Gregory Alan Hartle (born February 14, 1951) 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 ...

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 ...

who played three seasons with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

of 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 was selected by the Cardinals in the tenth round of the

1974 NFL draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the Pittsburgh Steelers to have had t ...

after playing

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 ...

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it had 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) ...

Early life and college

Gregory Alan Hartle was born on February 14, 1951, in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. He attended Newberry High School in

Newberry, South Carolina Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, in the Piedmont northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. The population was 10,277 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Newberry County; at one time ...

. Hartle was a member of the Newberry Wolves of

from 1970 to 1973 as a

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Professional career

Hartle was selected by the

in the tenth round, with the 251st overall pick, of the

as a linebacker. He started the first three games of the 1974 season in place of the injured Mark Arneson. Arneson returned as the starter after recovering. Overall, Hartle played in 14 games, starting three, for the Cardinals during his rookie year in 1974 and recovered one fumble. He was Newberry College's first NFL player. He appeared in 13 games, starting three in place of the injured Arneson, during the 1975 season, recording one fumble recovery and one kick return for 20 yards. Hartle also started the first game of the season in 1976 but was then placed on injured reserve for the rest of the year. He became a free agent after the season. Hartle signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

on April 5, 1977. He was placed on injured reserve on August 10, 1977, and spent the entire year there. He became a free agent after the season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartle, Greg Living people 1951 births Players of American football from Savannah, Georgia American football linebackers Newberry Wolves football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Washington Redskins players