PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – I think what may be lost on the remarkable career and impact Bill Nunn had on the Steelers and the NFL. He was more than just the man who opened up doors for players at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other smaller programs.
It was as much how he identified those players.
"He had certain things—isms if you will," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "He didn't like tall offensive linemen because of bend or potential lack thereof."
"He always looked at how guys had weight distributed on the bottom of their shoes. He wanted guys to have the inside instep part of the shoe to be more worn than the other parts because that was a good power source for directional changing and things of that nature."
"Just a bunch of unique little tidbits that I could go on forever. But just tools of the trade and really, examples of his expertise in that area."
Nunn would check out college school dances after games to see how well the linemen moved on the dance floor and used that to judge their coordination. It was like Nunn had his own brain and eye analytics before the age of computers.
"Let's just talk about the athleticism of this player," Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said Nunn would tell him. "It's up to the coaches to take that athleticism and make him into a pro. They all don't start out as Pro Bowlers or Hall of Famers."
"Donnie Shell is a classic example. Bill is buying raw talent as a college linebacker at South Carolina State and saying hey coach, I think he can be this type of player. Which, going into the Hall of Fame, he turned into."
Shell recalled a conversation with Nunn after going undrafted in 1974. Shell said Nunn called him and asked if he was aware he wasn't drafted. Shell told him he was keenly aware that 17 rounds went by and he wasn't selected.
Nunn believed in Shell's ability. His relationship with Shell's head coach helped convince Donnie to sign with the Steelers and reject offers from Denver and Houston.
"Bill was a great person," Shell said. "A lot of people don't know he was one of my mentors and the mentor of many of my former teammates. It's a tremendous honor for him and those that knew him and his family. He always encouraged us to do our best in practice."
Even though Nunn 'retired' in 1988, he would be at training camp nearly every day. While he didn't have the time with him as other coaches or staffers, he left a mark on Tomlin.
"I just appreciate the mentorship I got from him, the wisdom that I got from him, the time spent," Tomlin said. "All of us that had an opportunity to spend time with him really enjoyed it. Me, personally, I loved how scientific he was in terms of the evaluation of talent or pedigree, and the things that he focused on in terms of the evaluation of athletes."
"He taught us on a daily basis just how to be a professional," Colbert said. "You cherished every discussion with him because he could talk not only about football players, but about boxers, entertainers, baseball players. Tell you about how he rode Roberto Clemente to the airport after the 1960 series. He could tell you stories that were impactful life-lessons."
"Many of the things that he taught me I use to this day, and probably will continue to use and share with others," Tomlin said. "He was a legendary talent evaluator. His enshrinement is well deserved."
