Steve Meilinger
| File:Steve Meilinger - 1954 Bowman.jpg Meilinger on a 1954 Bowman football card | |||||||||
| No. 86, 80, 88 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | December 12, 1930 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | September 14, 2015 (aged 84) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Liberty (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) Fork Union Military Academy (VA) | ||||||||
| College | Kentucky | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1954: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Coaching profile at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |||||||||
Stephen Frank Meilinger (December 12, 1930 – September 14, 2015) was an American professional football end who played professionally in the National Football League before joining the United States Marshals Service, during which time he served as one of the federal officers employed by the United States Federal Witness Protection Program during its early days.
He subsequently rose through the ranks to become chief deputy for the Marshals' Eastern District of Kentucky.
Biography
[edit | edit source]Meilinger played college football at the University of Kentucky and was drafted in the first round of the 1954 NFL draft. He then went on to a National Football League (NFL) career, playing for the Washington Redskins, the Green Bay Packers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Following his NFL career, Meilinger joined the United States Marshals Service. During his Marshals Service career, he was one of the original agents for the United States Federal Witness Protection Program, and eventually was promoted to chief deputy for the Eastern District of Kentucky, where he served until his retirement.
Honors
[edit | edit source]In 2014, Meilinger was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[1]
Death
[edit | edit source]Meilinger died in Lexington, Kentucky, on September 14, 2015, at the age of 84.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- 1930 births
- 2015 deaths
- American football ends
- Law enforcement officials from Kentucky
- Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) alumni
- Fork Union Military Academy alumni
- Green Bay Packers players
- Kentucky Wildcats football players
- Pittsburgh Steelers players
- Washington Redskins players
- United States Marshals
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Players of American football from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania