Jack Ham Jack Raphael Ham , Jr . ( born December 23 , 1948 ) former American football linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League ( NFL ) from 1971 to 1982 . He is considered one of the greatest outside linebackers in the history of the NFL . Early years . Ham was born and raised in Johnstown , Pennsylvania , where he attended Bishop McCort High School . He continued his education at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock , Virginia for a post - graduate season . College football . Ham played college ball at Penn State . In his three years as a starting linebacker , the Nittany Lions had records of 11 - 0 , 11 - 0 , and 7 – 3 . In his senior year , 1970 , Ham was co - captain , had 91 tackles , four interceptions , and was an All - American . He had 251 career tackles , 143 unassisted . He blocked three punts in 1968 , setting a school record that was not tied until 1989 . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990 . Pro football career . Ham was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second - round ( 34th overall ) of the 1971 NFL Draft . He won the starting left linebacker job as a rookie . He was first - team All - Pro six years and was named to eight straight Pro Bowl s . He was named the greatest outside linebacker of all time by a consortium of professional sports writers , beating Lawrence Taylor for this honor . Ham was blessed with tremendous quickness — according to Steelers coach Chuck Noll and teammate Andy Russell he was the " fastest Steeler for the first ten yards , including wide receivers and running backs " , this was on a team which included John Stallworth , Lynn Swann and Frank Lewis . He was one of the few outside linebackers who could play pass defense as well as the NFL ' s top safeties . Although he was a ferocious hitter , he was known as a player who couldn ' t be fooled and was seldom out of position . Maxie Baughan , the great former NFL linebacker said of Ham , " He was one of the more intelligent players to ever play that position . He was able to diagnose plays . You couldn ' t ever fool him . " Ham ' s career statistics include 25 sacks , 21 fumbles recovered , and 32 interceptions ( although the sack numbers are unofficial since the NFL did not begin recording sacks until Ham ' s final year in the league , so he officially has just three sacks ) . As these numbers indicate , Ham had a flair for the big play , guided by some of the best football instincts ever found in a linebacker . Ham was a member of four Super Bowl winning teams during his twelve - year career ( although he did not play in Super Bowl XIV due to an ankle injury ) , all of it spent with the Steelers . His 53 takeaways are the most in NFL history by a non - defensive back . " Dobre Shunka " ( either Polish or Slovak for " good ham " ) was Ham ' s nickname while playing , as well as the name of Ham ' s fan club in the 70s . After retirement . Ham retired from professional football in 1982 and began a career as a radio personality . He served as a color commentator for national radio broadcasts of NFL games , and later hosted a show in Pittsburgh with Mark Madden on ESPN Radio 1250 during the NFL season . Ham is currently a sports analyst for Penn State Radio Network and also appears as an analyst on the Westwood One radio network . Ham is a minority owner of the North American Hockey League ' s Johnstown Tomahawks . On January 31 , 2013 Ham was honored by the Tomahawks ' organization with a bobblehead giveaway to the first 1 , 000 fans that entered the Cambria County War Memorial Arena for the Tomahawks ' game against the Port Huron Fighting Falcons . Honors . Ham was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990 . In 1999 , he was ranked number 47 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . Personal life . Ham and his wife , Joanne , currently reside in Sewickley Heights , Pennsylvania . They have no children .