Steve Sitko

Steve Sitko

Personal information
Born	(1917-11-18)November 18, 1917 Fort Wayne, Indiana
Died	January 8, 2003(2003-01-08) (aged 85) Akron, Ohio
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	Central (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
College	Notre Dame (1937–1940)
Position	Guard
Career history
1940–1941	Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1941–1944	Akron Collegians
1942–1943	Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1943–1944	Dayton Bombers
1944	Cleveland Allmen Transfers
1947–1948	Akron Collegians
Career highlights and awards
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (1997)

Steven Joseph Sitko (November 16, 1917 – January 8, 2003) was an American football player for the University of Notre Dame, and a professional basketball player.

As a student at Fort Wayne Central High School, Sitko was best known for his basketball skills, earning the Gimbel Prize for scholastics and sportsmanship in 1936 and reaching the state finals.

Sitko became the starting quarterback at Notre Dame for two seasons, and would often confuse broadcasters when running Elmer Layden's "S" backfield, where all of the backs would be heavily involved in all aspects of the running and passing attack. His teams finished 8-1 (ranked #5) in 1938 and 7-2 (ranked #13) in 1939. He was named to the 1939 College Football All Polish-American Team.

Although he was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 22nd round of the 1940 NFL Draft, Sitko chose instead to play in the National Basketball League for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots. Meanwhile, his cousin Emil Sitko would have a stellar career at Notre Dame as a halfback under Frank Leahy.

Sitko was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

References

• Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
• "The lives of three intertwined Irish legends end". Irish Sports Report. February 9, 2003. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved 2007-12-19.