 Steuber inThe Savitar, 1943 | |||||||||||||
| No. 28, 88, 94, 80 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1921-10-25)October 25, 1921 Wenonah, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died: | November 29, 1996(1996-11-29) (aged 75) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Missouri) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Missouri (1940–1943) DePauw (1943) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1943: 1st round, 9th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||||||
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Robert James Steuber (October 25, 1921 – November 29, 1996) was an American professionalfootballhalfback who played one season inNational Football League (NFL) and three seasons in theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC). He playedcollege football for theMissouri Tigers, where he quickly became one of the country's most productive runners and scoring threats. He was second in the country in 1942 with more than 1,000 yards of rushing. Steuber was drafted by the NFL'sChicago Bears and played one game for the team, appearing as a substitute on September 26, 1943, in the Green Bay Packers' home opener, which ended in a 21–21 tie.[1] The next day, Steuber entered theUnited States Navy and was transferred toDePauw University for pre-flight training.[2] Despite having gone from amateur status to professional football, Steuber was allowed to return to college football six days later and led theDePauw Tigers to a 50–0 win over Illinois Normal College, rushing for 225 yards and scoring 25 points in the first half.[3] Playing for DePauw's football team in 1943, he led the nation in scoring.
After the war, Steuber signed with theCleveland Browns of the AAFC, a new league set to start play in 1946. He was limited by a knee injury that year, however, and was traded to theLos Angeles Dons after the Browns won the first AAFC championship game. Steuber only played in three games for the Dons due to another knee injury, and he was again traded to theBuffalo Bills. A broken back toward the end of the 1948 season ended his playing career for good. Steuber then settled in St. Louis, where he worked as a sports announcer on the weekends. He was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1971 and the University of Missouri's athletics hall of fame in 1990. His number 37 jersey is retired by Missouri.
Steuber grew up inSt. Louis and attended the city'sChristian Brothers College High School, where he starred as ahalfback on the school's football team.[4] He attended theUniversity of Missouri and played as anend on theMissouri Tigers football team under head coachDon Faurot starting in 1940.[4][5] In 1941, he shifted to halfback and was assigned to kick extra points.[6][7] He was third in the country in rushing that year with 855 yards as he and fellow halfbackHarry Ice led a Missouri ground attack that ranked first in the nation.[4] Missouri won theBig Six Conference championship and facedFordham University in theSugar Bowl at the end of the season.[8][9] Missouri lost the game, played on a muddy field inNew Orleans, by a score of 2–0.[10]
Steuber's success continued in 1942, when he was named anAll-American and ranked second in the country in rushing, gaining 1,098 yards.[4] He also was an effective passer, helping Missouri win the Big Six championship for the second year in a row.[11] Steuber was named anAll-American after the season.[12] He was also selected to play in theEast–West Shrine Game and theCollege All-Star Game, a now-defunct matchup between theNational Football League (NFL) champion and a squad of the best college players from around the country.[13][14] Steuber scored a touchdown as the college stars defeated the NFL'sWashington Redskins.[15]
Steuber was selected in the first round of theNFL draft by theChicago Bears, but he played in only one game for the team during the 1943 season before departing for theU.S. Navy duringWorld War II.[16][17] As the Bears went on to win theNFL championship, Steuber entered the Navy's pre-flight training college and was transferred toDePauw University inGreencastle, Indiana, where he played basketball and football for the school's teams.[17] In football, Steuber scored 77 points in his first three games and finished the 1943 season with the highest scoring total in the country.[17][18] Steuber was again transferred in 1944, ending up atMarquette University in the Navy'sV-5 training program.[19] Later the same year, he left for theUniversity of Iowa, where he continued to run track for the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks. A controversy arose after an official at theAmateur Athletic Union objected to Steuber's participation in a meet because he had played professionally for the Bears. Steuber, however, was cleared to compete.[20] Steuber also played baseball while at Iowa.[21] At the end of the year, he moved to theOttumwa Naval Air Station in Iowa and played for itsSkyers football team.[22]
Following his discharge from the military at the end of the war, Steuber was expected to rejoin the Bears.[23] He instead was one of the first signings of theCleveland Browns of the newAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1945 while he was stationed inPensacola, Florida.[23]Fritz Heisler, an assistant with the Browns, had coached Steuber while he was at DePauw and recommended him toPaul Brown, the Cleveland head coach.[24] Steuber saw limited action with the Browns due to a knee injury, but the team posted a 12–2 regular-season record and won the first AAFC championship game.[25][26] Brown advised Steuber to quit football because of the injury, but Steuber wanted to continue playing, and he was traded to the AAFC'sLos Angeles Dons after the season forFrank Yokas, aguard.[26][27]
Hampered by another injury to his knee, Steuber played in just three games for the Dons in 1947 before being acquired by theBuffalo Bills the following year.[28][29] In a game against the Dons near the end of the 1948 season, Steuber suffered a broken back that put him in a cast for nine months and ended his football career.[27][28]
Following his football career, Steuber settled in St. Louis, where he worked as a sports announcer on weekends.[30] He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1971.[31] He was inducted into the University of Missouri's athletics hall of fame in 1990.[4] The University of Missouri retired his number 37 jersey.[4] He died in St. Louis in 1996.[30]
Bob Steuber, former Cleveland halfback, suffered a broken back in Buffalo's loss to Los Angeles last Sunday. He will be in a cast for nine months and his football career is over. Steuber has been a hard-luck player ever since deciding to play professional football two years ago. He suffered a knee injury with the Browns and was advised by Coach Paul Brown to quit football. But Bob tried it again with the Los Angeles Dons last year only to suffer another injury early in the year.
...they have added help in the backfield by acquiring Jeff Durkota of Penn State and Bob Steuber, who was with Cleveland two years ago. ... Steuber was out of football last year after receiving a trial with Los Angeles, but the knee that made him virtually useless to the Browns in 1946 is reported to be healed.