Jack Ham
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Jack Ham | |
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Date of birth | December 23, 1948 (age 58) |
Place of birth | ![]() |
Position(s) | Linebacker |
College | Penn State |
NFL Draft | 1971 / Round 2/ Pick 34 |
Career Highlights | |
Pro Bowls | 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 |
Honors | NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team |
Stats | |
Statistics | |
Team(s) | |
1971-1982 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
College Hall of Fame | |
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1988 |
Jack Raphael Ham, Jr. (born December 23, 1948 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is a former American Football linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is considered one of the greatest outside linebackers in the history of the NFL. He attended Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, Pennsylvania followed by Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia for a post graduate season.
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[edit] Pro football career
He was the Pittsburgh Steelers second Round draft pick (34th overall) in the 1971 NFL Draft out of Penn State, where he was an All-American. He won the starting left linebacker job as a rookie. He was All-Pro seven years and was named to eight straight Pro Bowls.
Ham's career statistics include 25 sacks, 21 fumbles recovered, and 32 interceptions. As these numbers indicate, Ham had a flair for the big play, guided by some of the best football instincts ever found in a linebacker. Ham won 4 Super Bowl titles during his 12 year career, all of it spent with the Steelers.
[edit] After retirement
Ham retired from professional football in 1982 and began a career as a radio personality. He is currently a sports analyst for Penn State Radio Network and hosts a radio show in Pittsburgh with Mark Madden on ESPN Radio 1250 during the NFL season. He also appears as an analyst on the Westwood One radio network, a natural progression for a player so in tune with the strategic aspect of football.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1999, he was ranked number 47 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Ham and his wife Joanne currently reside in the Pittsburgh suburbs. They have no children.
[edit] Trivia
- Dobre Shunka (either Polish or Slovak for "good ham") was Ham's nickname while playing, as well as the name of Ham's fan club in the '70s.
- Jack Ham was a brother of Phi Delta Theta while at Penn State
[edit] External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
- The Pennsylvania Football News All-Century Team
National Football League | NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team |
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Sammy Baugh | Otto Graham | Joe Montana | Johnny Unitas | Jim Brown | Marion Motley | Bronko Nagurski | Walter Payton | Gale Sayers | O.J. Simpson | Steve Van Buren | Lance Alworth | Raymond Berry | Don Hutson | Jerry Rice | Mike Ditka | Kellen Winslow | Roosevelt Brown | Forrest Gregg | Anthony Muñoz | John Hannah | Jim Parker | Gene Upshaw | Mel Hein | Mike Webster | Deacon Jones | Gino Marchetti | Reggie White | Joe Greene | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Dick Butkus | Jack Ham | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Willie Lanier | Ray Nitschke | Lawrence Taylor | Mel Blount | Mike Haynes | Dick Lane | Rod Woodson | Ken Houston | Ronnie Lott | Larry Wilson | Ray Guy | Jan Stenerud | Billy Johnson |
National Football League | NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team |
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Terry Bradshaw | Ken Stabler | Roger Staubach | Earl Campbell | Franco Harris | Walter Payton | O.J. Simpson | Harold Carmichael | |
Categories: Linebacker stubs | 1948 births | American Conference Pro Bowl players | American football outside linebackers | College Football Hall of Fame | Living people | NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team | NFL 1970s All-Decade Team | Penn State Nittany Lions football players | Penn State University alumni | Pittsburgh Steelers players | Pro Football Hall of Fame | Sportspeople from Pittsburgh | The Steel Curtain