Craig Steltz
Encyclopedia
Craig Joseph Steltz is an American football
safety for the Chicago Bears
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Louisiana State University
.
, home of the Raiders, in Metairie, Louisiana
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.
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.
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 kickoff
s and by playing running back
.
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.
, 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.
originally intended for Steltz to be the team's starting free safety for the 2009 NFL Season
. 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.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Louisiana State University
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
.
Early years
Steltz attended Archbishop Rummel High SchoolArchbishop Rummel High School
Archbishop Rummel High School is a Catholic secondary school located in Metairie, a community in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The school is named after Archbishop Joseph Rummel, a former Archbishop in the Archdiocese of New Orleans....
, home of the Raiders, in Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
and was an honors graduate. He was originally a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, but switched to safety in eighth grade. Steltz excelled as a safety and started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
one game on the varsity team
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
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.
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
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
. In his junior year of high school, he recorded 120 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
and nine interceptions.
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
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
.
Craig showed his versatility by returning punts
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
and kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
s and by playing running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
.
On October 31, 2003, against district rival Jesuit High School
Jesuit High School (New Orleans)
Jesuit High School is an all-male Catholic high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school was founded in 1847. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans....
, Steltz rushed for 170 yards in the second half on seven carries and scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
in the fourth quarter to lead the Raiders to a 38–27 victory.
Awards and honors
- 2002 Louisiana All-State First Team
- 2003 Louisiana All-State First team
- 2004 Rufus Award- given to the school's top athlete
College career
Steltz was one of the top recruited safeties in the nation in 2004, and he landed at Louisiana State University. During the 2004 season2004 LSU Tigers football team
The 2004 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2004–2005. Coached by Nick Saban in his last season at LSU, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The team finished with a 9–3 record and an...
, Steltz saw limited playing time in only four games. After providing valuable depth and starting six games during the 2005
2005 LSU Tigers football team
The 2005 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2005–2006. Coached by Les Miles in his first season at LSU, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
and 2006
2006 LSU Tigers football team
The 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team's coach was former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
seasons, Steltz finally became a starter for the 2007 season
2007 LSU Tigers football team
The 2007 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning the Southeastern Conference championship and the national championship. The team's Head Coach was Les Miles who entered his third year at the helm of LSU Football...
. He was named a Jim Thorpe Award
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
finalist and a first-team All-American.
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 | 114 | 70 | 184 | 7-34 | 2-17 | 11-286 | 23 | 4 | 2-0 | 3 |
Awards and honors
- 2007 Sporting News All-Spring Team
- 2007 Alvin Roy Fourth Quarter Award
- 2007 Mike Miley Leadership Award
- 2007 Louisiana Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 30 at Mississippi State)
- 2007 SECSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 17 vs. Ole Miss) - 2007 Jim Thorpe AwardJim Thorpe AwardThe Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
Finalist - 2007 All-SEC Coaches First Team
- 2007 College Football All-America Team2007 College Football All-America TeamThe 2007 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports, College...
(first team) by: Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Football Writers Association of AmericaFootball Writers Association of AmericaThe Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, Walter Camp Football FoundationWalter Camp Football FoundationThe Walter Camp Football Foundation is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also presents various awards.-Awards:*Walter Camp Player of the Year*CT Player of the Year...
, Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, CBS SportsCBS SportsCBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
, College Football NewsCollege Football NewsCollege Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
, Rivals.comRivals.comRivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, and Scout.com
Professional career
General Manager Jerry AngeloJerry Angelo
Jerry Angelo is the General Manager for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He has held the role since 2001. Prior to joining the Chicago Bears, Angelo spent 14 years overseeing Tampa Bay Buccaneers' scouting department as their Director of Player Personnel...
originally intended for Steltz to be the team's starting free safety for the 2009 NFL Season
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
. 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.