Gilbert Erwin Steinke was a head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 of the Texas A&I University football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 team after having played at Texas A&I then professionally in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

.

Playing and coaching career

Steinke began his football career as a player at Texas A&I, where he won all-conference honors on offense and defense. Steinke played with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1945–1948 and led the NFL in punt returns with a 14.8 average in 1947. As a starting safety, he helped the Eagles win a world title in 1948. He continued his career in football as a coach at Texas A&I from 1954-1976. He directed the Javelinas to 39 consecutive triumphs and six NAIA football national titles, including three in a row from 1974-1976. By the end of his 23-year coaching career at A&I, he had achieved ten Lone Star Conference championship trophies and 186 wins against only 62 losses and four ties. Steinke was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction in 1951, Texas became the first U.S...

 in 1977 and the College Football Hall of Fame

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

 in 1996.

Later he tried his hand at coaching a professional team with the United States Football League

United States Football League

The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...

's San Antonio Gunslingers

San Antonio Gunslingers

The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas that played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985. Rick Neuheisel was the team's quarterback and only recognizable name. The team played in Alamo Stadium...

 in the mid-1980s.

Role in integration

Steinke was well known for integrating the football team, walking out of restaurants and motels that would not take blacks and whites, and bringing on lots of black and Hispanic players regardless of social or financial status.

Trademarks

One of Steinke's trademarks was that he coached from the stands to get a better view of the game, using runners to deliver plays to the team.

Further reading

For more information see Sports Illustrated, Nov 17, 1975.