Martin Kottler

Marty "Butch" Kottler

Fullback / Halfback
Personal information
Date of birth: May 1, 1910(1910-05-01)
Place of birth: Carnegie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of death: June 10, 1989(1989-06-10) (aged 79)
Place of death: Centerbrook, Connecticut, U.S.
High School: Bellefonte Academy (Bellefonte, PA)
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College: Centre College (Danville, KY)
Debuted in 1933 for the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL)
Last played in 1933 for the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL)
Career history
Pittsburgh Pirates (1933)
Career highlights and awards
Scored first touchdown of Pirates (Steelers) franchise history
Career NFL statistics as of 1933
Games played	3
Touchdowns	1
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Martin Albert "Butch" Kottler (May 1, 1910 – June 10, 1989) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was a charter member of the Pittsburgh Pirates (which would later be renamed the Steelers).

Kottler was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania to Martin and Christine (Eichner) Kottler. He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky where he starred on the football team and was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.^[1]

He joined the newly formed Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933. In the club's second game, on September 27, 1933, he scored the first touchdown in franchise history for on a 99-yard interception return .^[2] This would stand as the longest interception return in franchise history until Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, when James Harrison returned an interception 100 yards.

During World War II and the Korean War, Kottler served in the United States Army Air Corps. He achieved the rank of captain before leaving the service in 1953. He then embarked on a long career in the auto industry, including many years as an executive at Avis. He was married to Bernice Mary Saunders and the couple had a daughter, Cheryl. He died following a long illness in 1989 at the age of 79.

References

1. ^ "Obituary". The Day (New London). June 12, 1989. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hP8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PXMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1595,2575296&hl=en. Retrieved May 12, 2011. 
2. ^ Dvorchak, Robert (September 9, 2007). "Birth of The Nation: the Steelers of the '30s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07252/815953-66.stm. Retrieved May 11, 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Kottler, Martin
Alternative names	Marty Kottler, Butch Kottler
Short description	early professional football player
Date of birth	May 1, 1910
Place of birth	Carnegie, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death	June 10, 1989
Place of death	Centerbrook, Connecticut, USA