 Glenn Ressler in 1967 | |||||||||
| No. 62 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Guard/center/tackle,defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1943-05-21)May 21, 1943 (age 81) Dornsife, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Mahanoy Joint, (Herndon, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College: | Penn State (1962–1964) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1965: 3rd round, 36th pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1965: 3rd round, 17th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Glenn Emanuel "Zeke" Ressler (born May 21, 1943) is an American formerfootballoffensive lineman who played in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1965 through 1974 for theBaltimore Colts.
Ressler was regarded as one of the topcollege football linemen in the country during his junior and senior years of 1963 and 1964, winning theMaxwell Award as America's best all-around player in the latter year. He played both offense and defense in the college ranks, gaining his highest accolades as amiddle guard lining up over center on the defense. As a pro, Resseler was used primarily as an offensive lineman, starting at all three line positions. Beginning in his third season, he was a consistent starter at left guard for the Colts.
Ressler was an NFL champion in 1968 and a Superbowl champion in 1970 as a member of the Colts. He was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Glenn Ressler was born May 21, 1943, to Maurice and Edna Ressler ofLeck Kill, Pennsylvania, a tiny rural hamlet nearDornsife, part ofLittle Mahanoy Township.[1] He grew up on a farm, forking hay and shocking wheat, and did not play football until high school.[2] He attendedMahanoy Joint High School inHerndon, Pennsylvania — a town in central Pennsylvania with fewer than 1,000 residents.
Ressler was a starcenter on the Mahanoy Joint team, playing both offense and defense in the era of thesingle platoon system. Already 6'2" tall and weighing 205 pounds during his high school years, he was recognized both as a sound blocker and tackler.[3]
At the end of his senior year in 1960, Ressler was recognized by being one of three centers named to the Pennsylvania Big 33 list of star football players from Pennsylvania selected by theHarrisburg Patriot News.[4] Joining Ressler on the select list was futurePro Football Hall of Fame quarterbackJoe Namath fromBeaver Falls.[4]
In 2012, the high school football field in Dornsife was dedicated and renamed in Ressler's honor, and his name is on the scoreboard.[2]
Ressler was awarded a football scholarship toPenn State University in the fall of 1961, on track to soon play for theNittany Lions.[1] As freshmen were prohibited by NCAA rule from participation in varsity sports, Ressler spent the 1962 season playing for Penn State's freshman football team, where he distinguished himself as a center on offense and alinebacker on defense.[1]
By his1963 junior season, Ressler was beginning to be recognized as an exceptional defender, playing "middle guard" on defense (nose guard in a five-man defensive line or dropping back to middle linebacker) and shutting down attempted runs up the middle at an all-star level.[5] On the offensive side of the ball, Ressler continued to fill the guard position he had occupied as a sophomore.[6]
The Penn State athletic department began touting Ressler as a potentialAll-American for 1964, with publicity director Jim Tarman noting: "If we have an All-America candidate next year, he's it. He's a big farm boy from Dornsife, up the river fromHarrisburg, and right now he's our toughest lineman."[7]
Penn State line coachJim O'Hora noted that the now 230-pound Ressler should be one of the best defensive linemen of 1964 if he wasn't already. "He has the knack for coming up with the big play," O'Mora said.[8]Penn State's defense was indeed special in 1963, giving up just 92 points through 9 games and finishing the season with a record of 7–3 and a No. 16 national ranking in the coaches poll.
