Jon Kolb (born August 30, 1947) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was an
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
and
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
for 13 seasons with the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
of 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 ...
(NFL). He was also an occasional
strongman
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. These ...
competitor in some of the early
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decembe ...
contests.
Early years
Born in
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...
, Kolb attended
Owasso High School
Owasso High School is a high school located within Tulsa County in Owasso, Oklahoma, United States. It is among the largest high schools in Oklahoma by enrollment with nearly 3,000 students.
The school is known for being involved in the '' Owass ...
, where he earned all-state honors during his senior year. He attended
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (officially Oklahoma State University; informally Oklahoma State, OK State, OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originall ...
where he started at
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
. While at OSU he was named All-
Big Eight in 1967 and 1968 and was selected
All-American in 1968.
Professional career
Kolb was drafted by Pittsburgh out of OSU in
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, and played with the Steelers from 1969 to 1981. Kolb did not start in any game during his first two years, but became the starting left
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
in 1971, replacing
Mike Haggerty
Michael K. Haggerty (born October 14, 1945) is a former American football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions. He was drafted by the ...
, for all 14 games, remaining in that position until 1981, his final year, though in the final two years he shared time with
Ted Petersen
Ted Petersen (born February 7, 1955) is a former professional American football offensive lineman. He played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Indianapolis Colts
...
(1980) and
Ray Pinney
Raymond Earl Pinney Jr. (born June 29, 1954) is a former American football offensive tackle and guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was selected by the Steelers in the second round ...
(1981). He played next to left guard
Sam Davis
Sam Davis (October 6, 1842 – November 27, 1863) was a Confederate soldier executed by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. He is popularly known as the ''Boy Hero of the Confederacy'', although he was 21 when he ...
from 1971 to 1979, Davis' final year. Overall, Kolb started at
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
in 177 games and earned 4
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...
s, during the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons.
During his playing days, Kolb was widely regarded as one of the strongest men in the NFL and played like the strongest one, protecting
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst an ...
's blind side from his left offensive tackle position on pass plays and opening holes for
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
s
Franco Harris
Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection ...
,
Rocky Bleier
Robert Patrick "Rocky" Bleier ( , born March 5, 1946) is a former professional American football player. He was a National Football League (NFL) halfback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968 and from 1970 to 1980.
Origin of nickname
Nicknamed ...
, and
John Fuqua
John William "Frenchy" Fuqua (born September 12, 1947) is a retired professional American football running back who played from 1969 to 1976, for the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the New York St ...
. Like many of the Steeler players of the 1970s, Kolb had his own cadre of fans, known as "Kolb's Kowboys."
Strongman competitions
Kolb competed in the second and third annual
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decembe ...
competitions in 1978 and 1979, placing on a very good 4th rank in both years, while often defeating much heavier and stronger competitors in certain events.
[ Retrieved 17 Feb 2012]
Life after competition
After his playing career ended, he became a strength and conditioning coach with the Steelers.
Personal life
Kolb currently resides in
Hermitage, Pennsylvania
Hermitage is a city contiguous with Sharon, PA in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Hermitage is located about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 16,230 ...
with his wife Deborah. They have three sons. Jon served as the defensive coordinator for
Grove City College
Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and 6 pre-professional ...
for six seasons. He currently is teaching part-time in the Human Performance and Exercise Science department at
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...
in
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...
as well as at BC3 in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolb, Jon
1947 births
Living people
People from Ponca City, Oklahoma
Players of American football from Oklahoma
American football offensive linemen
Oklahoma State Cowboys football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
People from Hermitage, Pennsylvania