Robert Bernard Schnelker (October 17, 1928 – December 12, 2016) was an American professional

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player and coach in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played as a

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for nine seasons, primarily with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He later served as a coach for several NFL teams for over 20 seasons.

Playing career

Schnelker played

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Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

. He was named as an All-Ohio end twice while also playing on the track and field team. He was inducted into the program's athletic Hall of Fame as part of their first class in 1964. He was selected in the 29th round of the 1950 NFL draft by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He served in the Marines before being discharged a few years later, where the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

picked him up for their roster before he was traded to the

. Schnelker was a two-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

er and a member of the 1956 NFL Champion Giants. As a member of the expansion team

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in 1961, he caught the first touchdown pass in the first game played by the team from

Fran Tarkenton Francis Asbury Tarkenton (born February 3, 1940), nicknamed "the Scrambler", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He is wi ...

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Coaching Career

After retiring from football, Schnelker was an assistant coach with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

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and the

. It was with the Vikings that led to a memorable moment from head coach Jerry Burns, who leapt to Schnelker's defense as a coordinator in a profanity-laced tirade after a 23–21 win (a game that saw Rich Karlis make seven field goals before a game-clinching safety happened in overtime) in the 1989 season had plenty of criticism heaped onto Schnelker from Minnesota fans.

Personal life

Schnelker died from complications of cancer on December 12, 2016, in Naples, Florida. He was survived by three grandchildren, a daughter, and a brother.

References

1928 births 2016 deaths American football tight ends Bowling Green Falcons football players Philadelphia Eagles players New York Giants players Minnesota Vikings players Minnesota Vikings coaches Pittsburgh Steelers players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players People from Galion, Ohio NFL offensive coordinators {{tightend-1920s-stub