Stautner, "Ernie" (Ernest)
Football
b. April 20, 1925, Prinzing-bei-Cham, Bavaria
d. Feb. 17, 2006
Stautner's family came to the United States, settling in Albany, New York, when he was three years old. After serving in the Marines during World War II, he wanted to play football for Notre Dame, but was turned down for being too small, and he became a four-year starting tackle at Boston College, from 1946 through 1949.
He hoped to be drafted by the NFL's New York Giants, but the Giants also felt he was too small. The Pittsburgh Steelers made him their third-round draft choice in 1950.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Stautner was 10 or 15 pounds lighter than most defensive tackles of his era, but he missed only six games in 14 seasons. Because of his quickness, he was often moved to defensive end to rush the quarterback in passing situations, and he was occasionally used in the offensive line.
An All-Pro in 1956, Stautner was selected for nine Pro Bowls. He retired after the 1963 season. After serving as an assistant coach with the Steelers, the Washington Redskins, and the Denver Broncos, he joined the Dallas Cowboys as defensive line coach in 1966. From 1973 through 1988, he was the team's defensive coordinator. He then served as a scout, coached the Dallas Texans of the Arena Football League in 1990 and 1991, was defensive line coach for the Denver Broncos from 1991 through 1993, and was head coach of the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe from 1995 through 1997. The Galaxy won the World Bowl, the European equivalent of the Super Bowl, in 1995.