Background
Kottler was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania to Martin and Christine (Eichner) Kottler.
Kottler was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania to Martin and Christine (Eichner) Kottler.
He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky where he starred on the football team and was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
He joined the newly formed Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933. In the club"s second game, on September 27, 1933, he scored the first touchdown in franchise history for on a 99-yard interception return. This would stand as the longest interception return in franchise history until Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, when James Harrison returned an interception 100 yards.
During World World War II and the Korean War, Kottler served in the United States Army Air Corps.
He then embarked on a long career in the auto industry, including many years as an executive at Avis. He died following a long illness in 1989 at the age of 79.
He was a charter member of the Pittsburgh Pirates (which would later be renamed the Steelers).
