Mel Blount
Blount in 2010
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| No. 47 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | April 10, 1948 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Vidalia, Georgia | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lyons (GA) | ||||||||
| College: | Southern | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1970 / Round: 3 / Pick: 53 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Interceptions: | 57 |
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| Interception yards: | 736 |
| Touchdowns: | 2 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Melvin Cornell Blount (born April 10, 1948) is a former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, five-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
Blount is considered one of the best cornerbacks to have ever played in the NFL. His physical style of play made him one of the most feared defensive backs in the game at a time when pass interference rules were less stringent. He founded the Mel Blount Youth Home.
Blount was born in Toombs County, Georgia. The early years of his life were spent in poverty on a Georgia farm. Blount was a star in baseball, football, basketball, and track at Lyons High School. Upon graduation, he was offered a scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While there, he was a Pro-Scouts All-American pick as both safety and cornerback.
Blount was the prototype cornerback of his era and a significant reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers were the dominant team of the National Football League in the 1970s. A third-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1970, he had the size, speed, and quickness for the position, plus the toughness and mental ability to adjust his coverage tactics and excel despite rule changes that favored receivers.
A Pro-Scouts All-American as both a safety and cornerback at Southern University, Blount became a starter in the Steelers secondary beginning in 1972. That season, he did not allow a single touchdown. Blount was equally effective playing either zone or man-to-man defense. Known for his rugged style of play, his specialty was the “bump-and-run” pass defense. Because of his size and speed, he physically overpowered pass receivers.
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