A true son of Notre Dame, Nemeth was born in South Bend itself on December 10, 1922 and played football for Riley High in his hometown where he was named the All-State QB in 1940 and 1941. At 5’10” and 174 pounds Nemeth was a halfback and kicker at the fabled University of Notre Dame in 1943 and 1944 where he was noted for his proficiency of throwing on the option play. Nemeth led the Fighting irish to a national title in 1943 and the team was 17-3 during his tenure. He went on to play three years in the AAFC, but started only 6 of the 26 games he appeared in. As a rookie he played on the 1945 NFL champion Cleveland Rams, but playing behind legendary QBs Bob Waterfield and Jack Jacobs, Nemeth threw only one pass. The next year he tried his luck in the AAFC with the Chicago Rockets where his 22% pass completion mark and his 2.5 yard rushing average left him well down the depth chart. However, Nemeth contributed as the team’s placekicker making 9 of 12 field goals. Nemth finished his US career in 1947 with Baltimore’s AAFC team, but only appeared in 4 games with fairly bleak results.
In 1948, at age 26, he was signed by the Alouettes “at a big cost” to play quarterback (although he was known as a kicking specialist in his last two AAFC seasons) along with Earl Smith and Bruce Coulter. Nemeth played well, both as a passer and kicker in his only year in the CFL.
In 1949 he tried to parlay his CFL quarterbacking success with the Detroit Lions, but was cut from the training camp roster on August 4 1949. Nemeth returned to South Bend to be an assistant coach with the Notre Dame freshman team, and was interested in returning to the Canadian league to play in 1950 but a return to pro football was not in the cards. Nemeth was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, August 15, 1987. Steve Nemeth passed away on March 27, 1998.
[Bio by Wes Cross]
Rated as Sparkplug of 1948 Larks
Nemeth's Passes Sparks Drive - August 27, 1948
| Year | Team | GP | ConvA | ConvG | % | Att | Good | FG% | Long | S | MFG | YdsMFG | Avg | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | MON | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
Nemeth had one single in 1948, probably on a missed fieldgoals.
