Al Culver
| No. 27, 54 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | June 11, 1908 Glencoe, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | February 7, 1982 (aged 73) Plymouth, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | St. Thomas (Mendota Heights, Minnesota) | ||||||
| College | Notre Dame | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Alvin Sager Culver (June 11, 1908 – February 7, 1982) was an American professional football player who was a tackle in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in 1932. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and was named a second-team All-American in 1930.
Early life
[edit]Alvin Sager Culver was born on June 11, 1908, in Glencoe, Illinois.[1][2][3] For high school, he attended St. Thomas Military Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.[4][1] He was a letterman in football, basketball, track, and tennis.[4] Culver played tackle for three years on the football team and was a two-time team captain.[4][5] He helped the 1926 squad go undefeated.[4] He was a center in basketball, and threw weights on the track team.[4] In May 1926, Culver was reported as being 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighing 240 pounds (110 kg).[4] He was named St. Thomas' most outstanding athlete for the 1925–26 school year.[4]
College career
[edit]Culver initially planned on enrolling at Northwestern University, where his father Alvin H. Culver used to be the head football coach.[4] However, he instead decided to attend the University of Notre Dame.[2] Culver was on the Fighting Irish freshman team during the 1927 season and earned a letter.[2] He sat on the bench during the 1928 season and did not play in any games, although The Morning Union noted that he was a promising prospect.[5] Culver played in varsity games for Notre Dame from 1929 to 1931, helping them win the national championship in 1929 and 1930.[6][7] He was also named a second-team All-American by the United Press in 1930 at tackle.[8] He wore jersey number 81 while at Notre Dame, and graduated in 1932.[6][3]
Professional career
[edit]Culver played in three games for the Chicago Bears during the 1932 NFL season as a tackle.[9] He was then released and signed by the Green Bay Packers.[10] He spent two weeks with the Packers, starting one game, before being released again.[10][9]
Personal life
[edit]In 1933, at the Chicago World's Fair, Culver jumped into Lake Michigan in an attempt to save a drowning man.[10] The man ended up dying.[10] In 1947, Culver married Ada Madden.[3] He died on February 7, 1982, at a nursing home in Plymouth, Indiana.[3][1] He was a Catholic.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Al Culver". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Notre Dame To Fete Gridders; 30 Get Letters". The Lake County Times. December 8, 1927. p. 18. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Alvin H. Culver". The South Bend Tribune. February 8, 1982. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Alvin Culver Is Chosen Best All-Around Athlete at St. Thomas Academy". Star Tribune. May 23, 1926. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 "Notre Dame Football Prospect May Be Another Fred Miller". The Morning Union. October 11, 1928. p. 19. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 "2023 Notre Dame Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Notre Dame. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ LaFleur, Pete. "Nowhere But Notre Dame – National-Title History". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ↑ Cameron, L. S. (December 8, 1930). "United Press Has All-America Grid Team of the Year: Milo Lubratovich of the University of Wisconsin Team is Placed on the First Team". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. p. 15. Retrieved May 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Al Culver". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Risks Life In Attempt To Save Drowning Man". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Associated Press. June 23, 1933. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
