Herb Steger
Encyclopedia
Herbert F. Steger was an American football
player, coach and official. He played for the University of Michigan
from 1922 to 1924. Steger later served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University
from 1925 to 1931 and a Big Ten Conference
football official from 1931 to 1953.
, Steger was the halfback for the Oak Park High School
football team coached by Glenn Thistlethwaite
, who later became the head football coach at Northwestern. During the time that Steger played for Thistlethwaite, the Oak Park football team went through four consecutive seasons without a loss.
and 1923
. He was considered a "triple threat" player who had "about equal ability in kicking, forward passing and carrying the ball."
In Steger's sophomore year of 1922, the Wolverines were 6–0–1 and outscored opponents by a combined tally of 183 to 13. In Steger's first game for Michigan, he ran 60 yards for a touchdown on his first carry. Steger developed appendicitis
late in the 1922 season and underwent surgery in Chicago in December 1922.
As a junior in 1923, Steger helped lead the Wolverines to an 8–0 record and outscored opponents 150 to 12.
Michigan's first conference game in 1923 was against Ohio State
in Ann Arbor
. Fifty-thousand spectators watched Michigan shut out the Buckeyes 23–0. Michigan's first touchdown was scored on a 16-yard pass from Irwin Uteritz
to Steger in the third quarter.
Some suggested during the 1923 season that Steger "has even outshone, the great Kipke." An NEA news service profile in late October 1923 praised Steger's diverse talents:
At the end of the 1923 football season, Steger was elected as captain of the 1924 Michigan Wolverines football team
. Through the first half of October 1924, the Wolverines remained undefeated, and Steger had never played a game for a losing football team. In four years at Oak Park and two full seasons at Michigan (1922 and 1923), Steger's teams had not lost a single game. In the buildup to the 1924 game between Michigan and Red Grange
's Illinois team, the press played up Steger's winning streak. The following excerpt typifies the coverage:
His streak came to an end in the Illinois game on October 19, 1924. The game was the dedication game for the new Memorial Stadium in Urbana, Illinois
. Grange took Steger's opening kickoff and ran it back 95 yards for a touchdown. Grange scored five touchdowns in the game and ran for 402 yards. After the game, Illini fans and player praised Steger for his sportsmanship and bravery in the game. Illini players reported that Steger had "arched his body over Grange while tackling him to prevent an injury to the man who blasted the hopes of Michigan."
Steger was the Wolverines' second leading scorer in 1924 with five touchdowns for 30 points. At the end of the 1924 season, Steger was selected as a third-team All-American by All-Sports Magazine, based on the combined vote of 312 prominent football coaches, officials and sport writers from all sections of the country, "representing the opinions of the best informed critics in all parts of the country."
where his former high school coach George Thistlewaite was the head football coach. After Northwestern tied Michigan for the 1926 Big Ten Conference football championship, the Athletic Board at Northwestern gave Steger a gold football as "a tribute to his coaching prowess." He served as a backfield coach for the Wildcats through the 1931 football season.
football official from 1931 to 1953.
Steger died in July 1968 at his home on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois
. He was 66 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, Bernice Steger, and a daughter, Judith Arado.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach and official. He played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1922 to 1924. Steger later served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
from 1925 to 1931 and a Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
football official from 1931 to 1953.
Oak Park
A native of Oak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, Steger was the halfback for the Oak Park High School
Oak Park and River Forest High School
Oak Park and River Forest High School, or OPRF, is a public four-year high school located in Oak Park, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is the only school of Oak Park and River Forest District 200....
football team coached by Glenn Thistlethwaite
Glenn Thistlethwaite
Glenn F. Thistlethwaite was an American football coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at Earlham College , Northwestern University , the University of Wisconsin–Madison , Carroll College in Wisconsin , and the University of Richmond ,...
, who later became the head football coach at Northwestern. During the time that Steger played for Thistlethwaite, the Oak Park football team went through four consecutive seasons without a loss.
Michigan
In 1921, Steger enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924, helping the Wolverines to back-to-back undefeated football seasons in 19221922 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1922 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1922 college football season. The head coach was Fielding H. Yost, in his 22nd season as head coach. The team went through the 1922 season without a defeat and compiled a record of 6–0–1...
and 1923
1923 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1923 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1923 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost. The Wolverines played their home games at Ferry Field.-Schedule:...
