~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. or "Little Dutch" Sternaman, 88, of Oak Park, formerly of Springfield, died March 10 at his home.
He was born Feb. 1, 1900, in Springfield, the son of John R. and Lulu Lamken Sternaman.
He was a graduate of Springfield High School in 1919, where he had been active in several sports.
While attending the University of Illinois, Mr. Sternaman participated in football prior to joining the Chicago Bears football team as its first quarterback.
He was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who co-owned the Bears with George Halas until he sold his share to Halas in 1931.
Mr. Sternaman married the former Grace Wittenberg on Aug. 5, 1931, in Chicago.
He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Chester J., Edward "Dutch," and Paul L.
Surviving are his wife, Grace; two daughters, Joyce Howe of Downers Grove and Barbara Walters of College Park, Md.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews; and several cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Oak Park.
State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) Thursday, March 17, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. Sternaman, 88, the first quarterback for the Chicago Bears, played with the team for eight years. He later owned and operated the Sternaman Cast Iron Smoke Pipe Co., which made and installed pipe for incinerators and furnaces
A memorial service for Mr. Sternaman, a resident of Oak Park, will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 19 in Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 744 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Oak Park. He died Thursday at home.
"He was kind of like a bulldog, very tenacious," his daughter Joyce Howe said. "My father was a strong and vital person with a tremendous amount of physical strength. He was very proud and assertively independent. He did his own thing."
He and George Halas, his first professional coach and founder of the Bears franchise, in 1979 re-established a relationship that had been cool for almost 40 years.
Mr. Sternaman, who played for the University of Illinois before joining the Bears, was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who played halfback and co-owned the team with Halas until he sold his share to "Papa Bear" in 1931 for $38,000.
In the first year, 1922, the brothers accounted for 73 of the 123 points the team scored.
Mr. Sternaman, at 135 pounds, also was a runner, drop-kicker and blocker. His strength enabled him to hit the line with the force of a fullback, however.
"He originated the bootleg play," The Tribune's Jeff Lyon wrote in 1980. "The man he faked to the most was Red Grange, the immortal 'Galloping Ghost,' whose reputation as a broken-field runner at the University of Illinois so preceded him that when he joined the Bears, the other teams keyed on him like a swarm of bees. That left Sternaman with an open field."
Even at 80, Lyon reported, Mr. Sternaman had a grip so strong that he could crack walnuts with it.
"I wouldn't want to go into a game the way they play it now," the former quarterback said. "They get a lot more hurt today than when I played. Ye gods, yes. I think it's this doggone (artificial) turf."
He once complained that he had not been invited to a Bears reunion dinner in 25 years, but in 1979 he was finally a guest at one.
Survivors, besides his daughter, include his wife, Grace; another daughter, Barbara Walters; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Chicago Tribune (IL) March 12, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. or "Little Dutch" Sternaman, 88, of Oak Park, formerly of Springfield, died March 10 at his home.
He was born Feb. 1, 1900, in Springfield, the son of John R. and Lulu Lamken Sternaman.
He was a graduate of Springfield High School in 1919, where he had been active in several sports.
While attending the University of Illinois, Mr. Sternaman participated in football prior to joining the Chicago Bears football team as its first quarterback.
He was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who co-owned the Bears with George Halas until he sold his share to Halas in 1931.
Mr. Sternaman married the former Grace Wittenberg on Aug. 5, 1931, in Chicago.
He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Chester J., Edward "Dutch," and Paul L.
Surviving are his wife, Grace; two daughters, Joyce Howe of Downers Grove and Barbara Walters of College Park, Md.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews; and several cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Oak Park.
State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) Thursday, March 17, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. Sternaman, 88, the first quarterback for the Chicago Bears, played with the team for eight years. He later owned and operated the Sternaman Cast Iron Smoke Pipe Co., which made and installed pipe for incinerators and furnaces
A memorial service for Mr. Sternaman, a resident of Oak Park, will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 19 in Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 744 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Oak Park. He died Thursday at home.
"He was kind of like a bulldog, very tenacious," his daughter Joyce Howe said. "My father was a strong and vital person with a tremendous amount of physical strength. He was very proud and assertively independent. He did his own thing."
He and George Halas, his first professional coach and founder of the Bears franchise, in 1979 re-established a relationship that had been cool for almost 40 years.
Mr. Sternaman, who played for the University of Illinois before joining the Bears, was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who played halfback and co-owned the team with Halas until he sold his share to "Papa Bear" in 1931 for $38,000.
In the first year, 1922, the brothers accounted for 73 of the 123 points the team scored.
Mr. Sternaman, at 135 pounds, also was a runner, drop-kicker and blocker. His strength enabled him to hit the line with the force of a fullback, however.
"He originated the bootleg play," The Tribune's Jeff Lyon wrote in 1980. "The man he faked to the most was Red Grange, the immortal 'Galloping Ghost,' whose reputation as a broken-field runner at the University of Illinois so preceded him that when he joined the Bears, the other teams keyed on him like a swarm of bees. That left Sternaman with an open field."
Even at 80, Lyon reported, Mr. Sternaman had a grip so strong that he could crack walnuts with it.
"I wouldn't want to go into a game the way they play it now," the former quarterback said. "They get a lot more hurt today than when I played. Ye gods, yes. I think it's this doggone (artificial) turf."
He once complained that he had not been invited to a Bears reunion dinner in 25 years, but in 1979 he was finally a guest at one.
Survivors, besides his daughter, include his wife, Grace; another daughter, Barbara Walters; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Chicago Tribune (IL) March 12, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. or "Little Dutch" Sternaman, 88, of Oak Park, formerly of Springfield, died March 10 at his home.
