Glenn Ressler
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Glenn Emanuel "Zeke" Ressler (born May 21, 1943) is an American former
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 ...
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 ( ...
who played in the
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(NFL) from 1965 through 1974 for the
Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...
. Ressler was regarded as one of the top
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 ...
linemen in the country during his junior and senior years of 1963 and 1964, winning the
Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
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 a
middle guard The Middle Guard () was a formation of the French Imperial Army's Imperial Guard. It was an intermediate force between the elite Old Guard and the less experienced Young Guard. It played a role in Napoleon's military campaigns, offering a balan ...
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 the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 2001.


Early life

Glenn Ressler was born May 21, 1943, to Maurice and Edna Ressler of Leck Kill, Pennsylvania, a tiny rural hamlet near Dornsife, part of Little Mahanoy Township.Bill Toland
"Sports Sputterings,"
''Sunbury Daily Item,'' Jan. 20, 1962; p. 9.
He grew up on a farm, forking hay and shocking wheat, and did not play football until high school. He attended Mahanoy Joint High School in
Herndon, Pennsylvania Herndon, formerly Trevorton Junction, is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough along the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Herndon was first founded by Robert A. Parrish in ...
— a town in central Pennsylvania with fewer than 1,000 residents. Ressler was a star
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
on the Mahanoy team, playing both offense and defense in the era of the
single platoon system The one-platoon system, also known as "iron man football", is a rule-driven substitution pattern in American football whereby the same players were expected to stay on the field for the entire game, playing both offense and defense as required. P ...
. Already 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighing 205 pounds (93 kg) during his high school years, he was recognized both as a sound blocker and tackler. At the end of his senior year in 1960, Ressler was selected as one of three centers named to the Pennsylvania Big 33 list of star football players from Pennsylvania selected by the ''Harrisburg Patriot News.''"HHS, Berwick, Kingston, Minersville Football Players Make Big 33 List,"
''Hazelton APlain Speaker,'' Dec. 12, 1960, p. 21.
Joining Ressler on the select list was future
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
quarterback
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from Beaver Falls. In 2012, the high school football field in Dornsife was dedicated and renamed in Ressler's honor, and his name is on the scoreboard.


College career

Ressler was awarded a football scholarship to
Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
in the fall of 1961, on track to soon play for the
Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...
. 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 a
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
on defense. By his 1963 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. On the offensive side of the ball, Ressler continued to fill the guard position he had occupied as a sophomore."Engle Touts Ressler as Best Interior Lineman in Country,"
''Lancaster ASunday News,'' June 21, 1964, p. 33.
The Penn State athletic department began touting Ressler as a potential
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 ...
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 from
Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
, and right now he's our toughest lineman." Penn State line coach Jim 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.Dave Leherr
"Ressler Sparks Penn State's Defensive Line,"
''Somerset ADaily American,'' Nov. 21, 1963, p. 6.
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. Penn State head coach
Rip Engle Charles A. "Rip" Engle (March 26, 1906 – March 7, 1983) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Brown University from 1944 to 1949 and at Pennsylvania State University from ...
moved Ressler from guard to center on the offensive side for his 1964 senior season. He lamented to an
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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. 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." The
Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...
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. Particularly notable for the Nittany Lions in 1964 would be a 27–0 upset shutout of #2 ranked
Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
at Columbus before a crowd of over 84,000 people. Ressler had 15 tackles in the game. Ressler — called "Zeke" by his Penn State teammates — was chosen as winner of the
Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
as college football's best all-around player of 1964. He was a "consensus All-American," although named in a variety of positions — as an offensive center to the 22-man two platoon team of the
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, as a guard to the 11-man single platoon first team picked by the
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, 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.Ben Callaway
"State's Ressler Eyes Offense as Colt,"
''Philadelphia Daily News,'' Jan. 26, 1965; p. 50.
Ressler was also named as college football Lineman of the Year for 1964 by the Philadelphia Sportswriters' Association. 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 the
East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
held in
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on January 2, 1965, and in the 1965
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held in
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one week later. Ressler majored in Agricultural Education at Penn State, receiving his
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree in 1966.Joe Marcin (ed.), ''Football Register 1967.'' St. Louis, MO: The Sporting News, 1971; p. 229.


