Rich Strenger
Encyclopedia
Richard Gene Strenger is a former All-Big Ten
American football
offensive tackle who played for the University of Michigan
Wolverines
(1980–1982) and Detroit Lions
(1983–1987). He is now working as a lawyer in Lake Orion, Michigan
.
in Grafton, Wisconsin
. In 1977, he was named All-Metro at the end position after catching four touchdown passes, including a 41-yard reception. At Michigan, Strenger grew into a six-foot, seven inch, 285 pound lineman and became an intimidating presence in the Michigan offensive line from 1980–1982. In 1981, he was a backup to Ed Muransky
and Bubba Paris
, and in 1982, he started all 12 games for the Big Ten champion Wolverines. In 1982, Strenger's blocking led the ways for tailback Lawrence Ricks
to rush
for 1,428 yards. He was named All-Big Ten at offensive tackle and honorable mention All-America
in 1982. In the 1983 Rose Bowl game, Strenger injured his ankle on the third play of the game and did not return to the lineup as the Wolverines lost to UCLA
, 21-14. Strenger was also selected to play for the East Squad in the 58th East-West Shrine Game
on January 15, 1983 at Stanford Stadium
.
on September 2, 1984, and underwent surgery. Lions coach Monte Clark
said of the loss of Strenger, "That's a disaster." He underwent surgery and missed the entire 1984 season and much of the 1985 season while recuperating. On returning to football after his injury, Strenger said, "Sometimes I feel like a rookie out there. In some ways, it's a new challenge to earn my position back, but I'm really anxious to get out there and do some hitting." Starting mid-way through the 1985 season, Strenger started 22 consecutive games and was considered Detroit’s comeback player of the year in 1986. He started all 16 games and played every offensive snap in 1986 on an offensive line that included Keith Dorney
and Lomas Brown
. Strenger was a leader on the Lions' offensive line, opening holes for Billy Sims
(1,040 yards rushing in 1983) and James Jones (903 yards rushing in 1986). Comparing the college and pro training regimens, Strenger once noted that Bo Schembechler
ran a more strenuous training camp than the Lions: "Things were tougher at Michigan, but they could afford to be because camp was only four weeks long. This is six weeks long, so there is more attention given to not tiring people out." The injuries caught up with Strenger as he was placed on injured reserve by the Lions in November 1987 and did not play in the NFL again. Strenger signed with the Buffalo Bills
in May 1988 but did not make the team. After trying to make the Bills team in 1988 and 1989, Strenger was waived by the Bills on August 30, 1989. In September 2006, Strenger was honored by the Lions as the Alumni Honorary Captain for the Lions-Green Bay Packers
game at Ford Field
.
from the Detroit College of Law
of Michigan State University
in 1999, and worked with the law firm of Butzel Long
in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
before opening the Law Offices of Rich Strenger in Lake Orion, Michigan
. He was named Volunteer of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2003 by the board of directors and staff of Community Legal Resources in Detroit. In December 2007, Strenger was hired by the North Oakland Transportation Authority to respond to allegations that the agency's director, Pat Fitchena, had engaged in misconduct and abuse of staff members.
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
American football
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...
offensive tackle who played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
(1980–1982) and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(1983–1987). He is now working as a lawyer in Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" is often used to describe both the village and the much larger Orion Township, of which the village is a part....
.
High school and college
Strenger began in football as a speedy, 218 pound end for Grafton High SchoolGrafton High School (Wisconsin)
Grafton High School is a secondary school in Grafton, Wisconsin. It is part of the Grafton School District. The only public high school in Grafton, it has a student enrollment of around 900.-Academics:...
in Grafton, Wisconsin
Grafton, Wisconsin
Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,312 at the 2000 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Grafton and the City of Cedarburg.-History:...
