Jack Ham’s football career speaks for itself. He is the only Penn State product in both the College and Professional Football Halls of Fame. His four Super Bowl rings while starring at outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers are reminders of a true dynasty in the 1970s.
Though he earned all of his individual success himself, Ham has one person to thank for giving him the chance to achieve such greatness: Joe Paterno. Ham was part of a strong contingent of former Penn State players that attended Paterno’s viewing earlier this week.
Ham admits that he was a talented, but raw, teenager when he left Johnstown, Pa. to step onto campus in State College, Pa. Paterno helped him realize his potential and maximize his ability, which resulted in his selection as a consensus All-America in 1970.
College Football Hall of Fame players coached by Paterno (with year of induction) include Mike Reid (1987), Ted Kwalick (1989), Ham (1990), John Cappelletti (1993), Dennis Onkotz (1995), Lydell Mitchell (2004), Keith Dorney (2005) and Curt Warner (2009).
“If we are lucky, we can identify a person who we can admit—without question—made a significant, unique difference in our life,” Ham told Pro Player Insiders this week. “I am that lucky in having found that person, and that person is Joe Paterno.”
Paterno left such an indelible mark on Ham’s life that he chose the late coach to present him during his 1988 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was clear that his college coach saw in Ham much more than just a good football player.
“Coach Paterno wanted me to be a good football player, but was determined that I was first and foremost a good student,” Ham wrote in an email to PPI. “[That’s] an invaluable gift [that] few in big-time, big-money college athletics take the time to bestow these days.”
Though he’d go on to be an eight-time Pro Bowler in the NFL, Ham never forgot the lessons he learned while playing for the coaching legend.
“It is much more than a cliché: Coach Paterno taught me a lot about football, but even more about life,” he said.
The Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award recipient credits Paterno for helping him evolve from a boy to a man while imparting more than just X’s and O’s during his years as a student-athlete at Penn State and a trusted friend after his collegiate days.
“While I, like thousands of others, mourn his death, I will also celebrate his life, a life rich in devotion to his family, his players and his beloved home at Penn State,” Ham said. “He deserves no less.”
Paterno was born December 21, 1926 in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has five children and 17 grandchildren.
