Edward "Dutch" Sternaman (February 9, 1895 – February 1, 1973) was an American player and owner in professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

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 majo ...

(NFL). During the 1910s, Sternaman and

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chi ...

excelled on the

Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of ...

team. In 1919, Sternaman was contacted by executives from the

Arcola, Illinois Arcola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,927 at the 2020 census. The city was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad was built through the county. The railroad itself was responsible for surve ...

(Independents) football team and asked to assemble a roster strong enough to exact revenge on A. E. Staley's team following a 41–0 loss. Although Sternaman agreed, the Staleys were not present when they became aware of the plan. Staley later approached Sternaman to increase the team's competitiveness, but he declined as he was close to finishing his mechanical engineering degree at Illinois. In 1920, Halas assumed control of the Staleys, and Sternaman was the first player to sign with the team. During the 1920 season, Sternaman would rush for 11 touchdowns. He was also known for his kicking prowess, finishing his career with 21 field goals and 28 extra points when including 1920. When the team moved to Chicago in 1921, Halas "offered" 50 percent of the club to Sternaman. At season's end, the two competed with agent

Bill Harley Bill Harley (born William Harley, July 1, 1954 in Greenville, Ohio) is an American children's entertainer, musician, and author who has been called "the Mark Twain of contemporary children's music" by ''Entertainment Weekly''. He uses a range o ...

for ownership of the Staleys The other owners in the American Professional Football Association (now

) decided in favor of the Halas/Sternaman partnership by an 8–2 vote. The Staleys were renamed the Bears in 1922. Joey Sternaman, Dutch's younger brother, also played for the team. For the next decade, Halas was the face of the franchise, representing the Bears at league meetings. Although Sternaman was a full partner, he largely stayed in the background. Reflecting how low the NFL ranked on the sports scene, the Bears had a difficult time making ends meet even with

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

on the roster. Both Halas and Sternaman had to work other jobs, especially in the offseason. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

only exacerbated the problem. At the same time, Sternaman had lost money after a series of investments went sour. With the rest of his money tied up in the Bears, Sternaman arranged for Halas to buy him out. The agreement had a deadline for Halas to make final payment or lose everything he had invested to Sternaman. According to Halas, he made the final payment with just minutes to spare. According to the Staley Museum, however, Halas and Sternaman agreed to submit sealed bids for the other man's half of the team, with Halas submitting the winning bid of $38,000. Reportedly no one apart from Halas, Sternaman or the two partners' lawyers knew the value of Sternaman's bid. In 1934, Sternamen purchased and fenced off a lakefront property at Lake Ivanhoe, WI, a predominantly Black community, intending to turn it into a white resort. He subsequently lost in a civil lawsuit by Black neighbors on grounds that the beach and parks around Lake Ivanhoe were a public good. In 1948, he coached at North Park University in Chicago.

References

External links

“Dutch” Sternaman Bio (Staley Museum)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sternaman, Edward 1895 births 1973 deaths Chicago Bears owners Chicago Bears coaches Chicago Bears players Chicago Staleys players Decatur Staleys players Illinois Fighting Illini football players Sportspeople from Chicago Players of American football from Chicago