Strimel graduated from
Cecil High School where he played soccer, basketball and baseball. In 1935, Strimel and his team mates won the Pennsylvania Class B High School Basketball championship. He then went to work in the coal mines before being drafted into the Army during
World War II. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Strimel played for
Morgan Strasser. He also played for
Pittsburgh Beadling In 1948, Strimel was selected for the
U.S. soccer team at the
Summer Olympics. He played in the 9–0 loss to Italy in the first round of the Olympics, which eliminated the U.S. from the tournament. Following the Olympics, the U.S. played two full internationals, an 11–0 loss to
Norway, followed by a 5–0 loss to
Northern Ireland on August 11, 1948. At the time he was selected for the Olympic team, he was playing for the Curry Vets of Curry, Pennsylvania. Curry was a top amateur team, losing the 1948 National Amateur Cup to Fall River Ponta Delgada. He was also a successful minor league baseball player for the
Brooklyn Dodgers. In 2009, Strimel was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. ==References==