Steve Van Buren
| Steve Van Buren | |
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Position (s): Halfback |
Jersey number (s): 15 |
| born on December 28, 1920 in La Ceiba , Honduras | |
| died on August 23, 2012 in Lancaster , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1944 - 1951 | |
| NFL Draft : 1944 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | |
| College : Louisiana State University | |
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| Career statistics | |
| The space gained by running | 5,860 yards |
| Average per run | 4.4 yards |
| Touchdowns | 72 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Stephen W. "Steve" Van Buren (* 28 December 1920 in La Ceiba , Honduras ; † 23. August 2012 in Lancaster , Pennsylvania ), nickname : Wham Bam or Supersonic Steve , was a US American football player in the National Football League . He played as a halfback with the Philadelphia Eagles .
Life
youth
Steve Van Buren was born in Honduras in 1920 and grew up in Tela . His parents died at the age of 10. He moved to New Orleans as an orphan and was raised there by his grandparents. In New Orleans he attended Easton High School . Van Buren was not considered a particularly hard-working student. He only played American football in his senior year of school, but with outstanding success. He set the national record for scored touchdowns and gained space. His outstanding sporting achievements earned him a sports scholarship .
Player career
College career
Steve Van Buren studied from 1941 to 1943 at Louisiana State University , where he played American football with the Tigers . The strong player was initially used as a blocking back and had the task of blocking the way into the opposing end zone for his teammates . Only in his final year of study did he get the opportunity to run as a halfback with the ball himself. His 150 runs resulted in a gain of 847 yards. As in high school, these values were national records. After the 1943 season he was able to move into the Orange Bowl with his team , which the team won at 19:14 against Texas A&M University . Van Buren once again drew the attention of the NFL scouts to the attention of the NFL scouts with an outstanding performance . Although he sprained his foot, he ran the ball over a total of 172 yards and competed successfully as a punter and placekicker . With three touchdowns he contributed significantly to the victory of his Tigers. Van Buren has received several awards from his college for his athletic achievements .
Professional career
In 1944, Steve Van Buren was drafted fifth by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round . He received an annual salary of $ 4,000 . Coach of the team was Greasy Neale , Van Buren already in his rookie year as a starter began.
In his first year as a professional, Van Buren achieved the highest average of all NFL players with a gain of 5.6 yards per run. Even after that, Van Buren set numerous NFL annual records. In the playing years 1945 and 1947 to 1949 he set the annual records for the overall gain in space achieved by running plays. He also scored the most touchdowns in the four seasons .
Despite Van Buren's above-average performances, the Eagles remained an average team until 1947. Only this year Van Buren and his team made it into the play-offs . In the NFL final they failed at the Chicago Cardinals with 28:21. Van Buren had a touchdown, but otherwise remained below his usual performance and was only able to gain space by 26 yards.
The Eagles managed to tie wide receiver Pete Pihos to the Philadelphia team in 1947 . Pihos and Van Buren, along with players like Bucko Kilroy and Al Wistert, were the cornerstones of the team, which Neale formed into a top team. The Eagles' offense dominated the NFL for the next several years. In 1948 Van Buren was able to win the first NFL championship. Again the Cardinals were the opponent. Steve Van Buren scored the decisive touchdown for his team's 7-0 victory. In the game he also managed to gain 98 yards of space. The following year, the Eagles repeated their title win and beat the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 after a season with 11 wins in a defeat in the NFL final . With a gain of space of 196 yards through running plays, Van Buren again played a decisive role in winning the title. After the 1952 season, Van Buren ended his career. He broke his leg in pre-season, which contributed to his premature retirement.
Familiar
Steve Van Buren's younger brother, Ebert Van Buren , was also an Eagles player and played in Philadelphia from 1951 to 1953. Van Buren pursued various professions after his career and lived for a long time in a suburb of Philadelphia. He died on August 23, 2012 of complications from pneumonia in a retirement home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His grave is not known.
Honors
Steve Van Buren has been voted All Pro seven times . He is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is honored on the Eagles Hall of Fame . He is also a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team , the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame , the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team , as well as the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. His number 15 is banned from the Eagles. The Sporting News magazine named him one of the Top 100 Football Players of All Time.
Web links
- Steve Van Buren of the Philadelphia Eagles II, obituary
- Steve Van Buren as the record holder in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Steve Van Buren's biography
Individual evidence
- ↑ Van Buren was a star - but didn't act like it ( Memento from January 20, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ Statistics Orange Bowl 1943 ( Memento from December 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Steve Van Buren ( Memento from January 28, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Eagles 1947
- ^ NFL final 1947 - statistics
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Eagles 1948
- ^ NFL final 1948 statistics
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Eagles 1949
- ^ NFL final 1949 statistics
- ↑ Steve Van Buren in the Find a Grave database
- ↑ Steve Van Buren on the list of the 100 best football players of all time ( Memento from September 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Van Buren, Steve |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Van Buren, Stephen W. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | La Ceiba , Honduras |
| DATE OF DEATH | 23rd August 2012 |
| Place of death | Lancaster , Pennsylvania , Pennsylvania |