Anthony John Steponovich (January 15, 1907 – January 5, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as a guard, and end for the Minneapolis Red Jackets and Frankford Yellow Jackets of the National Football League (NFL) in 1930. Steponovich served as the head football coach at Riverside Junior College from 1948 to 1949.
| No. 6 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard, end, fullback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 15, 1907 Globe, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died: | January 5, 2000 (aged 92) Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Inglewood (Inglewood, California) |
| College: | USC |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
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| As a coach: | |
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| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early years
editSteponovich was born in 1907 in Globe, Arizona, an attended Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California. He enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC), where he played college football for the freshman team in 1926 and for the varsity from 1927 to 1929.[1] As a senior, he played for 1929 USC team that won the Pacific Coast Conference championship, defeated Pittsburgh in the 1930 Rose Bowl and has been retroactively recognized by some selectors as the national champion.
Professional football
editPrior to the 1930 season, Steponovich and two of his USC teammates, Nate Barragar and John Ward, signed with the Minneapolis Red Jackets of the National Football League (NFL).[2][3] He appeared in nine games for the Red Jackets, six as a starter.[4] He played at the end, guard, and center positions.[1]
Steponovich and his USC teammates Barragar and Ward finished the 1930 season with the NFL's Philadelphia franchise, known as the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Steponovich started three games at the end position for the Yellow Jackets.[4] In all, Steponovich appeared in 12 NFL games, 9 as a starter.[4]
Steponovich returned to professional football in 1935 as a guard for the Los Angeles Maroons,[5] and in 1936 as a fullback for the Hollywood Stars.[1]
Steponovich's younger brother, Mike Steponovich, also played in the NFL.[6][5]
Coaching career and later years
editSteponovich later coached football at Oceanside High School in Oceanside, California, and at Riverside Polytechnic High School and Riverside Junior College in Riverside, California.[7] He was promoted to head football coach at Riverside Junior College in 1948, succeeding Jess Mortensen.[8][9] His Riverside Junior College teams won only one conference game in two years, and he was replaced as head coach in March 1950.[10]
Steponovich died in 2000, in Riverside.[1]
Head coaching record
editJunior college
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Tigers (Eastern Conference) (1948–1949) | |||||||||
| 1948 | Riverside | 1–5 | 6th | ||||||
| 1949 | Riverside | 0–5–1 | 7th | ||||||
| Riverside: | 1–10–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Tony Steponovich". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ "Red Jackets Sign Two Coast Stars: Barragar, Famous Center, and Steponovich, Due Next Week". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. August 31, 1930. p. Sports 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Californians Continue Saga as Members of Red Jacket Gridders". The Minneapolis Star. September 27, 1930. p. Sports 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Tony Steponovich". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "Brothers to Battle in Pro Grid Tilt Sunday". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. December 4, 1935. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mike Steponovich NFL Football". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "Riverside Gets New Coach For Coming Season: Tony Steponovich, Ex-Trojan, Selected as Assistant at Nearby Institution". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. September 9, 1938. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Weide, Bob (June 22, 1948). "Steponovich Named Head Grid Coach of Riverside College". Riverside Daily Press. Riverside, California. p. 18. Retrieved May 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Tony Steponovivh Named Mentor at Riverside College". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. July 24, 1948. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "DeFrancisco Named Coach". Los Angeles Times. March 9, 1950. p. IV-3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Indians Fourth In Loop Race". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. San Bernardino, California. December 8, 1948. p. 26. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Maben, Jay (November 25, 1949). "Chaffey Clips Mt. San Antonio, 26-12; Santa Ana Sink Hornets". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. San Bernardino, California. p. 25. Retrieved April 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
External links
edit- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Tony Steponovich at Find a Grave