. He was considered a "triple threat" player who had "about equal ability in kicking, forward passing and carrying the ball."
In Steger's sophomore year of 1922, the Wolverines were 6–0–1 and outscored opponents by a combined tally of 183 to 13. In Steger's first game for Michigan, he ran 60 yards for a touchdown on his first carry. Steger developed appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
late in the 1922 season and underwent surgery in Chicago in December 1922.
As a junior in 1923, Steger helped lead the Wolverines to an 8–0 record and outscored opponents 150 to 12.
Michigan's first conference game in 1923 was against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. Fifty-thousand spectators watched Michigan shut out the Buckeyes 23–0. Michigan's first touchdown was scored on a 16-yard pass from Irwin Uteritz
Irwin Uteritz
Irwin Charles "Utz" Uteritz was an American athlete and coach. He played American football and baseball for the University of Michigan from 1921 to 1923. At 140 pounds, he was one of the lightest quarterbacks ever to start for a major college program. Despite his size, Michigan football coach...
to Steger in the third quarter.
Some suggested during the 1923 season that Steger "has even outshone, the great Kipke." An NEA news service profile in late October 1923 praised Steger's diverse talents:
"Steger, today, ranks as one of the best gridders Yost has had in seasons. Captain Harry Kipke not excepted. Fleet of foot, a good forward passer, splendid punter, and an expert field goal kicker, the former Oak Park lad is a triple threat artist de luxe. There is no getting away from that. He also is as good a bet as the Wolverines boast on the receiving end of a pass, having the uncanny ability to grab 'em out of the air on almost impossible chances."
At the end of the 1923 football season, Steger was elected as captain of the 1924 Michigan Wolverines football team
1924 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1924 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1924 college football season. The team's head coach was George Little. The Wolverines played their home games at Ferry Field.-Schedule:...
. Through the first half of October 1924, the Wolverines remained undefeated, and Steger had never played a game for a losing football team. In four years at Oak Park and two full seasons at Michigan (1922 and 1923), Steger's teams had not lost a single game. In the buildup to the 1924 game between Michigan and Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
's Illinois team, the press played up Steger's winning streak. The following excerpt typifies the coverage:
"In Captain Herbert Steger Michigan has something more than a dog-gone good halfback. It has a symbol of good fortune and victory. Steger is Michigan's rabbit's foot. In all the time he has been playing football he has yet to taste the unpalatable dregs of defeat. ... Steger was one of the best backs in the conferehce last year. But you can tell the wide world that Michigan is pinning part of its hopes for the Big Ten championship this season on the luck of its captain. He hasn't failed yet. When he meets Illinois and matches the old rabbit's foot against Red Grange's threats he will be subjecting his charmed football life to its severest strain."
His streak came to an end in the Illinois game on October 19, 1924. The game was the dedication game for the new Memorial Stadium in Urbana, Illinois
Urbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
. Grange took Steger's opening kickoff and ran it back 95 yards for a touchdown. Grange scored five touchdowns in the game and ran for 402 yards. After the game, Illini fans and player praised Steger for his sportsmanship and bravery in the game. Illini players reported that Steger had "arched his body over Grange while tackling him to prevent an injury to the man who blasted the hopes of Michigan."
Steger was the Wolverines' second leading scorer in 1924 with five touchdowns for 30 points. At the end of the 1924 season, Steger was selected as a third-team All-American by All-Sports Magazine, based on the combined vote of 312 prominent football coaches, officials and sport writers from all sections of the country, "representing the opinions of the best informed critics in all parts of the country."
Northwestern
In 1925, Steger accepted a position as an assistant coach at NorthwesternNorthwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
where his former high school coach George Thistlewaite was the head football coach. After Northwestern tied Michigan for the 1926 Big Ten Conference football championship, the Athletic Board at Northwestern gave Steger a gold football as "a tribute to his coaching prowess." He served as a backfield coach for the Wildcats through the 1931 football season.
Later years
From 1931 to 1968, Steger worked as an insurance broker with offices at 175 West Jackson Boulevard in Chicago. He also worked as a Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
football official from 1931 to 1953.
Steger died in July 1968 at his home on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. He was 66 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, Bernice Steger, and a daughter, Judith Arado.