Ernie Steele
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bothell, Washington, U.S.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
 Steele on a 1948 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 | |||||||||||||
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| 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.
