Hall of Fame
Earl Strohm was one of the best linemen to ever play at Shippensburg. He was rugged on defense and a superb blocker.
Strohm came to Shippensburg in the fall of 1939 from Altoona. Shippensburg was 3-3-1 that season and 3-3-2 the following fall.
In 1941, his junior year, Strohm anchored a defense that allowed only 19 points scored during the entire season, one of the best marks in the nation that year. The Red Raiders gave up only 2.4 points per game. Shippensburg was 6-2 and came close to winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title. The Red Raiders shut out the opposition five times. The team also defeated Indiana at Indiana for the first time in school history. Strohm helped win the game by recovering a blocked pass for an interception at the Indiana eight yard line. The play set up Shippensburg’s only touchdown in route to a 9-0 win.
Following the 1941 season Strohm was elected captain of the team for the 1942 season but World War II intervened. Strohm returned to Shippensburg in 1946.
After playing that fall, Strohm signed a contract with the New York Giants, but he did not make the team. He then coached for many years in the Altoona and Bellwood-Antis school districts and produced many future All-Americans and pro players including Mike Reid of the Cincinnati Bengals and Brad Benson of the New York Giants.
