Steve Suter (born June 26, 1982) 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 ...

player. He played as a wide receiver and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

for the

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and also briefly played

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for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

. He gained fame for his explosive returning ability and elusiveness. Despite Suter's career being plagued and finally cut short by injuries, he set multiple

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, conference, and school records.

Early life

Steve Suter was born in

Manchester, Maryland Manchester is a small incorporated town in northeastern Carroll County, Maryland, United States, located just south of the Pennsylvania state line and north of Baltimore. The population was 4,808 at the 2010 census. Manchester was incorporated in ...

, the son of George and Lynn Suter. He attended North Carroll High School in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, where he rushed for over 4,000 career yards. During his senior year in 1999, he rushed for 1,748 yards (1.6 km) and 19 touchdowns. He was ranked #8 in the state of Maryland for rushing and named as a ''

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'' honorable mention All-American,

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all-region, first-team all-state, and ''

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'' All-Metro player.Player Bio: Steve Suter
, Univ. of Maryland Terrapins Football official website, accessed 5 December 2008.

College career

Suter spent his freshman year in 2000 on

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

status. In 2001, he saw minor action in the first four games before breaking an index finger. In 2002, Suter played in all 14 games as a first-string

slot receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being split ...

and started in the 2003 Peach Bowl as an X-receiver. Suter returned four punts for touchdowns: against

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

(81 yards (ca. 74 m)),

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

(80 yards (ca. 73 m)),

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(63 yards (ca. 58 m)), and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

(77 yards (ca. 70 m)). He was twice selected as the ACC Specialist of the Week for his performances at Duke and North Carolina. On his second career carry, he scored on a 61-yard run against N.C. State and was named as the ACC Offensive Back of the Week. Against

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

, Suter's career-first touchdown reception was from Scott McBrien for 91 yards (ca. 83 m), which was one yard shy of the school record 92-yard reception set by Ed Bolton and Stan Lavine in

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. During the Peach Bowl against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, he made his first career start as a receiver and returned a punt and shook four tackles to pick up 79-yards. Suter set the NCAA records for single-season punt returns with 56, kick returns with 78, punt return yards with 778, and tied the NCAA record for punt return touchdowns. ''

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'' and

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named him to the

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 ...

second-team, and the conference named him to the All-ACC first-team as a return specialist. In 2003, Suter started in 10 games and played in two more, much of the time battling a

lateral meniscus The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circular ...

tear in his left knee. He returned two punts for touchdowns: against

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he broke two tackles for a 75-yard score, and in the 2004 Gator Bowl he ran 77-yards for a touchdown against West Virginia. During that game, he also earned the number-one spot on the ESPN

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"Play of the Day" feature, for a diving reception in which he tipped the ball before pulling it in as he fell to the ground in a tangle with cornerback Lance Frazier. Suter was again named to the All-ACC first-team as a specialist in 2003. Suter also set records in the weight room: he broke the school's all-time wide receiver highs for strength index (768), squat (580-lb), clean (352-lb), and

vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...

(42-in). Suter had a solid, though not extraordinary, 2004 season during a down year for the Terps. He accumulated 270 receiving, 163 return, and 31 rushing yards. His drop-off in performance can be attributed to his knee injury in particular, which reduced his quickness. He broke the ACC record for career punt return yards with 1,271. During his college career, Suter accumulated 10 touchdowns, six of which were on punt returns. He was one punt return touchdown shy of making the all-time NCAA record a four-way tie. He also suffered several injuries which required five surgeries, four of which were on his knees.Coaches Bio: Steve Suter
Scott McBrien Passing Academy, accessed 7 December 2008. Suter never fair caught a ball, and said in 2002, "I don't see the need for fair catches ... If someone is in my face, I'll catch it and fall forward for 2 yards (1.83 m), and we've got 2 yards (1.83 m) we didn't have if I had fair-caught it."

Statistics

Sources: Steve Suter Stats
ESPN, accessed 5 December 2008.

Professional career

Undersized even for college football, Suter was passed over in the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. He attended the

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try-outs before signing as a free-agent for the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

on 16 May 2005.Jo Jo Walker takes over for Steve Suter
''The Washington Post'', pp. H03, 31 August 2005. With the Tiger-Cats, Suter saw action in just two games. While in the CFL, he returned four kick-offs for 112 yards, four punts for 16 yards, and a missed field goal attempt for 20 yards. He injured his shoulder during the season-opener against the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

and subsequently missed the next five games. In his second game, he broke his collar bone against the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

. After the 2006 training camp, he was released from the team due to his injuries.Steve Suter
, Hamilton Tiger-Cats – Official Site of the Tiger-Cats, accessed 5 December 2008.

Coaching career

After the end of his playing career, Suter returned home and took a job at the Scott McBrien Passing Academy in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

. At the training camp, he is a wide receivers coach for youth and high school players. There, he works alongside former Maryland teammates Scott McBrien and Scooter Monroe. The

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous football camp was founded by former quarterback McBrien who stated, "A lot of kids who aren't necessarily that big n sizeor well known don't get looks from college coaches ... Lots of these kids have the talent to be very successful at the college level and we're trying to promote that ... We're trying to help kids in Steve

uter Uter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adrian Uter (born 1984), Jamaican basketball player * Samuel Uter (born 1885), Jamaican cricketer See also *Üter Zörker The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' cont ...

s position."Tim Prudente
Scott McBrien Starts New Area Football Camp
DC Sports Fan.com, 5 November 2008.

References

External links

ESPN StatsYoutube video of Suter's 2003 Gator Bowl diving receptionYoutube video of Suter's 2003 Gator Bowl punt return touchdown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suter, Steve Living people American football wide receivers American football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers Canadian football return specialists Players of Canadian football from Maryland Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Maryland Terrapins football players People from Manchester, Maryland Sportspeople from Carroll County, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland 1982 births People from Hampstead, Maryland