Induction for Hall of Fame Finalist Bill Nunn long overdue

The final requirement for induction will come on Feb. 6, when the 48-member selection committee gathers in Tampa, Florida, on the eve of Super Bowl LV. Nunn, who died of a stroke in 2014, must receive at least 80 percent "yes" votes to earn a bust in the hallowed halls of Canton. To those who knew him and have followed in his footprints, the honor is long overdue.

Nunn, who spent 46 years with the Steelers as a scout and personnel executive, helped stock the roster with talent from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that served as the backbone of teams that won four Super Bowls from 1974 to '79. Before joining the organization, he was a journalist with the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation's largest and most influential Black newspapers. He would attend an HBCU football game each week, then select a Black College All-America team at the end of the season, casting a spotlight on athletes who were largely overlooked by pro teams.

"Bill Nunn's contribution to Black college football is historical," said James "Shack" Harris, a member and co-founder of the Black College Football Hall of Fame who starred at Grambling State before playing and later working as a personnel executive in the NFL. "Nunn scouted our practices and games and circulated the top players around the league by selecting the Pittsburgh Courier All-American team. We competed hard to make the team. He hosted a banquet providing us our only opportunity to meet each other and NFL scouts. This enhanced players' draft status. The AFL signed many (HBCU) players through this process. Those players contributed greatly to the merger of the AFL and NFL. We had many great players but this was the only team to which most of us would be selected. Through this process his commitment to provide a fair and equal opportunity to black college players was monumental. This, along with his eye for talent and willingness to stand up for our players, (played) a major role in the Steelers becoming four-time world champions. We all are indebted to Bill Nunn. He is truly deserving of a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

The relationships Nunn developed along the way gave him greater access and insight to players from HBCUs and helped create a culture of trust once those players arrived in Pittsburgh, because many had never played for a white coach to that point. Among the HBCU alums the Steelers drafted or signed during that time were Hall of Famers Mel Blount, John Stallworth and Donnie Shell, All-Decade defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood and starting defensive lineman Ernie Holmes.

"Of all the people Dan Rooney hired in his life -- including three Super Bowl-winning coaches -- none may have been as transformational as Nunn," Jim Rooney wrote of his late father in A Different Way to Win, Dan Rooney's Story From the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. "His presence gave the Steelers tremendous credibility among Black players and college coaches as a premier, forward-thinking organization."