John Stallworth

Here we talk of a legend and a personal childhood hero of the gridiron, John Stallworth, the dependable number 82 of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. We have the story of his football journey and HOF career.

Most of us have heard of John Stallworth as the Pro Football Hall of Fame Wide Receiver that played his entire NFL career for the Pittburgh Steelers on four Super Bowl Championship teams in the 1970s. However there is much more to this man's remarkable life. Just who is John Stallworth then? We hope to answer that question in this tribute to the man.

He was born on July 15, 1952 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His parents, Mary and David Stallworth raised four children of the family there in Tuscaloosa County. John like most boys in the area grew up dreamed of one day playing college football for his hometown team, the University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa is a town of about 100,000 people and at its very heart, both physically and emotionally is the University of Alabama. Alabama football in the 1960s was at the apex of the collegiate gridiron hierarchy in the decade, just where their wiley old cCoach Paul Bear Bryant wanted them to be. Bryant’s Crimson Tide football teams compiled the nation’s best record in the 60s, including winning national championships in 1961, 1964, and 1965, and having its second undefeated team (along with ’61) in 1966.

Needless to say, it was very much the aspirations of every young boy in Tuscaloosa to put on the crimson helmet and have Bear Bryant as your sideline boss, John Stallworth was no exception. However this dream was not to be for the talented Mr. Stallworth as fate had other plans. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama website, Stallworth had an initial diagnosis of having polio when he suffered a temporary paralysis in his legs. John Stallworth Jr. tol the Pro Football Hall of Fame audience when he was the presenter of his father the day of Enshrinement that his father was misdiagnosed with the strickening disease at the age of 5 or 6, fortunately he had not contracted polio but some fear that wrongful diagnosis put John Stallworth's football capabilities in question. John's high school football career was described as mediocre. As running back and captain of his Tuscaloosa Central High School team, the group could muster only one winning game during his senior year. Thus Stallworth failed to impress and was not recruited by Alabama head coach who was looking for blue chip superstars to fill his roster.

it had to be heartbreaking for a young Stallworth not to be wanted by his hometown school, but he didn't let it get him down. In fact it may have given him added drive to succeed. He ended up attending Alabama A&M, a traditionally black university. At A&M he started his collegiate career playing defensive back and running back, positions that he didn't really feel comfortable in.  Stallworth then was driven to make a very bold move. Alabama A&M was not a passing offense, but still he approaoched head Coach Lewis Crews, and asked he could be worked out in a receiver position.  There was not a lot of expectation of greatness from this move by the coaching staff at A&M. John Stallworth was driven to impress though and he worked hard at learning the position. Practicing tirelessly before, after and during the team sessions. As John Jr. described; "after setting the records for touchdowns scored in a season, passes caught in a season, and leading his team to a conference title, he became All-American." At the time and for many seasons thereafter, Stallworth was the only player from Alabama A&M that had ever been innvited to play in the Senior Bowl.

Back in the early 1970s, few NFL teams kept tabs on the players from the HBCU schools. Their sites were set on the the big traditional D-I powerhouses like Alabama, Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State and the like. None of them except scout extraorinaire, Bill Nunn of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nunn had previously been a reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier Newspaper, and followed in his father's footsteps on covering black athletes. He was very familiar, comfortable and known by the HBCU schools as a friend. Nunn was aware of John Stallworth and his athleticism and truly wanted the receiver. So much so that he did some pretty ruthless things such as borrow the only film on the young receiver, promising to pass it on to other NFL scouts, but it mysteriously vanished. John was pretty much an unknown commodity at the 1974 NFL Draft. The Steelers were just salvating waitin gto pounce on him, but they were patient. In the first round they took what would be the perfect tandem to place with Stallworth, Lynn Swann from USC. In round two they took a stud on defense in Jack Lambert the Middle linebacker from Kent State. The time was perfect in round four and in this historic Steelers 1974 NFL Draft class they took John.

Here is just what John Stallworth meant to the franchise in his eleven year career:

• caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records at the time of his retirement.
• was named All-Pro in 1979, All-AFC in 1979 and 1984 and played in four Pro Bowls.
• had 12 postseason touchdown catches and 17-consecutive postseason games with a reception.
• still holds the Super Bowl record for average yard per catch with 24.4 yards
• holds the record for single-game average, 40.33 yards, set in Super Bowl XIV. Swann is second in that category with a 40.25 yard average from Super Bowl X, and Stallworth third with a 38.33 yard average in Super Bowl XIII.
• played in six AFC championship games and was a part of the Steelers four Super Bowl championships and was named team MVP twice
• scored the game winning touchdown on a 73-yard reception in Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams.
• Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2002. Stallworth was also an inaugural member of the Steelers Hall of Honor as a member of the Class of 2017.

 Stallworth was a very productive playmaker in the Steelers dynasty of the 1970's where they won four Super Bowls in a span of 6 seasons. 

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: John Stallworth.com, Pro Football HOF website, The Encyclopedia of Alabama website, and Steelers.com