. In 1977, he was named All-Metro at the end position after catching four touchdown passes, including a 41-yard reception. At Michigan, Strenger grew into a six-foot, seven inch, 285 pound lineman and became an intimidating presence in the Michigan offensive line from 1980–1982. In 1981, he was a backup to Ed Muransky
Ed Muransky
Edward William "Ed" Muransky is a former professional American football offensive tackle who played for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League and Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League . He was a member of the Super Bowl XVIII Champion Raiders...
and Bubba Paris
Bubba Paris
William "Bubba" Paris is a former professional American football offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL from 1983 to 1990. He was a member of three 49er teams that won the Super Bowl...
, and in 1982, he started all 12 games for the Big Ten champion Wolverines. In 1982, Strenger's blocking led the ways for tailback Lawrence Ricks
Lawrence Ricks
Lawrence Tallmagde Ricks is a former American football professional running back and kick returner who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. Ricks had been a star running back for the Michigan Wolverines...
to rush
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
for 1,428 yards. He was named All-Big Ten at offensive tackle and honorable mention All-America
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1982. In the 1983 Rose Bowl game, Strenger injured his ankle on the third play of the game and did not return to the lineup as the Wolverines lost to UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, 21-14. Strenger was also selected to play for the East Squad in the 58th East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
on January 15, 1983 at Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
.
Professional football
Strenger was the Detroit Lions' second-round draft pick (40th selection overall) in the 1983 NFL Draft. He played in 49 NFL games, including all 16 games for the Lions in 1983. He had earned the starting tackle job in 1984, but he sustained torn ligaments in his right knee in the seventh play of the season opener against the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
on September 2, 1984, and underwent surgery. Lions coach Monte Clark
Monte Clark
Monte Dale Clark was an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams: the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.-College career:...
said of the loss of Strenger, "That's a disaster." He underwent surgery and missed the entire 1984 season and much of the 1985 season while recuperating. On returning to football after his injury, Strenger said, "Sometimes I feel like a rookie out there. In some ways, it's a new challenge to earn my position back, but I'm really anxious to get out there and do some hitting." Starting mid-way through the 1985 season, Strenger started 22 consecutive games and was considered Detroit’s comeback player of the year in 1986. He started all 16 games and played every offensive snap in 1986 on an offensive line that included Keith Dorney
Keith Dorney
Keith Robert Dorney is a former offensive lineman for the National Football League's Detroit Lions.-High school and college career:...
and Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League for eighteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Brown played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played...
. Strenger was a leader on the Lions' offensive line, opening holes for Billy Sims
Billy Sims
Billy Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...
(1,040 yards rushing in 1983) and James Jones (903 yards rushing in 1986). Comparing the college and pro training regimens, Strenger once noted that Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
ran a more strenuous training camp than the Lions: "Things were tougher at Michigan, but they could afford to be because camp was only four weeks long. This is six weeks long, so there is more attention given to not tiring people out." The injuries caught up with Strenger as he was placed on injured reserve by the Lions in November 1987 and did not play in the NFL again. Strenger signed with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in May 1988 but did not make the team. After trying to make the Bills team in 1988 and 1989, Strenger was waived by the Bills on August 30, 1989. In September 2006, Strenger was honored by the Lions as the Alumni Honorary Captain for the Lions-Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
game at Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
.
Legal career
Strenger later received his law degreeLaw degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from the Detroit College of Law
Michigan State University College of Law
The Michigan State University College of Law is a private law school located in East Lansing, Michigan which is affiliated with Michigan State University...
of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in 1999, and worked with the law firm of Butzel Long
Butzel Long
Founded in 1854, Butzel Long is one of the oldest law firms in Michigan. Based in Detroit, Michigan, the firm has 170 attorneys throughout the State, in New York City, and Washington, D.C.. It has alliance offices in Mexico and China...
in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
before opening the Law Offices of Rich Strenger in Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion, Michigan
Lake Orion is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" is often used to describe both the village and the much larger Orion Township, of which the village is a part....
. He was named Volunteer of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2003 by the board of directors and staff of Community Legal Resources in Detroit. In December 2007, Strenger was hired by the North Oakland Transportation Authority to respond to allegations that the agency's director, Pat Fitchena, had engaged in misconduct and abuse of staff members.