He was born Feb. 1, 1900, in Springfield, the son of John R. and Lulu Lamken Sternaman.
He was a graduate of Springfield High School in 1919, where he had been active in several sports.
While attending the University of Illinois, Mr. Sternaman participated in football prior to joining the Chicago Bears football team as its first quarterback.
He was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who co-owned the Bears with George Halas until he sold his share to Halas in 1931.
Mr. Sternaman married the former Grace Wittenberg on Aug. 5, 1931, in Chicago.
He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Chester J., Edward "Dutch," and Paul L.
Surviving are his wife, Grace; two daughters, Joyce Howe of Downers Grove and Barbara Walters of College Park, Md.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews; and several cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Oak Park.
State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) Thursday, March 17, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. Sternaman, 88, the first quarterback for the Chicago Bears, played with the team for eight years. He later owned and operated the Sternaman Cast Iron Smoke Pipe Co., which made and installed pipe for incinerators and furnaces
A memorial service for Mr. Sternaman, a resident of Oak Park, will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 19 in Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 744 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Oak Park. He died Thursday at home.
"He was kind of like a bulldog, very tenacious," his daughter Joyce Howe said. "My father was a strong and vital person with a tremendous amount of physical strength. He was very proud and assertively independent. He did his own thing."
He and George Halas, his first professional coach and founder of the Bears franchise, in 1979 re-established a relationship that had been cool for almost 40 years.
Mr. Sternaman, who played for the University of Illinois before joining the Bears, was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who played halfback and co-owned the team with Halas until he sold his share to "Papa Bear" in 1931 for $38,000.
In the first year, 1922, the brothers accounted for 73 of the 123 points the team scored.
Mr. Sternaman, at 135 pounds, also was a runner, drop-kicker and blocker. His strength enabled him to hit the line with the force of a fullback, however.
"He originated the bootleg play," The Tribune's Jeff Lyon wrote in 1980. "The man he faked to the most was Red Grange, the immortal 'Galloping Ghost,' whose reputation as a broken-field runner at the University of Illinois so preceded him that when he joined the Bears, the other teams keyed on him like a swarm of bees. That left Sternaman with an open field."
Even at 80, Lyon reported, Mr. Sternaman had a grip so strong that he could crack walnuts with it.
"I wouldn't want to go into a game the way they play it now," the former quarterback said. "They get a lot more hurt today than when I played. Ye gods, yes. I think it's this doggone (artificial) turf."
He once complained that he had not been invited to a Bears reunion dinner in 25 years, but in 1979 he was finally a guest at one.
Survivors, besides his daughter, include his wife, Grace; another daughter, Barbara Walters; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Chicago Tribune (IL) March 12, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. or "Little Dutch" Sternaman, 88, of Oak Park, formerly of Springfield, died March 10 at his home.
He was born Feb. 1, 1900, in Springfield, the son of John R. and Lulu Lamken Sternaman.
He was a graduate of Springfield High School in 1919, where he had been active in several sports.
While attending the University of Illinois, Mr. Sternaman participated in football prior to joining the Chicago Bears football team as its first quarterback.
He was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who co-owned the Bears with George Halas until he sold his share to Halas in 1931.
Mr. Sternaman married the former Grace Wittenberg on Aug. 5, 1931, in Chicago.
He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Chester J., Edward "Dutch," and Paul L.
Surviving are his wife, Grace; two daughters, Joyce Howe of Downers Grove and Barbara Walters of College Park, Md.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews; and several cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Oak Park.
State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) Thursday, March 17, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph T. Sternaman, 88, the first quarterback for the Chicago Bears, played with the team for eight years. He later owned and operated the Sternaman Cast Iron Smoke Pipe Co., which made and installed pipe for incinerators and furnaces
A memorial service for Mr. Sternaman, a resident of Oak Park, will be held at 1:30 p.m. March 19 in Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 744 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Oak Park. He died Thursday at home.
"He was kind of like a bulldog, very tenacious," his daughter Joyce Howe said. "My father was a strong and vital person with a tremendous amount of physical strength. He was very proud and assertively independent. He did his own thing."
He and George Halas, his first professional coach and founder of the Bears franchise, in 1979 re-established a relationship that had been cool for almost 40 years.
Mr. Sternaman, who played for the University of Illinois before joining the Bears, was the brother of Edward "Dutch" Sternaman, who played halfback and co-owned the team with Halas until he sold his share to "Papa Bear" in 1931 for $38,000.
In the first year, 1922, the brothers accounted for 73 of the 123 points the team scored.
Mr. Sternaman, at 135 pounds, also was a runner, drop-kicker and blocker. His strength enabled him to hit the line with the force of a fullback, however.
"He originated the bootleg play," The Tribune's Jeff Lyon wrote in 1980. "The man he faked to the most was Red Grange, the immortal 'Galloping Ghost,' whose reputation as a broken-field runner at the University of Illinois so preceded him that when he joined the Bears, the other teams keyed on him like a swarm of bees. That left Sternaman with an open field."
Even at 80, Lyon reported, Mr. Sternaman had a grip so strong that he could crack walnuts with it.
"I wouldn't want to go into a game the way they play it now," the former quarterback said. "They get a lot more hurt today than when I played. Ye gods, yes. I think it's this doggone (artificial) turf."
He once complained that he had not been invited to a Bears reunion dinner in 25 years, but in 1979 he was finally a guest at one.
Survivors, besides his daughter, include his wife, Grace; another daughter, Barbara Walters; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Chicago Tribune (IL) March 12, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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