Herbert Sturhahn

Herbert Carl Sturhahn ^{[ 1 ]} (29 de julio de 1902 – 10 de enero de 1979), apodado " Cobbles ", ^{[ 2 ]} fue un jugador de fútbol americano . Fue guardia All-American del primer equipo en la Universidad de Yale en 1925 y 1926, y fue incorporado póstumamente al Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Universitario .

Sturhahn nació en 1902 en Far Rockaway, Queens , Ciudad de Nueva York. ^{[ 2 ]} Era hijo de Carl F. Sturhahn (1871–1939), un inmigrante de Alemania y presidente de la compañía de seguros Rossia. ^{[ 3 ]} El joven Sturhahn creció en Long Island y asistió a la escuela secundaria William Howard Taft y a la Academia Militar de Nueva York . ^{[ 2 ]}

Sturhahn se matriculó en la Universidad de Yale , donde jugó fútbol americano universitario como guardia para los equipos de fútbol americano de los Yale Bulldogs . Como estudiante de segundo año, ayudó a liderar al equipo de fútbol americano de Yale de 1924 a una temporada invicta de 6-0-2. Como estudiante de tercer año y nuevamente como estudiante de último año, fue seleccionado por la Junta All-America como guardia del primer equipo en sus equipos All-America de 1925 y 1926. [ 4 ] ^{[ 5 ] La Associated Press} lo nombró miembro del primer equipo de su equipo All-America de 1925, ^{[ 6 ]} así como de su equipo All-Eastern de 1925. ^{[ 7 ]}

During the 1926 Harvard–Yale football rivalry game, his final game for the Bulldogs, Sturhahn recovered a blocked punt for a Yale touchdown, the winning margin in a 12–7 victory.^[8] One sportswriter credited Sturhahn with being "half of Eli's team" and described his contributions:

But lest we . . . overlook the hero of the game on the field, let us pause a moment to salute one "Cobbles" Sturhahn. . . . A guard, no matter how loyally and brilliantly he may labor, is compelled by the nature of his job to wage his mimic warfare under a pile of rival jerseys, hidden from the crowd. And the courageous work he did was lost upon the thoughtless. But Saturday "Cobbles" was at least three Sturhahns of the yesteryears.He made Yale's touchdown. It would have been a safety but for his quick eye and impetuous dive to grasp his golden opportunity. And having put his team in the lead, it was he who held it there. . . . He was everywhere, playing a roving guard. He ducked the pile of rival jerseys and shone in the brightest rays of light that pierced the black clouds overhead and filled the Bowl with a blue ray of burning will to win. Yale owes that game to Sturhahn and the more one examines and analyses the play-by-play account, the taller looms Sturhahn's part in the famous victory.^[9]

Sturhahn was an all-around athlete who also competed for Yale in ice hockey, track, and golf.^[2]

In June 1927, Sturhahn married Etienne Lawrence, a foster daughter of journalist David Lawrence.^[10] A son,^[11] Lawrence (1928–1997),^[12][13] had a career working on motion pictures, serving as producer of the 1971 George Lucas movie THX 1138.^[14][15]

Sturhahn became an insurance broker in New Jersey.^[2] In the late 1930s, he served as president of the Indoor Polo Association of America.^[16] Sturhahn died in 1979 and was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.^[2]