Arthur Barry Still (born December 5, 1955) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

, where he was an All-American in 1977, and professionally for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

(1978–1987) and the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

(1988–1989).

College career

Still played at Kentucky under head coach

Fran Curci Fran Curci (born June 11, 1938) is a former American football player and coach. He was an All-American quarterback at the University of Miami in 1959. He served as head coach at the University of Tampa from 1968 to 1970, the University of Miami ...

and led the defense on the

1977 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 1977 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Wildcats scored 252 points while allowing 111 points. The Wildcats finished conference play undefeated but due to NC ...

that finished 10-1 and ranked #6 in the final AP poll. On January 9, 2015, the National Football Foundation announced that Still would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

NFL career

Still was the second overall player taken in the

1978 NFL Draft The 1978 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hote ...

and became an immediate starter for the Chiefs, making the NFL All-

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

Team in 1978. In 1979 Still began to get more notice and was voted Second-team All- AFC by

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

. In 1980, Still recorded sacks was voted

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

and All-AFC as well as being named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

. The following year, 1981, he was voted to his second Pro Bowl. In 1982, he made it three Pro Bowls in a row and was voted second-team All-AFC. In 1983 Still went on an all-

vegetarian diet Vegetarian diet may refer to: *Vegetarianism *Vegetarian cuisine *Plant-based diet (i.e., not necessarily stemming from vegetarian beliefs) *Veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in die ...

and played at 235 pounds, and it seemingly broke his string of post-season honors in the NFL. In 1984, he was back to 265 pounds and was Second-team

and a Pro Bowler. He tied his career high of sacks. In 1985, he played solidly but failed to make any All-Pro or All-AFC teams. However, in 1986 he recorded sacks and was named First-team All-AFC as the Chiefs made the playoffs. Still was a 4-time

selection, following the 1980-1982 and 1984 seasons, named the

's Most Valuable Player twice (1980 and 1984). Still is third on the Chiefs all-time sack list with 48.5 and has also made 922

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and 11

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recoveries. He led the team in sacks on 6 occasions, twice registering in a season and topped the team's tackle chart 3 times. He was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1988 and played there for 2 seasons.

Personal life

Art Still's younger sister,

Valerie Still Valerie Still (born 1961) is an American former professional women's basketball player with the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League (ABL). During her four years at the University of ...

, is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in

basketball history among men and women. His cousin is former

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

Devon Still Devon Joshua Still (born July 11, 1989) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn State, ...

. He also has two sons and a daughter who are Kansas City Missouri fire fighters.

References

External links

*http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StilAr00.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Still, Art 1955 births Living people American football defensive ends Buffalo Bills players Kansas City Chiefs players Kentucky Wildcats football players All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players Camden High School (New Jersey) alumni Players of American football from Camden, New Jersey