Ex-Lions WR Junker dies at 88
Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Steve Junker, a key member of the franchise’s last NFL championship in 1957, died on Dec. 13 at the age of 88.
Junker, a native of Cincinnati, was selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 1957 NFL draft out of Xavier. As a rookie, Junker was Detroit’s leading receiver in both playoff games, including an eightcatch, two-touchdown performance in the 1957 NFL championship game as the Lions routed the Cleveland Browns, 5914.
He was also an integral part of the Lions’ 31-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the 1957 Western Conference championship game. Junker was the team’s leading receiver with eight catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
His strong rookie season led to him earning one vote for NFL Rookie of the Year in 1957, finishing in a tie for second place behind Cleveland’s Jim Brown, who also took home the MVP his first year.
Junker couldn’t build on his strong rookie season in 1958 after hurting his left knee in spring practice and reinjuring it two weeks before the season started. He was placed on IR and missed the 1958 entire season and still felt the lingering effects in 1959. He appeared in six games in 1959 but was only used as a blocker and did not record a stat in those appearances.
Initially, coaches thought the knee injury was the end of his career, but another operation allowed Junker to return to the Lions for the 1960. In the lead-up to the season, Junker told the Detroit Free Press his knee was good to go for the season.
"I've known for several months now that the leg finally is all right," Junker said in August 1960. "I tried it all spring. I really gave it a going over, and it held up all the way."
He played in 12 games, starting two of them, and recorded six catches for 55 yards in 1960, which ended up being his final season in Detroit. He finished his career playing two seasons for Washington before retiring after the 1962 season citing chronic knee issues.
Following his retirement, he worked as a scout for the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys until 1967. After that, he left football entirely to become a real estate agent and raise his family in Cincinnati, according to his obituary.