No. 40 | |
Wide receiver / Return specialist / Defensive back | |
Personal information | |
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Date of birth: | June 30, 1955|
Place of birth: New York City | |
High School: Mahwah High School | |
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | Weight: 182 lb (83 kg) |
Career information | |
College: Pittsburgh | |
NFL Draft: 1978 / Round: 6 / Pick: 160 | |
Debuted in 1978 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
Last played in 1978 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
Career history | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NFL statistics as of 1978 | |
Games played | 11 |
Punt returns | 20 |
Punt return yards | 148 |
Stats at NFL.com | |
Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com |
Randy Reutershan (born June 30, 1955) is a former American football player who performed in a single season in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a member of teams that won a college football national championship and a Super Bowl.
Early life[]
Reutershan was born in New York City to Warren and Doris Reutershan.[1] He attended Mahwah High School in Mahwah, New Jersey where he earned letters three years in football, basketball and track.[2]
Football career[]
Reutershan attended the University of Pittsburgh. In his junior season he was a wide receiver and special teams ace[2] on the Panthers team which won the national championship. He had 17 catches for 311 yards in his senior season at Pitt in 1977.[3] His tenacity as a special teams player, particularly his love of tackling on the coverage team, earned him the nickname "the Rat."[4] His college coach, Johnny Majors called Reutershan, "the most dynamic special teams performer I have ever seen."[5]
Reutershan was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He made the team as a defensive back after switching back and forth from wide receiver during training camp.[6] He played in eleven games in his rookie season, contributing primarily on special teams. His season was cut short in mid-November by a single vehicle roll-over automobile accident that left him with severe head injuries for which he was hospitalized for a full month.[2][7] Although he would eventually recover from his injuries, he was advised to discontinue his professional football career.[8]
Reutershan returned to his alma mater, Pittsburgh, as a wide receivers coach under Jackie Sherrill in 1979.[9]
References[]
- ↑ "Doris Reutershan obituary". The Journal News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/643H1LQlK. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Steeler Player Critically Injured". Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald. UPI: p. 5. November 18, 1978. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=102978035. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (August 1, 2007). Fifty years of college football : a modern history of America's most colorful sport. New York: Skyhorse Pub.. p. 1130. ISBN 978-1-60239-090-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=mdBnc8KqusMC&pg=PA1130&lpg=PA1130&dq=%22randy+reutershan%22&source=bl&ots=-hwOR5AM5p&sig=t35esB5NNAGzatALaRbYAma3utE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8WDvTsWoDO7KiALU4MztAw&ved=0CGAQ6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=%22randy%20reutershan%22&f=false. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Reutershan is Pitt's Specialty". Galveston Daily News. UPI: p. 2-B. December 24, 1977. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=110035920. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ Livingston, Pat (May 4, 1978). "Randy's Special". Pittsburgh Press: p. C-1. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EeEhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BlkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3283%2C1109477. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ Stellino, Vito (October 13, 1978). "Reutershan Shifts in Numbers Game". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 11,13. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DQMOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NG0DAAAAIBAJ&dq=reutershan&pg=4920%2C1864447. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Reutershan Progressing Slowly at Home". Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald. UPI: p. 10. December 20, 1978. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=102978352. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Reutershan Hurt in 2-Car Wreck". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: p. 5. March 2, 1981. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PegNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qW0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4903%2C23927. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ↑ Isler, Jim (August 24, 1979). "Reutershan Joins Pitt Staff". The News-Dispatch (Jeannette, Pa.): p. 9. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Jj9VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RT4NAAAAIBAJ&dq=reutershan&pg=1570%2C2917077. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
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