Ernie Steele
 Steele on a 1948 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Running back, defensive back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | November 2, 1917 Bothell, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | October 16, 2006 (aged 88) Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Burien (WA) Highline | ||||||||||||
| College | Washington (1938-1941) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1942: 10th round, 81st overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Ernest Raymond Steele (November 2, 1917 – October 16, 2006) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the "Steagles", a team that resulted in the temporary merger of the Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1943. A graduate of Highline High School in Burien, Washington[1] (which made him a charter member of its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999),[2] he played college football at the University of Washington and was drafted in the tenth round of the 1942 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[3]
He played in two NFL championship games for the Philadelphia Eagles.
After ending his football career, Steele opened a diner and sports bar in Seattle, named "Ernie Steele's." It became a landmark and operated under that name until he sold it in 1993.[4] After the sale it was known for eight years as Ileen's Sports Bar, but the back was called "The Ernie Room."[5] Since 2001, it has been a drag bar called Julia's.[6]
Steele died in Seattle, Washington, on October 16, 2006.
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the NFL Championship | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1942 | PHI | 10 | 1 | 24 | 124 | 5.2 | 55 | 0 | 7 | 114 | 16.3 | 36 | 1 |
| 1943 | PHI-PITT | 10 | 1 | 85 | 409 | 4.8 | 47 | 4 | 9 | 168 | 18.7 | 60 | 2 |
| 1944 | PHI | 9 | 2 | 59 | 247 | 4.2 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 | 0 |
| 1945 | PHI | 7 | 1 | 20 | 212 | 10.6 | 46 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 31 | 0 |
| 1946 | PHI | 9 | 4 | 31 | 108 | 3.5 | 43 | 1 | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 24 | 0 |
| 1947 | PHI | 12 | 5 | 26 | 138 | 5.3 | 49 | 1 | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 44 | 0 |
| 1948 | PHI | 12 | 2 | 13 | 99 | 7.6 | 56 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 32 | 1 |
| Career | 69 | 16 | 258 | 1,337 | 5.2 | 56 | 13 | 31 | 520 | 16.8 | 60 | 4 | |
References
- ↑ Raley, Dan (September 28, 2004). "Where Are They Now: Ernie Steele". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
Steele's fleet feet took him from Highline High School, where he was a highly decorated athlete in football, basketball and track, ...
- ↑ "1999 Athletic Hall of Fame". Highline High School. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ↑ "1942 Pittsburgh Steelers". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ↑ "The Seattle Times: Steve Kelley: Ernie had city's first, and finest, sports joint". Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ "No Ferns in Sight as Ernie Steele's Becomes Ileen's".
- ↑ Robert Ketcherside (December 18, 2016). "CHS Re:Take | The Julia's building, past to present". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. Retrieved December 18, 2016.