Glenn Ressler

Glenn Ressler was born May 21, 1943, to Maurice and Edna Ressler of Leck Kill, Pennsylvania, a tiny rural hamlet near Dornsife, part of Little Mahanoy Township. He grew up on a farm, forking hay and shocking wheat, and did not play football until high school. He attended Mahanoy Joint High School in Herndon, Pennsylvania — a town in central Pennsylvania with fewer than 1,000 residents. Ressler was a star center on the Mahanoy team, playing both offense and defense in the era of the single platoon system. Already 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighing 205 pounds (93 kg) during his high school years, he was recognized both as a sound blocker and tackler. At the end of his senior year in 1960, Ressler was selected as one of three centers named to the Pennsylvania Big 33 list of star football players from Pennsylvania selected by the Harrisburg Patriot News. Joining Ressler on the select list was future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath from Beaver Falls. In 2012, the high school football field in Dornsife was dedicated and renamed in Ressler's honor, and his name is on the scoreboard. ==College career==

Ressler was awarded a football scholarship to Penn State University in the fall of 1961, on track to soon play for the Nittany Lions. On the offensive side of the ball, Ressler continued to fill the guard position he had occupied as a sophomore. The Penn State athletic department began touting Ressler as a potential All-American for 1964, with publicity director Jim Tarman noting: "If we have an All-America candidate next year, he's it. He's a big farm boy from Dornsife, up the river from Harrisburg, and right now he's our toughest lineman." Penn State line coach Jim O'Hora noted that the now 230-pound Ressler should be one of the best defensive linemen of 1964 if he wasn't already. "He has the knack for coming up with the big play," O'Mora said. Penn State's defense was indeed special in 1963, giving up just 92 points through 9 games and finishing the season with a record of 7–3 and a No. 16 national ranking in the coaches poll. Ressler finished the 10 games of his junior 1963 season with 7 quarterback sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, an interception, 53 unassisted tackles, and 30 assists. The enthusiastic coach told another reporter of his senior two-way line star, "Ressler is big, strong, quick, a fine tackler, and what else do you need? On offense he excels at blocking the man over center and clearing the way for our inside attack. He snaps the ball well for punts and on hand-ups. Defensively he's a rugged tackler and difficult to block. Most important of all, he has the temperament to be great." Particularly notable for the Nittany Lions in 1964 would be a 27–0 upset shutout of #2 ranked Ohio State at Columbus before a crowd of over 84,000 people. Ressler had 15 tackles in the game. Ressler — called "Zeke" by his Penn State teammates — was chosen as winner of the Maxwell Award as college football's best all-around player of 1964. He was a "consensus All-American," although named in a variety of positions — as an offensive center to the 22-man two platoon team of the Newspaper Enterprise Association, as a guard to the 11-man single platoon first team picked by the American Football Coaches Association, and so forth. The versatile Ressler was named to various All-American teams as an offensive center and guard, and a defensive guard, tackle, and linebacker. Ressler was also named as college football Lineman of the Year for 1964 by the Philadelphia Sportswriters' Association. As a national star and a graduating senior, Ressler had multiple offers to appear in post-season college all-star games. He elected to play for the East in the East–West Shrine Game held in San Francisco on January 2, 1965, and in the 1965 Hula Bowl held in Honolulu one week later. Ressler majored in Agricultural Education at Penn State, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. ==Professional career==

In a draft that saw Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus taken as the top run-stopper and Northwestern's Joe Cerne taken as the first center off the board, Glenn Ressler was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the third round with the 36th overall pick. Ressler signed with the Colts on January 10, 1965, for an amount undisclosed in the press. It was speculated that Baltimore planned to use Ressler as an offensive lineman, possibly as a guard to replace the aging Alex Sandusky. His play was sufficient for the Colts to offer a new contract for the 1966 season, which was signed April 23. The Colts had Ressler report early with the rookies to its 1966 training camp so that head coach Don Shula could give the second year player multiple repetitions at a new NFL position, center. Shula proclaimed the experiment a success, noting that Ressler "looked good," with prospects excellent for further improvement. Ressler had by then bulked up to 250 pounds, his playing weight for the rest of his career. The jack-of-all-trades Ressler preferred to do his talking on the field with his hard blocking and sound tackling skills. Ressler continued to play several positions in a reserve roll for the Colts in 1966, finally getting his first professional start in a November 20 game against the Detroit Lions at Tiger Stadium in the season's 11th week. The 23-year old Ressler made his starting debut on the offensive side of the ball, playing tackle. Finally, ahead of the 1967 season Glenn Ressler got his opportunity to become a Colts starter on a permanent basis. Head coach Shula noted that Ressler was "ready to replace Alex Sandusky, who has retired, at guard." Ressler would become a fixture at left guard for the Colts, starting all 14 regular season games in 1967 and in the Colts' NFL Championship year of 1968. On January 12, 1969, Ressler started at left guard for the Colts in Super Bowl III, a 16–7 loss to Joe Namath and the New York Jets. Ressler's 1969 season was marked by a serious knee injury. He attempted to play on the hurt leg for a time, starting a total of 8 games, In the 1970 Super Bowl season, Glenn Ressler saw action in 13 games, starting in 11. From 1971 through the end of his career in 1974, Ressler was a reliable starter at left guard for the Colts, albeit missing 5 games in 1972 due to injury. He was traded to Washington in 1975, but retired instead of continuing to play. ==Life after football==

While still playing for the Colts, Ressler was in the restaurant business with his father-in-law, operating Red Barn and Ponderosa Steakhouse franchises, which continued after his career ended. He was in the restaurant business for 30 years. He later worked in real estate. He and his wife, the former Sandra Clemm, made their home in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. ==References==