Robert Joseph Schmitz (September 10, 1938 – June 8, 2004) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who played professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Schmitz graduated from New Holstein High School in New Holstein, Wisconsin. He then went on to initially attend college at

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, then at Montana State University where he earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Business Administration.

Playing career

Schmitz was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 14th round of the

1961 NFL Draft The 1961 National Football League draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise. This draft was also the first reg ...

. Schmitz was also drafted in the

1960 American Football League Draft The 1960 American Football League draft was held on November 23–24, 1959, in Minneapolis, shortly after the organization of the league, and lasted 33 rounds. An additional draft of 20 rounds was held by the AFL on December 2. Teams were requ ...

by the Oakland Raiders, but he chose the Steelers. He is most notable for playing linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1961 to 1966. Schmitz played in a total of 51 NFL games. During his career he recorded three

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s for 65 yards and a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

. Also, he recorded one

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

from the linebacker spot. Perhaps his most memorable moment came at

Pitt Stadium Pitt Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in the eastern United States, located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1925, it served primarily as the home of the un ...

on November 10, 1963 where he recorded his only safety. Schmitz tackled

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

running back Jim Brown of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

in the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

for a safety that gave the Steelers a 9–7 victory. Schmitz was then named NFL Player of the Week for his winning score. After winning the honor Schmitz said, "Gee, that's probably the best thing that ever happened to me."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
/ref> His last season in the NFL came in 1966; a season in which he split time between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

Scouting

After his playing career ended Schmitz took up scouting in the NFL. In 1971, he was hired by the NFL's BLESTO combine, a scouting service that was located in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as an area scout in 1976 after being hired by Art Rooney, Jr. Schmitz worked for the Steelers until 1995. Schmitz then accepted a scouting job for the New York Jets in 1995 because he was offered more money by his former boss with the Steelers

Dick Haley George Richard Haley, Jr. (born October 2, 1937) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the Universit ...

. Schmitz assisted the Jets with their drafts and college

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

signing periods. Throughout his career Schmitz specialty was grading defensive players. Schmitz retired as a scout on June 1, 2004 after a successful 33-year run.

Death

On June 8, 2004, Schmitz took a late-morning nap at his home in Glendale, Arizona and never woke up . His death was ruled an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. Bob Schmitz was 65 years old.

References

External links

Obituary from NFL.comObituary from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitz, Bob 1939 births 2004 deaths American people of German descent People from Calumet, Wisconsin People from New Holstein, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin American football linebackers Wisconsin Badgers football players Montana State Bobcats football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Minnesota Vikings players Pittsburgh Steelers scouts