Stuhldreher, Harry A.
Football
b. Oct. 14, 1901, Massillon, OH
d. Jan. 22, 1965
As a child, Stuhldreher saw Knute Rockne play professional football with the Massillon Tigers. He went on to play quarterback for Rockne at Notre Dame as one of the "Four Horsemen." He was the only one of the four named to Walter Camp's All-American team as a senior in 1924.
A 154-pound quarterback, Stuhldreher was the team's signal caller, field leader, and best passer. Rockne called him "a good, fearless blocker" and praised his ability to size up a defense and call plays effectively.
Stuhldreher played one professional game in 1925 with the Providence Steam Roller, a 127-0 pre-season victory over the Wet Point Field Artillery, then joined the Waterbury, CT, Blues, an independent professional team that moved to Hartford later in the season. He led them to a 9-1-0 record.
In 1926, Stuhldreher went to the Brooklyn Horsemen of the new American Football League, reportedly for $750 a game. The Horsemen played only four games before merging with the Brooklyn Lions of the NFL and Stuhldreher spent the rest of the season with the Lions.
He had been coaching Villanova while playing professionally and in 1927 he retired as a player to continue as a coach. He left Villanova in 1937 for the University of Wisconsin, where he coached through 1947. His overall record was 110 wins, 87 losses, and 15 ties.