- 1983 Lombardi Award Winner
- 1983 Outland Trophy Winner
Among the top offensive linemen ever to play at Nebraska, Dean Steinkuhler anchored a line that paved the way for the nation's leading rushing offense in 1983 before sweeping the top awards presented to linemen.
As a senior that season, Steinkuhler won both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, awarded to the outstanding interior player and top lineman in the country, respectively. He helped create holes for Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier, who became only the second player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in 1983.
Steinkuhler's No. 71 jersey, along with Rozier's No. 30 jersey, was retired following the 1983 season, in which the Huskers ran for an average of 401.7 yards-per game, while also leading the nation in scoring, averaging 52.0 points per contest.
Steinkuhler was named to nearly every All-American list in 1983, giving his hometown of Burr (population 110) the distinction of being the smallest town at the time to ever produce a consensus All-American. More recently, Steinkuhler was one of six Huskers named to Sports Illustrated's 85-player All-Century Team, joining Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Rich Glover, Tommie Frazier and Aaron Taylor.
As a junior in 1982, Steinkuhler played side-by-side with three All-Big Eight selections (Dave Rimington, Mike Mandelko and Randy Theiss) before earning the honor himself the following year.
Following a stellar senior season, Steinkuhler became the highest-drafted Husker linemen ever, when the Houston Oilers selected him as the second pick in the 1984 NFL Draft. Steinkuhler played eight seasons with the Houston Oilers before retiring following the 1991 season. Steinkuhler followed fellow Husker Irving Fryar in the draft, marking only the second time in NFL history, and the first since 1967, that the top two players were from the same school.
Steinkuhler now resides in Syracuse, Neb. Steinkuhler's son, Ty, is a member of the 2006 Nebraska football team.