Jack Ham
| No. 59 | |||||||
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| Position: | Outside linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Date of birth: | December 23, 1948 | ||||||
| Place of birth: | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Johnstown (PA) McCort | ||||||
| College: | Penn State | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
| Interceptions: | 32 |
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| Touchdowns: | 2 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Jack Raphael Ham Jr. (born December 23, 1948) is a former American football outside linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1971 to 1982. He is considered one of the greatest outside linebackers in the history of the NFL.
Ham was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he attended Bishop McCort High School. He continued his education at Massanutten Military Academy in for a post-graduate season.
Ham played college ball at Penn State. 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, 1970, Ham was co-captain, had 91 tackles, four interceptions, and was an All-American. He had 251 career tackles, 143 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. Ham was joined in the honor by John Cappelletti, LaVar Arrington and Shane Conlan.
Ham was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second-round (34th overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft. He 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. Ham was blessed with tremendous quickness — according to Steelers coach Chuck Noll and teammate Andy Russell he 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."
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