John Sauer Explained

John Sauer
Size:260px
Birth Date:August 31, 1925
Birth Place:Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Death Place:Oakwood, Ohio, U.S.
Player Years1:1944–1945
Player Team1:Army
Player Positions:Quarterback
Coach Years1:1947–1949
Coach Team1:Army (backfield)
Coach Years2:1950–1951
Coach Team2:Florida (backfield)
Coach Years3:1953–1954
Coach Team3:Los Angeles Rams (backfield)
Coach Years4:1955–1956
Coach Team4:The Citadel
Admin Years1:1955–1956
Admin Team1:The Citadel
Overall Record:8–9–1

John Edward Sauer (August 31, 1925 – March 4, 1996) was an American football player, coach, and broadcaster.

A Dayton, Ohio native, Sauer was a multi-sport athlete at Oakwood High School.[1] His father, Eddie Sauer, played for the Dayton Triangles in the early days of the NFL.[2]

From 1943 to 1946, Sauer attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he played and coached for Army in a number of sports. Leaving the service in 1950, Sauer went into football coaching, first as an assistant with the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida and the Los Angeles Rams, and then as head coach of the Citadel Bulldogs football team of The Citadel.

In 1957, Sauer quit full-time coaching to work in his father's real estate business, but he continued to work through the rest of the 1950s and into the 1960s as a scout for the Rams and Minnesota Vikings and an assistant offensive and defensive coordinator for the College All-Stars. In 1966-67 Sauer took over as head coach for the All-Stars, losing to Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers in both All-Star Games he coached.

In 1963, Sauer began working for CBS television as a color commentator on NFL and college football broadcasts. He continued with CBS until 1974. He then worked from 1974 until 1994 as a color commentator on University of Pittsburgh radio broadcasts.

He died at his home in Oakwood in 1996.

Notes and References

  1. News: Jacobs . Paul . October 23, 1941 . John Sauer, One-Man Gang, Takes Over Oakwood Star Role . The Dayton Herald.
  2. News: Nichols . Jim . September 13, 1970 . Football Analyst John Sauer Works Hard Before Telecast . Dayton Daily News.