Ressler finished the 10 games of his junior 1963 season with 7 quarterback sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, an interception, 53 unassisted tackles, and 30 assists.[6]
Penn State head coachRip Engle moved Ressler from guard to center on the offensive side for his1964 senior season.[6] He lamented to anAssociated Press reporter not having two Resslers, one to play full time both sides of the ball. "We would like to use him more on offense because he's such a great blocker, but we need him full time on defense," he said.[9]
The enthusiastic coach told another reporter of his senior two-way line star, "Ressler is big, strong, quick, a fine tackler, and what else do you need? On offense he excels at blocking the man over center and clearing the way for our inside attack. He snaps the ball well for punts and on hand-ups. Defensively he's a rugged tackler and difficult to block. Most important of all, he has the temperament to be great."[6]
TheNittany Lions started 1964 poorly, giving up more than 20 points in each of four losses in their first five games. The team came together defensively in the second half of the season, however. A total of just 24 points were given up in the final five games, helping Penn State win out and finish the year with a winning record.[10]
Particularly notable for the Nittany Lions in 1964 would be a 27–0 upset shutout of #2 rankedOhio State atColumbus before a crowd of over 84,000 people.[11][12] Ressler had 15 tackles in the game.[13][14]
Ressler — called "Zeke" by his Penn State teammates[15] — was chosen as winner of theMaxwell Award as college football's best all-around player of 1964.[16] He was a "consensus All-American," although named in a variety of positions — as an offensive center to the 22-mantwo platoon team of theNewspaper Enterprise Association,[17] as a guard to the 11-man single platoon first team picked by theAmerican Football Coaches Association,[18] and so forth. The versatile Ressler was named to various All-American teams as an offensive center and guard, and a defensive guard, tackle, and linebacker.[19]
Ressler was also named as college football Lineman of the Year for 1964 by the Philadelphia Sportswriters' Association.[20]
As a national star and a graduating senior, Ressler had multiple offers to appear in post-season college all-star games. He elected to play for the East in theEast–West Shrine Game held inSan Francisco on January 2, 1965, and in the 1965Hula Bowl held inHonolulu one week later.[21]
Ressler majored in Agricultural Education at Penn State, receiving hisBachelor of Science degree in 1966.[22]
In adraft that sawIllinois linebackerDick Butkus taken as the top run-stopper andNorthwestern'sJoe Cerne taken as the first center off the board, Glenn Ressler was selected by theBaltimore Colts in the third round with the 36th overall pick.[2] He was estimated more highly by the rivalAmerican Football League (AFL), with theDenver Broncos taking him with the 18th overall pick inthat draft.[23][24]
Ressler signed with the Colts on January 10, 1965, for an amount undisclosed in the press.[25] It was speculated that Baltimore planned to use Ressler as an offensive lineman, possibly as a guard to replace the agingAlex Sandusky.[25]
As his professional career commenced, Ressler agreed with the prediction that he would find his place in the NFL as an offensive lineman. The taciturn Ressler told one reporter that while he preferred to play defense because defenders could use their hands, "I'll play where I think I can help the most in pro ball and I think it will be on offense."[19]
Ressler spent his rookie year under head coachDon Shula in a reserve role, substituting at both offensive and defensive tackle.[26] His play was sufficient for the Colts to offer a new contract for the1966 season, which was signed April 23.[27]
The Colts' had Ressler report early with the rookies to its 1966 training camp so that head coach Don Shula could give the second year player multiple repetitions at a new NFL position, center.[28] Shula proclaimed the experiment a success, noting that Ressler "looked good," with prospects excellent for further improvement.[28] The team would list Ressler's position as "center-defensive tackle" on its preseason roster that year, dropping the previous year's mention of guard.[29] Ressler had by then bulked up to 250 pounds, his playing weight for the rest of his career.[29]
Ressler quickly gained a reputation on the Colts for being shy and soft-spoken, with oneBaltimore Sun sportswriter jokingly answering the hypothetical question, "Is it true Glenn Ressler says only four words all day?" with the quip, "No, he says five."[30] The jack-of-all-trades Ressler preferred to do his talking on the field with his hard blocking and sound tackling skills.
Ressler continued to play several positions in a reserve roll for the Colts in 1966, finally getting his first professional start in a November 20 game against theDetroit Lions atTiger Stadium in the season's 11th week. The 23-year old Ressler made his starting debut on the offensive side of the ball, playing tackle.[31]
Finally, ahead of the1967 season Glenn Ressler got his opportunity to become a Colts starter on a permanent basis. Head coach Shula noted that Ressler was "ready to replace Alex Sandusky, who has retired, at guard."[32]
Ressler would become a fixture at left guard for the Colts, starting all 14 regular season games in 1967 and in the Colts'NFL Championship year of1968.[33] On January 12, 1969, Ressler started at left guard for the Colts inSuper Bowl III, a 16–7 loss to Joe Namath and theNew York Jets.[34]
Ressler's1969 season was marked by a serious knee injury. He attempted to play on the hurt leg for a time, starting a total of 8 games,[33] but was eventually forced to shut down for the last six games of the season.[35]
In the1970 Super Bowl season, Glenn Ressler saw action in 13 games, starting in 11.[33] He was a starter for the team inSuper Bowl V, a 16–13 win on a last second field goal byJim O'Brien and finished the season a Super Bowl champion.[36]
From 1971 through the end of his career in 1974, Ressler was a reliable starter at left guard for the Colts, albeit missing 5 games in 1972 due to injury.[33]
He was traded toWashington in 1975, but retired instead of continuing to play.[2]
While still playing for the Colts, Ressler was in the restaurant business with his father-in-law, operatingRed Barn andPonderosa Steakhouse franchises, which continued after his career ended. He was in the restaurant business for 30 years. He later worked in real estate.[2][37][35]
Even while he was a member of the Baltimore Colts, Ressler began pursuing other occupational interests, joining the faculty ofUpper Dauphin Area High School, located in ruralDauphin County, Pennsylvania, in 1967 as a vocational agriculture instructor.[38]
He and his wife, the former Sandra Clemm, made their home inCamp Hill, Pennsylvania.[38] She survived both a heart and kidney transplant.[2]
Ressler was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2001.[13][39]