Jack Ham

Lore & Background

Jack Ham was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second-round (34th overall) of the 1971 NFL draft and won the starting left linebacker job as a rookie. He was first-team All-Pro six years and was named to eight straight Pro Bowls. According to Steelers coach Chuck Noll and teammate Andy Russell, Ham was the 'fastest Steeler for the first ten yards, including wide receivers and running backs.' He was one of the few outside linebackers who could play pass defense as well as the NFL's top safeties.

Although he was a ferocious hitter, he was known as a player who could not be fooled and was seldom out of position. Maxie Baughan, a former NFL linebacker, said of Ham, '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.'

Ham's career statistics include 25 sacks, 21 fumbles recovered, and 32 interceptions (though sack numbers are unofficial since the NFL did not begin recording sacks until Ham's final year in the league, so he officially has just three sacks). His 53 takeaways are the most in NFL history by a non-defensive back, while his 32 interceptions rank him 3rd all time among linebackers, behind Don Shinnick and Stan White. 'Dobre Shunka' (either Polish or Slovak for 'good ham') was Ham's nickname while playing, as well as the name of his fan club in the 1970s.

Reader's Guide

Jack Ham played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he also joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. In his three years as a starting linebacker, the Nittany Lions had records of 11–0, 11–0, and 7–3. In his senior year of 1970, Ham was co-captain, recorded 91 tackles and four interceptions, and was an All-American. He had 251 career tackles, 143 of them unassisted. He blocked three punts in 1968, setting a school record that was not tied until 1989. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. On December 11, 2014, the Big Ten Network included Ham on 'The Mount Rushmore of Penn State Football', as chosen by online fan voting, joined by John Cappelletti, LaVar Arrington and Shane Conlan. Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1999, he was ranked number 47 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Did You Know?

• Ham did not play in Super Bowl XIV due to an ankle injury.
• In 2017, Ham became an advocate of medical marijuana after seeing the cognitive decline of contemporary Nick Buoniconti and former teammate Mike Webster.