Milton Edward Gantenbein (May 31, 1910 – December 18, 1988) 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 with ...

player who played on three championship teams, as an

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

and as a defensive end for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

from 1931 to 1940. The former

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

standout was a member of three National Football League (NFL) championship teams under head coach

Curly Lambeau Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Calho ...

. In

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, his rookie year, the sure-handed Gantenbein was the perfect complement to deep-threat Laverne Dilweg in Lambeau's pass-oriented offense and was a solid addition at defensive end. Green Bay's defense limited opponents to 87 points and had five shutouts, while the Packer offense compiled 291 points in fashioning a 12-2 record and winning a third league championship title in the

1931 NFL season The 1931 NFL season was the 12th regular season of the National Football League. The league decreased to 10 teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression: while the Cleveland Indians joined as an expansion team, and the leagu ...

. Gantenbein continued as a two-way starter for the next three seasons, playing in the shadow of Dilweg and John McNally. In the

1936 NFL season The 1936 NFL season was the 17th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time since the league was founded, there were no team transactions (neither a club folded nor did a new one join the NFL), and all league teams playe ...

Don Hutson Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was an American professional football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as an end and spent his entire 11-year professional career with the ...

and Gantenbein were the main targets in the Packers' record-setting passing attack, with 34 and 15 catches respectively. The duo was also instrumental in Green Bay's 21-6 victory over the Boston Redskins in the

1936 NFL Championship Game The 1936 NFL Championship Game was the fourth championship game played in the National Football League (NFL). It took place on December 13 at Polo Grounds in New York City, making it the first NFL title game held on a neutral field. The Eastern ...

. Gantenbein iced the game with an 8-yard touchdown reception from

Arnie Herber Arnold Charles Herber (April 2, 1910 – October 14, 1969) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. During his Packers tenure from 1930 to 1940, h ...

in the third quarter. Gantenbein was named a team captain for the 1937 squad, and he again was a stalwart in the defensive line and the team's second leading receiver with 12 catches for 237 yards (19.8 yard average) and two touchdowns. In the

1937 NFL season The 1937 NFL season was the 18th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Rams joined the league as an expansion team. Meanwhile, the Redskins relocated from Boston to Washington, D.C. The season ended when the Redskins, ...

, Green Bay slipped to 7–4. In the

1938 NFL season The 1938 NFL season was the 19th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game. Draft The 1938 NFL Draft was held on December 12, 1937 at ...

, the team had an 8-3 record and made it to the

1938 NFL Championship Game The 1938 NFL Championship Game was the sixth championship game played in the National Football League (NFL). It was played on December 11 at the Polo Grounds in New York City, with an attendance of 48,120, a record crowd for a title game. The ...

, where the Packers lost 23–17 to the Giants in New York. In the

1939 NFL season The 1939 NFL season was the 20th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL president Joseph Carr died, and Carl Storck was named to replace him. An NFL game was televised for the first time when NBC broadcast the O ...

, the Green Bay Packers struggled at times but posted a 9–2 record to gain a rematch with the New York Giants for the league title in the

1939 NFL Championship Game The 1939 NFL Championship Game was the seventh league championship game of the National Football League (NFL), held on December 10 inside the Milwaukee Mile, located at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwauk ...

. This time the game was played on Wisconsin soil, and Gantenbein opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown reception from

. It would be all the points the Packers needed on a cold and windy afternoon at

Wisconsin State Fair Park The Wisconsin State Fair Park is a fairgrounds and exhibition center in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair since 1892. The fairgrounds are open year-round, hosting various expedi ...

in Milwaukee, as they crushed the Giants, 27–0. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1972 and finished his career with three NFL championships, 77 receptions, 1,299 yards and eight touchdowns. Milt played in 103 regular-season games as a Packer. With his playing days behind him, Gantenbein went on to coach football at

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

in New York for several years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gantenbein, Milt 1910 births 1988 deaths American football ends American football defensive ends Green Bay Packers players Manhattan Jaspers football coaches Wisconsin Badgers football players People from Allamakee County, Iowa Sportspeople from La Crosse, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Carmichael, California La Crosse Central High School alumni Players of American football from Sacramento County, California