Allen Steckle
Steckle pictured in The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association football guide, 1899
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 1872 Freeport, Michigan |
| Died | March 5, 1938 (aged 65) |
| Playing career | |
| 1897–1899 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1901–1903 | Nevada |
| 1904–1905 | Oregon Agricultural |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 16–14–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| All-American, 1898 | |
Allen Chubb "A. C." Steckle (July 1872 – March 5, 1938) was an American football player and coach. He played tackle for the University of Michigan from 1897–1899 and later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada and Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College. Steckle was selected as an All-American in 1898 and achieved fame in 1903 when his Nevada Sagebrush team, drawn from a school with 80 students, defeated the University of California football team.
Steckle was born in July 1872 at Freeport, Michigan. His father, Abraham B. Steckle, was born in Waterloo Township, Ontario, Canada, in 1842, and worked as a farmer. His mother, Sarah (Furtney) Steckle, was also a native of Waterloo Township. His parents were married in December 1867 in Waterloo County, Ontario. At the time of the 1880 United States Census, Steckle was residing with his parents and six siblings in Campbell Township, Michigan.
Steckle played football for the University of Michigan from 1897 to 1899 and was captain of the 1899 team. In 1898, Steckle was among the first western players to be named to an All-American team after being selected by Walter Camp as his second-team tackle. He helped Michigan win its first Western Conference championship in 1898 and was selected as the best tackle in the West. One newspaper wrote that he was "as good a defensive player as one will find anywhere."
From 1901 to 1903, Steckle served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada. In 1903, he was also appointed to the position as the university's Physical Director. In his three seasons as the head coach, he compiled a 6–9–2 record. When Steckle's Nevada Sagebrush team defeated the University of California in 1903, it was the cause of a statewide celebration. The entire front page of the Daily Nevada State Journal was given to coverage of the game, and the banner headline read: "CALIFORNIA'S PROUD COLORS LOWERED BY THE DOUGHTY ELEVEN FROM SAGEBRUSHDOM." Steckle's picture appeared on the front page, and the paper praised his efforts in turning Nevada into a football power:
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