American Football Database
Advertisement
Craig Steltz
File:Craig Steltz.jpg
No. 20     Chicago Bears
Safety
Personal information
Date of birth: (1986-05-07) May 7, 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth: Metairie, Louisiana
High School: Metairie (LA) Rummel
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College: Louisiana State
NFL Draft: 2008 / Round: 4 / Pick: 120
Debuted in 2008 for the Chicago Bears
Career history
* Chicago Bears (2008–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
* BCS National Championship (2008)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 10, 2013
Tackles     104
Quarterback sacks     1.0
Interceptions     1
Forced fumbles     4
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Craig Joseph Steltz (born May 7, 1986) is an American football safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Early years[]

Steltz was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He attended Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, and was an honors graduate. He was originally a running back, but switched to safety in eighth grade. Steltz excelled as a safety and started one game on the varsity team during his freshman year, before becoming a full-time starter his sophomore year. He is the first player in school history to have his jersey retired. He wore #10 in high school. On April 25, 2008, Steltz's jersey was officially retired during a school-wide assembly in the Archbishop Rummel High School gymnasium.[1]

He was a first-team all-state safety in 2002 as a junior. Steltz has the reputation of a hard hitter who works diligently in the weight room. In his junior year of high school, he recorded 120 tackles and nine interceptions.[2] Craig was again named a first-team 5A all-state safety in 2003 as a senior. Steltz was also named Louisiana Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2003. He finished his senior year with 30 tackles and two sacks, despite suffering from two nagging injuries. He was a team captain who led a ferocious defensive unit that spearheaded the Raiders to an 8-2 district championship season and regional round playoff berth. This defensive unit has had seven players play Division-I college football.

Craig showed his versatility by returning punts and kickoffs and by playing running back.[3] On October 31, 2003, against district rival Jesuit High School, Steltz rushed for 170 yards in the second half on seven carries and scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to lead the Raiders to a 38–27 victory.[4]

Awards and honors[]

  • 2002 Louisiana All-State First Team[2]
  • 2003 Louisiana All-State First team[3]
  • 2004 Rufus Award- given to the school's top athlete

College career[]

Steltz enrolled at Louisiana State University, where he played for the LSU Tigers football team from 2004 to 2007. During the 2004 season, Steltz saw limited playing time in only four games. After providing valuable depth and starting six games during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Steltz finally became a starter for the 2007 season. He was named a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and a first-team All-American.[5]

Career statistics[]

Year G-S UT AT TT TFL SACKS INT PBU QBH FR FF
2004 4-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2005 13-3 28 12 40 0 0 1-22 2 3 1-0 0
2006 13-3 20 22 42 2-14 1-9 4-111 14 1 0 0
2007 14-14 66 35 101 5-20 1-8 6-153 7 0 1-0 3
Totals 44-20 982 902 713 7-34 2-17 11-286 83 213 2-0 3

Awards and honors[]

Professional career[]

General Manager Jerry Angelo originally intended for Steltz to be the team's starting free safety for the 2009 NFL season.[11] Instead, he began the season third on the depth chart at the position. He is currently a frequent contributor on the Bears' special teams unit.

In the 2011 season, after injuries to Major Wright and Chris Conte, Steltz became a valuable contributor to the defense, recording 38 tackles, behind Pro Bowlers Brian Urlacher, who has 92, and Lance Briggs, who has 100. Steltz also finished fourth on the Bears with 12 special-team tackles. In 2012, Steltz was resigned to a 2-year contract, being the fifth Bears player to sign with the team, with Tim Jennings, Josh McCown, Kellen Davis and Israel Idonije being the first four.[12] Steltz was placed on injured reserve on December 11 after an injury in Week 14.[13]

References[]

  1. "NOTEBOOK". http://www.nola.com/prepsports/t-p/?/base/sports-2/120789132427440.xml&coll=1.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Scout.com:Craig Steltz Bio". http://michigan.scout.com/a.z?s=162&p=8&c=1&nid=638599.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Craig Steltz Bio". http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174877&Q_SEASON=2006.
  4. "2003.Jesuit". http://www.bluejaystigers.com/20031.htm.
  5. "Craig Steltz Bio". http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=174877&Q_SEASON=2007.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Red Sox Tiger Rebel Truth:Craig Steltz Named to All-Spring Team". http://southernfenwayfan.blogspot.com/2007/05/craig-steltz-named-to-all-spring-team.html.
  7. "Red Sox Tiger Rebel Truth:Craig Steltz *Named to All-Spring Team". http://southernfenwayfan.blogspot.com/2007/05/craig-steltz-named-to-all-spring-team.html.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "2007 LSU Tigers football team". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_LSU_Tigers_football_team.
  9. "Steltz Named Thorpe Award Finalist". http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=1322695&DB_OEM_ID=5200.
  10. "2007 All SEC Coaches Team". http://slumz.boxden.com/showthread.php?t=1013860.
  11. "Steltz could be the Bears' best option". Chicagobears.com. 2009-02-26. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5620. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  12. "Bears agree to deal with Craig Steltz". Chicagobears.com. 2012-03-16. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=8693. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  13. "Bears' Gould out for season". Yahoo! Sports. 2012-12-11. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bears-gould-season-215016507--nfl.html. Retrieved 2012-12-11.

External links[]


Advertisement