American football player (born 1947)
Not to be confused with American politician
John Kolb
.
American football player
Jon Kolb
(born August 30, 1947) is an American former professional
football
player who was an
offensive tackle
and
center
for 13 seasons with the
Pittsburgh Steelers
of the
National Football League
(NFL). He played
college football
for the
Oklahoma State Cowboys
. He was also an occasional
strongman
competitor in some of the early
World's Strongest Man
contests.
Early life
[
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]
Born in
Ponca City, Oklahoma
, Kolb attended
Owasso High School
, where he earned all-state honors during his senior year. He attended
Oklahoma State University?Stillwater
where he started at
center
. While at OSU he was named All-
Big Eight
in 1967 and 1968 and was selected
All-American
in 1968.
Professional career
[
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]
Kolb was drafted by Pittsburgh out of OSU in
1969
, 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
in 1971, replacing
Mike Haggerty
, 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
(1980) and
Ray Pinney
(1981). He played next to left guard
Sam Davis
from 1971 to 1979, Davis' final year. Overall, Kolb started at
offensive tackle
in 177 games and earned 4
Super Bowl rings
, 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
's blind side from his left offensive tackle position on pass plays and opening holes for
running backs
Franco Harris
,
Rocky Bleier
, and
John Fuqua
. Like many of the Steeler players of the 1970s, Kolb had his own cadre of fans, known as "Kolb's Kowboys."
[1]
Strongman competitions
[
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]
Kolb competed in the second and third annual
World's Strongest Man
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.
[2]
Life after competition
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]
After his playing career ended, he became a strength and conditioning coach with the Steelers. He has since founded and still works with his family in a nonprofit called Adventures In Training With A Purpose. ATP serves veterans and first responders offering free physical and mental health services. ATP also serves civilians living with chronic disease and illness.
Personal life
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]
Kolb currently resides in
Hermitage, Pennsylvania
with his wife Deborah. They have three sons. He served as the defensive coordinator for
Grove City College
for six seasons. Kolb is currently teaching part-time in the Human Performance and Exercise Science department at
Youngstown State University
in
Youngstown, Ohio
as well as at BC3 in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
References
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]
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