Blue White Illustrated

October 2018

Penn State Sports Magazine

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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> T H E 2 0 1 8 called a B-movie gangster," Steve Sabol of NFL Films explains in a wacky and hi- larious YouTube video about that his- toric day. Then there was Saul's face. Teammates such as center Ray Mans- field and running back Paul Martha thought Saul looked like a couple of characters from 1960s TV shows, Lurch on 'The Addams Family' and Herman Munster from 'The Munsters.' "They actually put the microphone in the middle of my shoulder pads… and from then they just said be yourself," Saul recalls in that same YouTube video. "I was never known as Mr. Nice Guy. I'm sure there were a few beeps [for my lan- guage]." Mansfield was certain Saul "put that wire on and he forgot about it. … There was no 'I'm going to do this for the camera kind of thing.' " Mansfield said Saul "was a typical middle linebacker of the '50s and '60s – hard-nosed, had a mean streak in him." What made Saul so effective, said fellow linebacker Andy Russell, is that he "se- riously believed he could beat up any- body in a fist fight… and that was totally out of reality. … But he was a natural leader, and being the middle linebacker, he constantly motivated us. … A very smart player, a real force in terms of his personality. … He wasn't soft and fuzzy… and we all loved him." "Back then, you wanted to stop every- body," Saul said. "Whoever had the ball, let's take his head off. Someone asked me one time, 'What would happen if your mother was carrying the ball for the other team?' And I said, 'If she had on a different-colored uniform, I'd have to sack her.' Of course, she didn't talk to me for a year." The end of an era Saul also was involved in one more fa- mous piece of NFL and Steelers history, the brutal sacking of the future Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle by defen- sive end John Baker during a game against the New York Giants at Pitt Sta- dium on Sep. 24, 1964. As the bloody and dazed 38-year-old Tittle sat on his knees near the goal posts, seemingly isolated from everyone else, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Morrie Berman snapped a photograph that be- came a classic in the world of sports photojournalism. What had been for- gotten until a Post-Gazette story two years ago was that another of Berman's photos in the aftermath of the sacking had appeared on the newspaper's sports page the next day. It showed Saul tower- ing over Tittle with his hand gently on the old man's shoulder as if offering em- pathy for what had just happened. Tit- tle, who had been the league's MVP the QB NAME YEARS Todd Blackledge................................... 1988-89 RB Franco Harris*......................................... 1972-83 Dick Hoak*............................................... 1961-70 John Patrick..................................... 1941, 45-46 Fran Rogel*............................................. 1950-57 Leroy Thompson*...................................1991-93 WR Bob Campbell*............................................ 1969 Gregg Garrity*........................................ 1983-84 Derrick Moye*................................................ 2013 TE Jesse James*............................................... 2015- Mike Kranchick*................................... 2004-05 Sean McHugh..............................................2008 C Roger DuCy........................................ 1998-2001 A.Q. Shipley*................................................ 2009 C-LB Chuck Cherundolo............... 1941-42, 1945-48 OG JeC Hartings.......................................... 2001-06 Bill "Red" Moore*................................... 1947-49 Leo Nobile*............................................. 1948-49 Steve Suhey*..........................................1948-49 OT Levi Brown..................................................... 2013 Len Frketich...................................................1945 DE Bob Davis................................................1946-50 DT Tim Johnson*..........................................1987-89 Dave Opfar.....................................................1987 Scott Paxson............................................... 2008 LB Jack Ham*.................................................1971-82 Justin Kurpeikis..................................... 2001-02 Eric Ravotti*........................................... 1994-96 Bill Saul....................................... 1964, 1966-68 DB Marcus Allen*.............................................. 2018- Malik Golden............................................... 2018- Justin King..................................................... 2012 Darren Perry*.......................................... 1992-98 K Matt Bahr*............................................. 1979-80 P John Bruno..................................................... 1987 Jeremy Kapinos...................................... 2010-12 * Drafted by Steelers Drafted by Steelrs who didn't play for Steel- ers (By Year and Draft Round) YR NAME POS RD 1940 Leon Gajecki C/LB 16 1946 Joe Tepsic B 4 1946 Ralph Ventresco B 14 1946 Mike Garbinski B/G 20 1950 Negley Norton T 13 1954 Joe Pascarella T 23 1964 Ralph Baker LB 3 1975 Greg Murphy DE 12 N I T T A N Y L I O N S I N P I T T S B U R G H Q U A R T E R B A C K D E F E N S I V E T A C K L E L I N E B A C K E R R U N N I N G B A C K D E F E N S I V E B A C K P U N T E R W I D E R E C E I V E R T I G H T E N D C E N T E R C E N T E R / L I N E B A C K E R G U A R D O F F E N S I V E T A C K L E D E F E N S I V E E N D K I C K E R D R A F T E D B Y S T E E L E R S B U T D I D N ' T P L A Y F O R T E A M

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