Gonzaga Athletic Hall of Fame
Faced with the choice with becoming either a professional hockey player or pursuing an education while playing at Gonzaga University, George Steeves made what he described decades later as the “right decision.” Steeves, who came to Gonzaga from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was an outstanding defenseman for the excellent teams of 1938-39 and 1939-40. At 5’11” and 185 pounds, Steeves was not an attacking defenseman: “I was the mean old man on the back line.” The Bulldogs needed his defensive skills against strong Canadian teams in the Kootenay-American League. During World War II, Steeves was in the U.S. Army and gained an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech through a special service program. True to his alma mater, he returned to Gonzaga, graduated with a chemical engineering degree in 1946, and then spent his career in that field.
