Robert Steeples (born November 27, 1989) is 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 ...

former player and current Cornerbacks coach for

LSU Football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and ...

. He is the former assistant special teams coach for 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 expansion ...

of 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 ...

(NFL). As a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

, he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for both the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

and the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

. He also played for the Vikings,

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. Prior to becoming an NFL assistant coach and Collegiate defensive backs coach , Steeples served as Head Coach at De Smet Jesuit for 5 seasons, from 2016 to 2020. During his tenure as head coach, Steeples was named the 2020

All-American Bowl (high school football) The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

National Coach of the year, 2019 MFCA Coach of the year, and led De Smet to an undefeated state championship title in 2019. During his final 3 seasons as head coach, Steeples amassed a record of 29-4, including 20 consecutive wins, back-to-back State Championship appearances, and a peak national ranking of #8 in the country.

College career

Steeples initially started his college career playing three years for the

Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, protected Columbia fro ...

where he totaled 40 tackles, one sack, and one interception in 37 games. Following his junior year at Missouri, he transferred to play for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the Sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level as a member of ...

, where he tallied 42 tackles and had a fumble return for a touchdown in his senior season.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Steeples started his NFL career with the

as an undrafted free agent. On August 26, 2013, Steeples was cut by the team.

Minnesota Vikings

Steeples signed with the

as a member of the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 11, 2013, but was later added to the active roster and played in two games. He was released on August 25, 2014.

Kansas City Chiefs

On September 9, 2014, he was signed by the

to the practice squad. He was cut on September 16.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 18, 2014, he was signed to the

' practice squad. On August 31, 2015, he was released by the Cowboys.

Coaching career

Steeples bypassed playing a fourth NFL season to become the head football coach at

De Smet Jesuit High School De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for boys located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school began classes in the fall of 1967. It was named in honor of the p ...

from 2016 to 2020. He was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their assistant special teams coach on April 14, 2021. During his 5 year tenure as Head Coach, Steeples was named the 2020 All-American Bowl National Coach of the year and 2019 MFCA Coach of the year after winning the 2019 Missouri Class 6 State Championship with a record of 14-0. Prior to Steeples’ appointment of Head Coach at De Smet Jesuit, the De Smet varsity football program struggled with a record of 2-18 in 2 seasons and a national ranking of 6,224th in 2015. Under Steeples’ leadership as head coach, De Smet improved to a state championship title in 2019, reached a peak national ranking of #8, and produced 35 collegiate football student-athletes. During Steeples’ last 3 seasons as Head Coach at De Smet, the varsity football team had an overall record of 29-4; including 20 wins in a row and back to back state championship appearances in 2019 and 2020. A substantial turnaround after going 2-8 in his first season as head coach. Along with his head coaching duties, Steeples also served as Defensive Coordinator throughout his entire tenure as head coach. During his final 2 seasons as Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, the team ranked #1 in the state allowing only 9.1 points per game. The De Smet special teams unit also produced consecutive Missouri special teams player of the year in 2019 and 2020. Steeples also served as a Teacher, Strength Coach, and Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator during his time as a faculty member.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steeples, Robert 1989 births Living people Players of American football from St. Louis St. Louis Rams players Minnesota Vikings players Kansas City Chiefs players Missouri Tigers football players Memphis Tigers football players American football cornerbacks Minnesota Vikings coaches