Steve Largent (1976-89)

By Joshua Lippert
Love of Sports Correspondent

The average, undersized white kid growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma likely has modest athletic aspirations.

That’s fair to assume, right?

Pinochle champion, maybe. Winning the monthly racquetball tournament at the YMCA would be realistic. But what could possibly result in a 5-foot-11, 187-pounder with average speed and no flashy end zone dance aspiring to play in the National Football League? I mean, seriously.

For Steve Largent – the result was a Hall of Fame career.

After an All-American career at the University of Tulsa, the cowbell finally rang when Largent’s name was called in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. Only four games into the preseason, Largent was slated to be cut.

“I remember crying all the way home from Houston, dragging my little U-Haul trailer,” Largent recalled. “I was preparing to move on to the next phase of my life.”

That’s when opportunity came knocking.

Seattle assistant Jerry Rhome, who coached Largent at Tulsa, urged the Seahawks to gamble on the scrappy little receiver. For expansion Seattle, Largent was the catch of a lifetime. He became an instant prodigy with 54 receptions his rokie season, the third best mark in the NFC.

“There wasn’t a defensive back that wanted to go out and cover Steve Largent,” said Dave Krieg, former Seahawks quarterback. “He had a way to make you look foolish. I don’t care how good you were.”

The sure-handed receiver, who prided himself on flawless pass routes, led the AFC with 71 receptions in 1978 and had five other seasons with 70 or more. He also went to seven Pro Bowls in a 10-season span between 1978 and 1987, becoming the first Seahawk to do that.

“At times when we would play Seattle I would sit on the sidelines and watch this guy,” said Jerry Rice, considered by many to be the best receiver to play the game. “I would try to pick up some moves and try to improve my game.”

Matthew 5:36-37: “Your word is your bond.”

In 1982, Largent cited this verse, implying all contracts shall be honored as with God. That was the inspiration behind he and teammate Jim Zorn’s refusal to participate in the NFL strike. Ironically, their sudden divinity came in the third - and final - week of the strike, after they first agreed to attend the strike with their teammates.

Upon his retirement in 1989, he held all major NFL receiving records, including most receiving yards in a career (13,089), most receptions in a career (819) and most touchdown receptions (101). In 1992, Seattle retired his number (80); the only Seahawk to be so honored.

“These records were something that I held with an open hand,” Largent stated, reflecting on his accomplishments. “I never looked at them as my records and that my self-esteem or self-worth was built upon the fact that I’m holding NFL records, because it wasn’t.”

In 1994, Largent became a Member of the United States Congress, representing Oklahoma’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He resigned his House seat in 2002 to focus on a run for governor of Oklahoma. Initially an overwhelming favorite, he lost by a narrow margin.

Largent may have lost the race for governor, but he remains the most prolific receiver in Seahawk history.

So, let’s throw our fists in the air and give some OLD SCHOOL LOVE to Steve Largent – the Great White Hope who became an inspiration!