Steinkuhler, Dean E.
Football
b. Jan. 27, 1961, Syracuse, NE
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Steinkuhler, who was timed at 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard sprint, was a starting offensive guard at the University of Nebraska in 1982 and 1983. He captained the team in his senior year, when he was a consensus All-American and winner of the Outland and Lombardi Awards as the nation's outstanding collegiate lineman.
Because of his speed, Steinkuhler was used as a runner on Nebraska's "fumblerooski" play, on which the quarterback would take the snap from center, put the ball on the ground, and fake handoffs to running backs. In the meantime, Steinkuhler would pick the ball off the ground and run with it. He had a 19-yard touchdown run on that play in Nebraska's 31-30 loss to the University of Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl.
The second player chosen in the 1984 NFL draft, by the Houston Oilers, Steinkuhler became an immediate starter at right tackle, but suffered a knee injury and missed the last eight games of his rookie season. He also missed five games in 1987.
The after-effects of the knee injury slowed him considerably after 1989 and Steinkuhler retired after starting only one game in 1991.
Steinkuhler was one of 85 players named by Sports Illustrated magazine to its all-century college football team.