Early years Eberle Hynson Schultz, known to friends by the nickname "Elbie" in his younger years, was born December 23, 1917, in
Eugene, Oregon. He grew up in the historic town of
Oregon City.
Collegiate career The 6'4" Schultz attended
Oregon State College in
Corvallis, Oregon, where he was an
All-American lineman for the collegiate football team in 1939, helping to lead the Beavers to a 9–1–1 record. Schultz became the 6th All-American in the history of the OSU football program. Schultz also briefly fought as an amateur
boxer in the
heavyweight division during his collegiate years, losing by decision in his first foray in the ring.
Professional career Schultz was a draft pick of the
National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles in 1940, going in the fourth round as the league's 28th overall pick. Schultz played for a series of NFL teams during the decade of the 1940s, including the Eagles,
Pittsburgh Steelers, and the
Rams. During the years of
World War II, Schultz played for two teams composed of temporarily merged NFL franchises, including the "
Steagles" (members of the Steelers and Eagles) in 1943 and "
Card-Pitt" (members of the Steelers and the
Chicago Cardinals) in 1944. In October 1944, Schultz was at the epicenter of a brief player strike that rocked the Card-Pitt team. Together with star halfback
Johnny Butler and fullback
Johnny Grigas, Schultz was fined $200 by coaches
Walt Kiesling and
Phil Handler for alleged "indifferent play" following a loss to the
Chicago Bears. The trio protested the unfairness of the relatively massive penalty and on October 18 the entire team refused to practice, forcing a meeting between players and club management. Shultz moved from left guard to
left tackle towards the end of his pro career, appearing in 85 regular season NFL games over the 8 seasons of his career. Schultz contended that the two-year contract he signed with the Rams in August 1946 guaranteed to pay him $10,000 per season for the 1946 and 1947 campaigns, with an additional clause requiring the team to find him a job comparable to the $450 per month position he left in
Oregon City, Oregon, by March 1, 1948, or pay a penalty of $5,000. Named as defendants in the suit were team majority owner
Dan Reeves and three other principals of the club. a contract for 1948 from the Rams was consequently not forthcoming. In July 1948, Schultz signed an $8,000 contract with the
Los Angeles Dons of the rival
All-America Football Conference (AAFC) to play in the forthcoming 1948 season. He reported to the team's training camp in August but was cut by the team 12 days later and paid only $500 of the contracted sum. Schultz's career in professional football was effectively at an end.
Years after the NFL Following the end of his pro football career, Schultz moved to the North Coast of California, settling in
Eureka in 1949. He briefly toyed with entering the coaching profession, serving as an assistant coach of the football team at
Humboldt State College in neighboring
Arcata, California. Unable to land a permanent position as a Lumberjacks coach, in 1953 Schultz turned to part-time collegiate officiating. He remained an active official throughout the decade of the 1950s. Schultz's main occupation in the years after football involved the selling of automobiles. He took a job as a salesman for a Eureka dealer of
Cadillacs and
Oldsmobiles, remaining with the company for seven years. In 1957, he moved over to a new
Volkswagen dealership, Redwood Motors, where he took a position as sales manager. before buying his partner out and assuming complete ownership early in 1962. and was elected multiple times to the board of directors of the California Association of Employers, a business lobbying group. About 1962 he was named to the Eureka Planning Commission, in charge of construction zoning regulations. During the early 1960s, Schultz renewed his connection to the game of football as a coach of the semi-pro Humboldt Forresters, a team sponsored by the Redwood Empire Athletic Club. Schultz was elected as president of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce for 1976. Schultz's met his wife, the former Irene Kezsely (1923–2013), while in Cleveland with the Rams, for whom she worked as part of the front office staff. The pair married on May 3, 1947. Together the couple had five children.
Death and legacy Eberle Schultz, who went by the nickname "Eb" in his later years, died May 20, 2002, in his adopted hometown of Eureka, California. He was 84 years old at the time of his death. ==See also==