Tony Dungy, the first Black head coach elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, began both his playing and coaching careers with the Steelers.
So, it seems only fitting the Steelers also will be represented in the Hall of Fame by the man who helped pave the way for so many minority players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to find success in the NFL.
That is one of the many legacies former Steelers Assistant Personnel Director Bill Nunn Jr. left behind when he died in 2014.
"That would have meant everything to him," Nunn's daughter, Lynell, a former U.S. attorney said Sunday, a day after the world was informed her father would be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer as a contributor to the game. "It always was instilled in us looking for diversity, appreciating diversity, trying to change things for the better. To be the first African American contributor in the Hall of Fame is just a wonderful honor.
"Before when he was at the (Pittsburgh) Courier, my grandfather was managing editor. He instilled in my dad his values and my dad instilled it in us that diversity mattered, giving everybody a chance. And he instilled in the people that he scouted and the players that ended up with the Steelers that the Rooneys would always give them a chance. Dan (Rooney) and the Chief (Art Rooney) gave my dad a chance. It was just that fact for him to be the first African American I know would have been very, very meaningful to him as it is to all of us."
Nunn, former Steelers guard Alan Faneca, quarterback Peyton Manning, safety John Lynch, wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Drew Pearson, defensive back Charles Woodson and coach Tom Flores were announced Saturday night as the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
They'll be inducted Aug. 5-9 into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, with the 2020 Centennial Class that also includes former Steelers safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell, along with head coach Bill Cowher.
It will be a special weekend for the Steelers, who will kick things off by playing the Cowboys Aug. 5 in the Hall of Fame game.
"We'll have to get the biggest tent in Ohio," joked Steelers president Art Rooney II when asked what kind of special celebration the team might have in mind for what will be the largest contingent entering the hall for one team in its history.
Bringing everyone together under one tent was long a goal of Rooney's father, Dan, the former president of the team. He died in 2017, but his relationship with Nunn dated back decades and led to Dan Rooney hiring Nunn as a part-time scout in 1967.
As sports editor for the Pittsburgh Courier, the nation's pre-eminent African American newspaper, Nunn chose the Black All-American Team each year. But for many years, that is where the playing careers for many of those players ended.
But Nunn convinced Dan Rooney in a meeting that the NFL was missing out on talent. Rooney agreed and hired Nunn.
He joined the team on a full-time basis two years later and helped the Steelers populate their roster over the next few years with players from HBCUs such as Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White, Mel Blount, Shell, John Stallworth and many others who would go on to become stars and key components of the team's four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s.
It's not a stretch to say Nunn was the driving force behind those Super Bowl teams. Dan Rooney was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2000, joining former head coach Chuck Noll there. It only seems fitting Nunn also owns that honor.
"He would be very proud," Rooney said of his father. "I did think of that this morning about it is too bad that both my dad and Bill aren’t going to be here to enjoy this because it would have been a special time for the two of them, that is for sure. Unfortunately, that is life and we will celebrate for them and I’m sure they will have a front row seat watching Canton in August this summer."
If there is any regret from Nunn's family, it is that he won't be on hand for his enshrinement. The Hall of Fame didn't create a category for contributors to the game until 2015, a year after Nunn's death. And his wife, Frances, is no longer around to share in the job. She died last August.
"I can’t even tell you how excited we were," Lynell said. "It’s been over six years since my dad passed away, but it feels like yesterday. And when we got the first news in August that he was a finalist, that was just mind boggling. Last night really made it come to life and we are so honored and pleased. He has three grandchildren and one great grandchild and one great grandchild on the way, so we couldn’t be happier."
Nunn spent his life breaking new ground. And now, he'll do so again, even after he's gone.
"When they created this contributor category, (I thought) it should open the door for guys like Bill," Rooney said. "Let’s say guys that really shaped the game and opened doors for more African Americans in the game. I would certainly hope that Bill leads the charge in terms of those types of people being recognized."