Professional career

In a
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that saw
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linebacker
Dick Butkus Richard Marvin Butkus (December 9, 1942 – October 5, 2023) was an American professional football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He w ...
taken as the top run-stopper and Northwestern's Joe Cerne taken as the first center off the board, Glenn Ressler was selected by the
Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...
in the third round with the 36th overall pick. He was estimated more highly by the rival
American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
(AFL), with the
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taking him with the 18th overall pick in that draft. Ressler signed with the Colts on January 10, 1965, for an amount undisclosed in the press."Colts Sign Penn State's Glenn Ressler: 3rd Draft Choice Set to Replace Retiring Sandusky,"
''Pittsburgh Press,'' sec. 4, p. 3.
It was speculated that Baltimore planned to use Ressler as an offensive lineman, possibly as a guard to replace the aging Alex Sandusky. 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." Ressler spent his rookie year under head coach
Don Shula Donald Francis Shula ( ; January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American professional American football, football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven s ...
in a reserve role, substituting at both offensive and defensive tackle."34 Veterans to Report to Colts' Camp,"
''Lancaster Sunday News,'' July 17, 1966, p. 42.
His play was sufficient for the Colts to offer a new contract for the 1966 season, which was signed April 23. 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."Veterans in Camp: Colts Start Full-Scall Drills,"
''Hagerstown DDaily Mail,'' July 18, 1966, p. 12.
Shula proclaimed the experiment a success, noting that Ressler "looked good," with prospects excellent for further improvement. 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.Baltimore Colts media guides for 1965, p.45 and 1966, p. 50. Ressler had by then bulked up to 250 pounds, his playing weight for the rest of his career. Ressler quickly gained a reputation on the Colts for being shy and soft-spoken, with one ''Baltimore 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." 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 the
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 ...
at Tiger 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. Finally, ahead of the 1967 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." 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 Throughout its history, the National Football league (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national ...
year of
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
."Glenn Ressler,"
Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com/
On January 12, 1969, Ressler started at left guard for the Colts in
Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football championship game played on January 12, 1969, at the Miami Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl in Miami, Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the fi ...
, a 16–7 loss to Joe Namath and the
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. Ressler's 1969 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, but was eventually forced to shut down for the last six games of the season. ''Baltimore Colts 1970: Press, Radio, TV.''Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Colts, 1970; p. 50. In the 1970 Super Bowl season, Glenn Ressler saw action in 13 games, starting in 11. He was a starter for the team in
Super Bowl V Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1970 Baltimore Colts season, Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1970 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cowboys ...
, a 16–13 win on a last second field goal by Jim O'Brien and finished the season a Super Bowl champion. 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. He was traded to
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in 1975, but retired instead of continuing to play.


Life after football

While still playing for the Colts, Ressler was in the restaurant business with his father-in-law, operating Red Barn and
Ponderosa Steakhouse Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of buffet/steakhouse restaurants that are a part of Homestyle Dining LLC based in Plano, Texas. Its menu includes steaks, hamburgers, seafood, and chicken and potato entrées, all of whic ...
franchises, which continued after his career ended. He was in the restaurant business for 30 years. He later worked in real estate. Even while he was a member of the Baltimore Colts, Ressler began pursuing other occupational interests, joining the faculty of Upper Dauphin Area High School, located in rural
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populati ...
, in 1967 as a vocational agriculture instructor."Ressler on Faculty of Upper Dauphin High,"
''Sunbury Daily Item,'' Feb. 15, 1967, p. 5.
He and his wife, the former Sandra Clemm, made their home in
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 8,130 at the 2020 census. There are many large ...
. She survived both a heart and kidney transplant. Ressler was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 2001."Glenn Ressler,"
National Football Foundation, footballfoundation.org/


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ressler, Glenn 1943 births Living people Sportspeople from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football centers American football offensive guards American football offensive tackles Penn State Nittany Lions football players All-American college football players Maxwell Award winners Baltimore Colts players College Football Hall of Fame inductees