Dean Elmer Steinkuhler (born January 27, 1961) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

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) for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Steinkuhler played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...

, and was recognized as an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. He was selected in the first round of the

1984 NFL draft The 1984 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held May 1–2, 1984 NFL season, ...

, and played professionally for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

of the NFL.

College career

Steinkuhler attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, where he won the

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...

, given to the nation's top

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

, in 1983. This marked the third consecutive time a Cornhusker had won the award as Dave Rimington had won back to back Outland Trophies in 1981 and 1982. Steinkuhler also won the

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lombard ...

in 1983, marking the second consecutive year a Nebraska player had won that award as Rimington had also won the Lombardi in 1982.

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

is the only team that has had consecutive winners of both of these awards. Steinkuhler is one of eight Nebraska winners of the Outland Trophy and one of five Nebraska winners of the Lombardi Award. Nebraska players have won nine Outland Trophys overall, by far the most in the nation. Oklahoma has the second most with four. He is, along with fellow Nebraska Cornhuskers Rich Glover, Dave Rimington and

Ndamukong Suh Ndamukong Ngwa Suh ( , born January 6, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football ...

, one of only thirteen players to have won both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. In 1999 Steinkuhler was selected to the Nebraska All-Century Football Team via fan poll and was named to the All-Century Nebraska football team by

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. He is one of only sixteen Cornhuskers to have his jersey (#71) retired by the team. Steinkuhler is also remembered for being the player who picked up quarterback

Turner Gill Turner Hillery Gill (born August 13, 1962) is an American college athletic administrator and former football player and coach. He is the Executive Director of Student-Athlete and Staff Development at the University of Arkansas, a position he as ...

's intentional fumble in the 1984 Orange Bowl and ran it 19 yards for a touchdown in a play dubbed the " Fumblerooski".

Collegiate All-Century Teams

In 1999 Steinkuhler was selected as a third-team offensive guard by

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

in their "NCAA Football All-Century Team". The starters were Jim Parker of Ohio State and John Hannah of Alabama, the second-team consisted of Bob Suffridge of Tennessee and Bill Fischer of Notre Dame and the other third-team player was

Aaron Taylor Aaron Taylor may refer to: * Aaron Taylor (American football, born 1972), former NFL player, sports analyst * Aaron Taylor (American football, born 1975), former college football player for the University of Nebraska * Aaron Taylor (baseball) (bo ...

of Nebraska. Steinkuhler was one of six Nebraska Cornhuskers on this All-Century Team 85 man roster; the others being Glover,

Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former professional football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) w ...

, Rimington, Tommie Frazier and Taylor. In 1999 Steinkuhler was selected as an offensive guard to the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit ...

College Football All Century Team. The other offensive guards selected were John Hannah of Alabama, Aaron Taylor of Nebraska, Brad Budde of USC,

Will Shields Will Herthie Shields (born September 15, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning consen ...

of Nebraska and Jim Parker of Ohio State. Steinkuhler was one of six Nebraska Cornhuskers selected to this team; the others being Rodgers, Rimington, Shields, Frazier and Taylor. Steinkuhler is one of 54 players and one of five Cornhuskers named to both the Sports Illustrated and Walter Camp All-Century teams.

Professional career

Steinkuhler was the second overall pick in the first round of the

, taken by the

. He was an Oilers co-rookie of the year. He played both offensive guard and offensive tackle with the Oilers after playing solely offensive guard in college. He played eight seasons with the Oilers (some of those alongside fellow former Husker teammate

Mike Rozier Michael M. Rozier (born March 1, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons and the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1985 to 1 ...

) before retiring in 1991.

Personal

Steinkuhler hailed from Burr, Nebraska, which, according to the 2000 census, has a population of just 66 people. It is thought to be the smallest town to ever produce an All-American. He played both eight-man and eleven-man football at nearby Sterling High School. His sons Ty and Baker have followed in his footsteps. Both are defensive tackles and both graduated from Nebraska. Ty and Baker played at Lincoln Southwest High School and Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca High School.

References

External links

Nebraska football All-Century TeamAthlon Sports Nebraska's All-Time TeamSI's NCAA Football All-Century TeamWalter Camp Football Foundation All Century Team
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinkuhler, Dean 1961 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive tackles Houston Oilers players Nebraska Cornhuskers football players People from Otoe County, Nebraska Second overall NFL draft picks Players of American football from Nebraska