Walt Kiesling
| Walt Kiesling | |
|---|---|
|
Positions: Guard , Defensive Tackle |
Jersey number (s): 35 |
| born May 27, 1903 in St. Paul , Minnesota | |
| died on March 2, 1962 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1926 - 1938 | |
| College : University of St. Thomas | |
| Teams | |
|
as a player
as a trainer
|
|
| Career statistics | |
| Games | 125 |
| as a starter | 81 |
| Play as a coach | 90 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Walter Andrew "Walt" Kiessling (* 27. May 1903 in St. Paul , Minnesota ; † 2. March 1962 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ) Nickname : gravel , was a US American football players and coaches in the National Football League (NFL).
Player career
Kiesling played University of St. Thomas American football. He was used both in the offensive line and in the defensive line . In 1926 he signed a professional contract with the Duluth Eskimos and became a teammate of Halfback John McNally with whom he remained friends until the end of his life. Both moved to the Pottsville Maroons after two years of playing in Duluth . After another playing year there, Kiesling joined the Chicago Cardinals . Simultaneously with Kiesling, the Cardinals tied Ernie Nevers, one of the first star players of the still young NFL, to the team. Kiesling was one of the offensive line players who helped Nevers score a record six touchdowns in a game against the Chicago Bears in 1929 . This achievement is still a league record today .
In 1934 Kiesling ran for one year for the Chicago Bears. Kiesling remained undefeated with his team this year and was able to win all 13 games. The NFL final , however, was lost 30:13 against the New York Giants .
In 1935 Walt Kiesling was hired by the Green Bay Packers , who were trained by Curly Lambeau and who already had numerous selection players such as Clarke Hinkle , Arnie Herber or Charles Goldenberg in their ranks. Simultaneously with Kiesling, his friend McNally also switched to the team from Green Bay and with the wide receiver Don Hutson one of the best pass recipients of the time was signed. In 1936 the team was strengthened again and Kiesling won the NFL championship with his team. The Boston Redskins had to admit defeat 21: 6. After two more playing years with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Kiesling ended his playing career in 1938.
Coaching career
In 1937, John McNally became Head Coach of the Pirates and Kiesling joined his coaching staff as assistant coach . After McNally left the Pittsburgh team after the 1939 season, Kiesling was the new head coach of the team, which was renamed Steelers in 1940. Kiesling personally preferred to work only as an assistant coach and only took over the coaching position at the Pirates / Steelers sporadically. In 1943 he became the head coach of the Phil-Pitt Steagles together with Greasy Neale . Due to World War II , players were scarce and Steelers had to team up with the Philadelphia Eagles to form a syndicate. In 1944 a syndicate was established with the Cardinals and Kiesling coached the team with Phil Handler . From 1945 Kiesling was assistant coach to Curly Lambeau for four years at the Packers, before he returned to the Steelers in 1949 in the same function. From 1954 he was again head coach of the team. He held the office for three years and then retired due to health problems.
Walt Kiesling's name is closely tied to one of the biggest mistakes a coach has ever made in the NFL. In 1955 , the Steelers drafted a young quarterback from Pittsburgh. Kiesling did not use Johnny Unitas, however, but pushed him off to a semi-professional team. He thought he was too stupid to keep the moves. In 1956, Weeb Ewbank , head coach of the Baltimore Colts , was looking for a replacement quarterback for his team and therefore asked the Steelers. The owner of the Steelers Art Rooney was initially unwilling to let Unitas go, but Kiesling prevailed and Unitas moved to Baltimore . Johnny Unitas quickly became one of the greatest playmakers of all time.
Walt Kiesling died in 1962 and is buried in Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.
Honors
Kiesling was voted All-Pro four times . He is a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team and has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1966 .
Web links
- Walt Kiesling short biography ( memento from February 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- Kiesling with the Steelers
- Walt Kiesling's coaching statistics
source
- Chuck Frederick: Leatherheads of the North. The True Story of Ernie Nevers & the Duluth Eskimos. X-Communication, Duluth MN 2007, ISBN 978-1-887317-32-0 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Bears 1934
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Packers 1936
- ↑ Data from the Cardinals / Steelers syndicate
- ↑ Walt Kiesling's grave in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kiesling, Walt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kiesling, Walter Andrew (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player, coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 27, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Paul , Minnesota , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 2, 1962 |
| Place of death | Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States |