In the Archives: Alfred the Athlete

As I mentioned in my post last week, W.F. Steinke had two sons, Alfred and Arnold. Today, I'd like to focus on Alfred, a man maybe more interesting than his father. Alfred was a star athlete at Benton Harbor High School, graduating in 1925 with 119 other students -- one of the largest graduating classes in the history of Benton Harbor, according to The News-Palladium.

(Photo from The 1927 Brown and Gold, the annual Western yearbook)

There was surprisingly little, nothing that I could find actually, in the old Southwest Michigan papers about him actually playing sports at Benton Harbor High School. But once he got to college, they liked to mention that he played at BHHS. After high school, he attended Western State Normal School (now Western Michigan University). He played guard on the team's offensive line, winning a varsity letter in 1926.

Alfred Steinke, at left, races UofM teammate Otto Pommerening, an All-American left end. (Detroit News photo)

I'm not sure if he stayed in Kalamazoo for one year or two, but in the fall of 1928, he was running the paces with the gridiron gang at the University of Michigan.

The newspaper headline says he was chosen for "Yost's varsity." Fielding Yost was the athletic director and former coach who had a spat with the head coach that fall. He nearly came back and became the coach before eventually deciding to let Elton Wieman keep his job.

The 1928 University of Michigan football letter winners, including Alfred Steinke, third row, fourth from left. (University of Michigan photo)

The team finished the year 3-4-1. Alfred started six of those eight games at right guard, earning him a varsity letter. He tipped the scales at all of 182 pounds. Imagine playing guard at less than 200 pounds.

The 1929 University of Michigan football letter winners, including Alfred Steinke, third row up, fourth from left. (University of Michigan photo)

No. 35 returned in 1929 for a second season. There were talks of moving him to tackle, but he ended up starting eight games at right guard and one at left guard. The team finished the year at 5-3-1.

The 1928-29 University of Michigan wrestling letter winners, including Alfred Steinke, third row up, third from left. (University of Michigan photo)

But football wasn't the only sport he played at Michigan. In 1928, he joined the wrestling team, which won the Big Ten title that year. He shed a little football weight and wrestled in the 175-pound weight class.

Alfred Steinke, at left, with the other 1930 UofM conference champs. (University of Michigan photo)

Alfred wrestled for the Wolverines again in 1929-30. In his second year, he wrestled at 178 pounds, and was an individual conference champion along with, from left, Otto Kelly (a national champion), Ray Parker and Robert Hewitt (a 1928 Olympian). Overall, the team won the Big Ten again.

Alfred reached the national semifinals of the light heavyweight division before losing to a Missouri man.

Following college, he apparently tried to make a go of it as a professional wrestler. In this story from 1933, he was due in Benton Harbor for a match at the armory. It's funny that The Herald-Press mentioned he was a football star and didn't even mention he also wrestled at UofM.

The News-Palladium in its story called him a professional wrestler (as well as an "ex-gridder"). He was expected to enter the ring weighing 178 pounds. He had reportedly just completed a successful tour in eastern Michigan and Canada. Alfred won the bout, but there's a funny note from The News-Palladium's coverage that I have to share: "At the offset, both (Alfred and his St. Louis opponent Carl VanLaman) were very fast and VanLaman seemed to have a shade in the action, but Al gradually took the play away from him with a series of arm locks, head butts and body punches. Midway during the 29 1/2 minute period, in which Al scored the first and only fall of the match, both went outside the ring. Steinke was the first to his feet and back in the ring. An elderly fan parked in the first row of seats and a Steinke backer of the first rank, grew so peeved over VanLaman's delay in getting back into the ring he hit the wrestler in the back with his cane." Sounds more like MMA or WWE than college-style wrestling.

You'll notice he was referred to as a recent benedict. That's because he had just gotten married. He just hadn't told his parents yet. When contacted by The News-Palladium for a separate story, his mom said, "I guess I am surprised." She said Alfred had visited about a week prior to the announcement (when he would have already been married), but said nothing about the marriage. Yikes. The marriage worked out, though, they were married for nearly 40 years when Alfred died. She went on to live to 93.

Alfred was also into outdoors games of sport. In 1941, Alfred (seen bottom right in that row of mugs) was a third-place winner in the Detroit Free Press' deer antlers contest.

Although unfavorable hunting weather during much of the winter held their total bag well below some other seasons, this group of Ann Arbor area hunters and their beagles still managed to rack up a score of 33 red foxes. Included in this picture from April 1962 was Alfred Steinke, second from right in the front row. (Ann Arbor News photo)

Foxes were something else he apparently hunted (and was quite good at shooting).

Alfred Steinke, at left, and Harry McCormick are shown with Argo Katrinka, the beagle who won the Northern Association Stake at Hastings in April 1938. Steinke is the owner, and McCormick the handler. (Ann Arbor News photo)

You'll notice he was seen with beagles in that last photo. That's because he was a beagle trainer, breeder and handler. I'm guessing the love of dogs went hand in hand with the love of hunting.

Alfred was one of the founders of the Southern Michigan Beagle Club. He was a board member and secretary for 25 years. He had articles published in professional beagle magazines. In 1973, he was inducted into the Traditional Brace Beagling Hall of Fame.

Alfred graduated from the UofM in 1931 with an unspecified bachelor's degree, and went to work for the Holland Furnace Co. I'm guessing that didn't last long since he was listed as a professional wrestler two years later.

He also worked for the U.S. Postal Service. He's seen here with his Ann Arbor mates -- softball champions of the Industrial League in 1938-40.

In the spring of 1973, Alfred was killed in a two-vehicle crash on M-52 in Sharon Township on his way to the beagle club in Manchester. In his obituary, he was also listed as a Free Mason, a Knights Templar and an Elk.