John Oehler
John Walter "Cap" Oehler (born August 5, 1910 – May 12, 1983)[1] was an American football center in the National Football League (NFL). He was a charter member of the Pittsburgh Pirates (which would later be renamed the Steelers). Oehler was born in Queens, New York.[2] He played college football at Purdue University where he was named a captain.[3]
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| No. 26 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 5, 1910 Queens, New York, United States | ||||||||
| Died: | 12 May 1983 (aged 72) Pinehurst, North Carolina | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 204 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Purdue | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Scored first points (a safety) of Pirates (Steelers) franchise history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 1936 | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
In 1933 Oehler joined the newly formed Pittsburgh Pirates of the NFL. In the team's first game, he blocked a punt which went out the back of the end zone resulting in a safety. Those were the first points recorded in franchise history and the lone points in that first 23–2 loss.[4] He would play two years for the Pirates before moving on to the Brooklyn Dodgers where he played two more seasons.
After leaving football, he built a career in sales with shipbuilder Dravo Corporation.[5]
References
- North Carolina, Deaths, 1931-1994
- "Cap Oehler bio". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- "Big Ten Grid Notes". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 17, 1932. p. 18. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- Sell, Jack (September 21, 1933). "25,000 See Pro Pirates Lose Grid Opener". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 14–15. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- "Dravo Appoints Sales Manager of Division". Pittsburgh Press. February 2, 1951. p. 30. Retrieved May 12, 2011.