Stephen Epler was a teacher and assistant football coach at Nebraska's Chester High School in 1933 when he became concerned that many high schools lacked football teams, which he attributed to small enrollments and insufficient budgets.
I don’t believe that is accurate. There are a lot of reliable sources that state he was at Chester High School. In fact, this website is the only one that mentions Beatrice, NE.
I have at least a dozen Nebraska newspaper articles from 1934 indicating Epler was a teacher at Beatrice when the game started in 1934. He graduated from Cotner College at mid-year 1932 and coached at Teachers High in 1933.
Here’s a podcast that was published on September 20th of this year. The podcast features Stephen Epler’s daughter, Charlotte Gezi, who also states that her dad was teaching at Chester High School when he started 6-man football. You may want to double-check your sources. I would think the Nebraska Schools Activities Association, the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, and his own daughter are more credible sources than some unnamed “Nebraska newspapers”.
I’ve come across many stories that get mixed up over time. I’m happy to correct my info when shown better information than the period articles below. There are others I did not provide:
I've corrected the story after acquiring Epler's 1939 The Official Six-Man Football Guide and Rulebook. The preface indicates he was at Chester HS in 1933 when he devised the game.
Hi - I am working on a book project about six man football and would like to interview you. What is the best way to reach you? I'm at wahltracy1@gmail.com
Boyd Epley responded that his dad had seventeen siblings, so it is possible.
Batting average has been corrected. I've contacted Boyd Epley to see if there is a connection.
Stephen Epler started 6-man football in Chester, NE — not Beatrice.
Period sources indicate he was a teacher and assistant coach at Beatrice HS in 1934 when he started the game.
I don’t believe that is accurate. There are a lot of reliable sources that state he was at Chester High School. In fact, this website is the only one that mentions Beatrice, NE.
https://nebhalloffame.org/stephen-epler-chester/
https://chesternebraska.com/six-man-football/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LqtqSnUxs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I have at least a dozen Nebraska newspaper articles from 1934 indicating Epler was a teacher at Beatrice when the game started in 1934. He graduated from Cotner College at mid-year 1932 and coached at Teachers High in 1933.
Here’s a podcast that was published on September 20th of this year. The podcast features Stephen Epler’s daughter, Charlotte Gezi, who also states that her dad was teaching at Chester High School when he started 6-man football. You may want to double-check your sources. I would think the Nebraska Schools Activities Association, the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, and his own daughter are more credible sources than some unnamed “Nebraska newspapers”.
I’ve come across many stories that get mixed up over time. I’m happy to correct my info when shown better information than the period articles below. There are others I did not provide:
https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-media/curious-nebraska-audio/standalone-audio-16513/six-man-football-50028734/
I've corrected the story after acquiring Epler's 1939 The Official Six-Man Football Guide and Rulebook. The preface indicates he was at Chester HS in 1933 when he devised the game.
Hi - I am working on a book project about six man football and would like to interview you. What is the best way to reach you? I'm at wahltracy1@gmail.com
I wonder if Stephen Epley is related to Boyd Epley, the long-time S&C Coach at Nebraska.
“Mean” Gene Brown’s batting average was 0.180.