, earning all-State honors the second year. Still in his teens, he returned to Gloversville to live with his oldest brother Lewis and became his apprentice, learning to shear gloves from skins. Playing football at Gloversville High School, Smukler was taken out of the line by Coach Lawrence A. (Duke) Miller and made into a fullback. He had never kicked a football for any team before, but he spent hours by himself punting the ball. Smukler kept his muscles strong by walking five miles uphill after every practice. When the football season began, he was considered a “one-man team” and lost only one game.
Besides excelling in football, Smukler was also a high-scoring guard on the basketball team and a member of the track team. In May 1932 he participated in the annual Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute interscholastic track meet in Troy, New York, and broke two state records, the 12-pound shot put and the discus throw.
College
Smukler enrolled in the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and played fullback under Frank Carideo. He left before the year ended and continued to learn glove cutting under his brother Lewis. In September 1933 Smukler transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was chosen to play varsity fullback by Glenn “Pop” Warner one year later. After Smukler helped the Temple Owls achieve many wins, Warner stated, “He is a better fullback now than Ernie Nevers was in Nevers’s sophomore year. Dave is the best sophomore fullback I have ever seen. He may become the greatest fullback I have ever seen, a greater football player than Nevers or Jim Thorpe.” The coach also commended him as a defensive player, kicker, and forward passer, stating that “he combines fine judgment with his versatility. He is not the type that will get puffed up by praise, either.” Smukler played five consecutive games without ever letting the ball slip from his hand.
On January 1, 1935, he played against Tulane University in the inaugural Sugar Bowl game in New Orleans, Louisiana. When the teams were awaiting kickoff, Tulane's slogan was “Stop Smukler.” Smukler passed for one touchdown, kicked the extra point, and ran for a 25-yard touchdown. His efforts brought the Owls a 14–0 lead, but Tulane would ultimately beat Temple with a score of 20–14. Smukler was described after the game as “a wild bull, a mad elephant, a rip-roaring locomotive, a human-battering ram. He was 212 pounds of speed and power, who asked nothing more of his own line but that it get out of his way and let him run.”
Smukler temporarily withdrew from Temple in December 1935 due to a knee injury but returned at the start of the second semester. However, in March 1936 Smukler announced that he was leaving Temple again for a business position that was "too promising to refuse." He never graduated.
Professional football
It was announced in August 1936 that Smukler had a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Apparently, the contract was signed two months before, but it was not announced earlier due to the uncertainty of Smukler's injury. He played with the Eagles for four seasons from 1936 to 1939. During his first year he had a career-high of 99 rushes for 321 yards.
Steve Owen, coach of the New York Giants, identified the Eagles as one of the teams he most feared “because they are dangerous any time Dave Smukler, the erstwhile Temple Terror, carries the ball.” Apparently, team owner Bert Bell once said that nobody could stop Smukler “when he was having a good day.” On October 2, 1938, the Eagles played the Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium. The National Football League (NFL) program described Smukler as a “Powerhouse ball carrier and backer up on defense. Brilliant forward passer and terrific punter. Fifth best passer in the National Football League last year, completing 42 of 118 throws for a total gain of 432 yards. Carried ball from scrimmage 92 times to gain a total of 247 yards.”