{{Short description|American football player, Air Force officer, and engineer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox CFL biography |name=Brock Strom |image=Brock Strom.jpg |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1934|09|21}} |birth_place=Munising, Michigan, U.S. |death_date= |death_place= |number=75 |Position=Tackle |College=Air Force |career_highlights = * Consensus All-American (1958) |Awards= |Honors= |DatabaseFootball= |years= |teams= |CollegeHOF=1727 |HOF=}} '''Brock Strom''' (born September 21, 1934) is an American former football player, Rhodes scholar, Air Force officer, and engineer.

He was head of engineering for NAVSTAR GPS satellite program at the USAF Space & Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO), precursor to the Space Command and Space Force.

==Biography== Strom was born in Munising, Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Munising-Michigan.html|title= Munising, Michigan|publisher= City-Data.com|access-date= June 23, 2014}}</ref>

Strom was a member of the first graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in 1959. He was captain of the undefeated 1958 football team, and became the Academy's first All-American. He gained the honor when players played offense and defense and just 11 were selected. Strom played tackle on the offensive and defensive lines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2006/09/10/first-afa-all-american/|title=First AFA All-American|date=2006-09-10|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1727|title=Brock Strom (1985) - Hall of Fame|website=National Football Foundation|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

He earned an M.S. from MIT in 1961,<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=An investigation of the effects of concentrated loads and moments on a thin paraboloidal shell of revolution|date=1961|language=en|first=Laurence J|last=Thomson|oclc=10915180}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/55523358/|title=Ironwood Daily Globe from Ironwood, Michigan on June 22, 1961 · Page 16|website=Newspapers.com|date=June 22, 1961 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1971.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Vibration of plane curved beams|date=1971|language=en|first=Brock Tourville|last=Strom|oclc=12729535}}</ref>

He flew 90 missions as a navigator in Vietnam, and was decorated with two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, and three Air Medals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://goairforcefalcons.com/news/2007/10/15/Brock_Strom_part_of_inaugural_Hall_of_Fame_class_at_Air_Force.aspx|title=Brock Strom part of inaugural Hall of Fame class at Air Force|website=Air Force Academy Athletics|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfbhall.com/about/inductees/inductee/brock-strom-1985/|title=Inductee {{!}} Brock Tourville Strom 1985 {{!}} College Football Hall of Fame|website=www.cfbhall.com|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

As a lieutenant colonel, he became Director of Engineering in the GPS Joint Program Office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gpsworld.com/origins-gps-part-1/|title=Part 1: The Origins of GPS, and the Pioneers Who Launched the System|date=2010-05-02|website=GPS World|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gpsworld.com/origins-gps-part-2-fighting-survive/|title=Part 2: The Origins of GPS, Fighting to Survive|date=2010-06-01|website=GPS World|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Patrick J. |last2=Griffin |first2=John M. |date=2007-10-04 |title=Global Positioning System Systems Engineering Case Study |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA575919 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118022214/https://apps.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA575919 |url-status=live |archive-date=November 18, 2019 |language=en |page=124 |section=Appendix 6, GPS JPO Organization Chart}}</ref>

After retiring from the Air Force as a colonel, he joined Burlington Northern Railroad as the director of the Advanced Railroad Electronics System (ARES), which used GPS for positive train control.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-11-20-8603270306-story.html|title=SATELLITES SIGNAL A NEW ADVANCE IN KEEPING TRACK OF TRAIN TRAFFIC|last=Tribune|first=Bob Wiedrich, Chicago|website=chicagotribune.com|date=November 20, 1986 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-06-13-8801070244-story.html|title=WITH HELP FROM ABOVE, TRAINS ON SAFE TRACK|last=Tribune|first=Bob Wiedrich, Chicago|website=chicagotribune.com|date=June 13, 1988 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> He became Vice President, Information Systems Services, at Burlington Northern Railroad in April 1988.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_wQAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA21|title=CIO Magazine|date=August 1988|language=en}}</ref>

He later became a professor at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado where he lived until he retired.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{College Football HoF|1727}} {{1958 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Storm, Brock}} Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:American football tackles Category:Air Force Falcons football players Category:All-American college football players Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Munising, Michigan Category:Players of American football from Michigan Category:Military personnel from Michigan Category:20th-century American sportsmen

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