Tamir Goodman

The Jewish week Fifty: The 50 Most Influential Jews in America

42. Tamir Goodman

Dubbed “The Jewish Jordan” by Sports Illustrated, Goodman has made an indelible mark on the

world of collegiate sports. He’s also a role model for Jewish kids growing up showing them that

they can follow their dreams without having to compromise their Judaism. When he travels, says a

family friend, Jewish children sometimes accompany him to shul to watch him daven, or pray. He

wears his Judaism on his sleeve -- literally. The Sports Illustrated pictorial on him contained

photographs of him wearing tefillin. On the court, the 6-foot-3, 155-pound lanky Goodman is

compared to the great Pete Maravich. What Sandy Koufax was to Yom Kippur, Tamir Goodman is

to Shabbat. He never plays on the day of rest. Towson bucked ACC conformity by not scheduling

any games between sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday to accommodate Goodman. Once,

when the team was on the road and sundown was approaching, Goodman got out of the team van

and walked three blocks to a house where he was staying for Shabbat. “They see me fasting on

some days, and they learn about Havdalah and kosher food,” Goodman says. “It’s a great

opportunity to teach them about Judaism.” At a recent game, his yarmulke falls off his head during

a scramble for a rebound, and before dribbling the ball up court, he pauses to bend down and puts

it back on his head. The crowd roars its approval. “I’m still only a kid," Goodman once told a

reporter. “I’m just Tamir.”