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Meilinger: Return of the Big Man on Campus
The legendary Steve Meilinger (FUMA '50) returned to the Fork Union campus once again, this time bringing his wife Eileen, and friends Abe and Marian Rabnier. Meilinger was a football star at FUMA and then at Kentucky where he played for Coach Bear Bryant. Meilinger was FUMA's first ever NFL First Round Draft Pick, playing for the Washington Redskins and then for the Green Bay Packers where he was a tight end for famed Packer QB Bart Starr.
Meilinger is a regular participant in FUMA's annual Hall of Fame PG / Celebrity Golf Tournament in the summer and maintains close ties with the Academy.
Known affectionately as the "One Man Band" at Kentucky, Meilinger could (and did!) play a number of positions on Bear Bryant's great football team. In fact, a student publication during his time there even published a photo of the band, claiming that Meilinger played in the band during the football halftime shows as well.
Meilinger was selected by the Washington Redskins during the First Round of the 1954 NFL Draft but waited until he fulfilled his military service obligation before joining the team. He was later traded to the Green Bay Packers and saw the arrival in Green Bay of the young coach Vince Lombardi. Injury ultimately cut short his playing career, but after a stint with the Dallas Cowboys and Coach Tom Landry, Steve Meilinger could claim a special distinction that few players could: he played under the three foremost legendary coaches in the game of football -- Bear Bryant, Vince Lombardi, and Tom Landry.
Following his playing days, Meilinger served a full career as a United States Marshall.
Steve Meilinger and his wife Eileen are flanked on either side by friends Abe Rabnier and his wife Marian Rabnier.
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Thursday, March 13, 2008 12:41 PM
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