Steelers Throwback Thursday: Jack Ham’s stellar career
Steel City Underground takes fans back in time to feature events, special moments, and historical times and players in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers Nation. Join us as we revisit these moments in our “Steelers Throwback Thursday” series.
Over the years, the Pittsburgh Steelers were known for outstanding linebackers who played for their franchise. Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham is one of the most beloved of those players in the team’s history even though he’s not always the first player at that position to be named when Steelers fans are asked to do so. This week, we look back at his NFL career.
From Nittany Lions to Steelers
Ham, born and raised in Johnstown (Penn), didn’t go far when he enrolled in college at Penn State. In 1970, as a captain of the Nittany Lions team, Ham earned All-American honors as a senior. NFL teams took notice of his abilities and in the second round (34th overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft, Ham officially became a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“As a college freshman coming to a major university, you go in a lot of different directions. Joe [Paterno] told me that family and education came before football.” – Jack Ham on who influenced him as a coach
What made Ham special
In his rookie season, head coach Chuck Noll awarded Ham a starting spot on the Steelers defense at left linebacker where he showcased a unique skill set: the ability to not only pressure opposing quarterbacks but also be highly effective in coverage. A large part of his success in those areas were due to his size and speed.
“He was one of the more intelligent players to ever play that position. He was able to diagnose plays. You couldn’t ever fool him.” – Maxie Baughan
Ham had a knack for being where the ball was. He was also quick, like a safety, in reading opponents to close on a play. That allowed Ham to grab a historic 53 career takeaways by a player that is not a defensive back; he still holds that record. Ham recorded 32 interceptions during the same time period. He also made two defensive touchdowns.
Due to the league beginning to count sacks as an official statistic in 1982, Ham’s total is listed as three. Unofficially, the linebacker earned 25 during his time in Pittsburgh.
Part of the “Steel Curtain”
Ham was among the players that made up the famed Steel Curtain defense that included Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, Andy Russell, and Dwight White, and Donnie Shell. It was one of the most-feared defenses in the NFL and helped propel Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships: IX, X, XIII, and XIV.
Those teams, and Ham, would become part of a dynasty that would be tested throughout the 1970s era and were the foundation for setting the standard that Pittsburgh Steelers football would aspire to carry forward into the franchise’s future.
Honors
Ham retired from the NFL following the 1982 season having spent his entire career with the Steelers. He was awarded the following honors:
- 4× Super Bowl champion (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
- 6× First-team All-Pro (1974–1979)
- 2× Second-team All-Pro (1973, 1980)
- 8× Pro Bowl (1973–1980)
- NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
- NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
- NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
- Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team
- Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
- Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Consensus All-American (1970)
In 1988, Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Joe Paterno gave his induction speech. Ham was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame just two years later.
