Steven Norbert Junker (July 22, 1935 – December 13, 2023) was an American football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions (1957, 1959–1960) and the Washington Redskins (1961–1962). As a rookie, he caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. He also had two touchdown catches in the Lions' victory over the Cleveland Browns in the 1957 NFL Championship Game. He missed the 1958 season after sustaining a knee injury and never fully recovered from his knee injuries.
Junker was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round (48th overall pick) of the 1957 NFL Draft.[1][9] As a rookie in 1957, he caught 22 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season.[1] He then blossomed in the playoffs. In the divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers, Junker caught eight passes for 92 yards, one of them for a touchdown.[10][11] In the 1957 NFL Championship Game, he was the Lions leading scorer with 12 points and caught five passes, including touchdown receptions covering 26 and 23 yards.[12][13][14]
Junker suffered a knee injury in an Xavier alumni football game in the spring of 1958. Junker later recalled that, despite four knee surgeries, "The knee just never quite came back."[2] As a result of the injury, he missed the entire 1958 NFL season.[15]
Junker returned to the Lions in 1959, but he continued to be hampered by his bad knee and had no catches.[16] During the Lions' pre-season camp in 1960, Junker impressed observers and led to his being "hailed as the 'comeback star' of 1960."[17] However, he managed only six catches for 55 yards during the 1960 regular season.[1]
In September 1961, the Lions traded Junker to the Washington Redskins in exchange for Johnny Olszewski.[18] He played for the Redskins in 1961 and 1962, totaling 20 catches for 279 yards.[1]
In 1963, after retiring from football, Junker began a long association with Wilson Realty Co. in the Cincinnati area.[19] He remained with the company through at least 1976.[2] He later formed his own company known as Steve Junker Realty.[20] He also worked for a time in the mid-1960s as a scout for the Atlanta Falcons and later for the Dallas Cowboys.[2][21] He died on December 13, 2023, at the age of 88.[22]