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Over the years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have generally been known for two things: running the ball and elite defensive play. From on-the-field stars such as Le’Veon Bell and Jerome Bettis, to all-time legends like Franco Harris, to a bonafide hero in Rocky Bleier, the Steelers have had their fair share of excellent halfbacks in their near 90-year existence. While those names are universally known by Steeler Nation, the Steelers also drafted another prominent running back whose name is rarely if ever brought up in Steelers history.
The 1937 Pittsburgh Pirates (the team name before the 1940 change to the Steelers), wasn’t very good at all, winning only four games to seven losses and a -23 point differential. Yikes.
In the same way that it is today, an underwhelming season did have upsides for the future, and the Pirates’ poor play in 1937 was rewarded with the number four overall draft pick. With the Cleveland Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Brooklyn Dodgers all taking backs ahead of them, the Pirates felt the need to do the same. With the fourth overall pick, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected future United States Supreme Court Justice and University of Colorado running back, Byron “Whizzer” White. The eventual 83rd Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court had an excellent off and on the field collegiate career, leading the Buffalos to a stunning 7-0 season, before being defeated by Rice University in the 1937 Cotton Bowl. He was named to the 1937 All-American team for his outstanding collegiate athleticism.
Byron “Whizzer” White | New York Times / Getty Images
At the same time, White had also been offered a Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford in England, creating two competing paths for his future. Initially, the prestigious academic honor led him to rule-out playing football professionally. As such, he was passed over by the Rams, Eagles, and Dodgers in the draft, who took him at his word about forgoing a professional career.
Seemingly undeterred by White’s public statements, Pirates owner Art Rooney still selected White in the December draft and offered him an astonishing $15,000 contract to play in Pittsburgh ($301,825.53 in 2022 dollars). At the time, that was the most money ever paid to a single player in the NFL’s history and was eye-popping to NFL observers across the country.
After some back-and-forth with Rooney and the Rhodes Scholarship Committee, White ultimately decided that he would play for the Pirates in the 1938 season and deferred going to law school until the season’s conclusion. As a contemporary article describing White’s decision making process put it, “Rooney’s Persistence Wins” and the rest was history. Pittsburgh would have its tailback of choice for the 1938 season.
White did not disappoint in his single season with the Pirates, racking up a league-high 567 rushing yards and being named to the 1938 All-Pro Team. Under Coach John McNalley, White was able to rush 152 times for a 3.7 yard average carry and scored 4 touchdowns. While the former All-American was a phenom in his single season with the Pirates, his personal success did not help the team overall, which went from 4-7 in 1937 to 2-9 in 1938.
Despite his personal success, after the single less-than-illustrious season with the Pirates, White decided to return to his deferred dream of studying law at Oxford. As he put it at the time, “I think I may find it awfully difficult grappling again with problems in a book, instead of those on a football field, but I’ll be better equipped for having done it”. White went on to Oxford and Yale, ultimately earning his law degree in 1946. He additionally played in two more NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, earning two additional All-Pro distinctions before stepping up to serve his country on the Pacific Front in World War II as a naval intelligence officer.
After the conclusion of his career in the NFL and his military service, White continued to study law and was appointed as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and to the Supreme Court of the United States in the following year. White was confirmed by a unanimous voice vote in the United States Senate and took his seat on the bench on April 16th, 1962. He remained on the bench until his retirement in 1993, having presided for over thirty years and partaking in some of the most transformative judicial decisions from the high court in the nation’s history. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 84.
From the gridiron to the nation’s highest court, White distinguished himself as tough, competitive, and smart, and I like to think that his time in Pittsburgh sharpened him a bit for his future career in politics.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
The 1937 Pittsburgh Pirates (the team name before the 1940 change to the Steelers), wasn’t very good at all, winning only four games to seven losses and a -23 point differential. Yikes.
In the same way that it is today, an underwhelming season did have upsides for the future, and the Pirates’ poor play in 1937 was rewarded with the number four overall draft pick. With the Cleveland Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Brooklyn Dodgers all taking backs ahead of them, the Pirates felt the need to do the same. With the fourth overall pick, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected future United States Supreme Court Justice and University of Colorado running back, Byron “Whizzer” White. The eventual 83rd Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court had an excellent off and on the field collegiate career, leading the Buffalos to a stunning 7-0 season, before being defeated by Rice University in the 1937 Cotton Bowl. He was named to the 1937 All-American team for his outstanding collegiate athleticism.
Byron “Whizzer” White | New York Times / Getty Images
At the same time, White had also been offered a Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford in England, creating two competing paths for his future. Initially, the prestigious academic honor led him to rule-out playing football professionally. As such, he was passed over by the Rams, Eagles, and Dodgers in the draft, who took him at his word about forgoing a professional career.
Steelers draft White
Seemingly undeterred by White’s public statements, Pirates owner Art Rooney still selected White in the December draft and offered him an astonishing $15,000 contract to play in Pittsburgh ($301,825.53 in 2022 dollars). At the time, that was the most money ever paid to a single player in the NFL’s history and was eye-popping to NFL observers across the country.
After some back-and-forth with Rooney and the Rhodes Scholarship Committee, White ultimately decided that he would play for the Pirates in the 1938 season and deferred going to law school until the season’s conclusion. As a contemporary article describing White’s decision making process put it, “Rooney’s Persistence Wins” and the rest was history. Pittsburgh would have its tailback of choice for the 1938 season.
White did not disappoint in his single season with the Pirates, racking up a league-high 567 rushing yards and being named to the 1938 All-Pro Team. Under Coach John McNalley, White was able to rush 152 times for a 3.7 yard average carry and scored 4 touchdowns. While the former All-American was a phenom in his single season with the Pirates, his personal success did not help the team overall, which went from 4-7 in 1937 to 2-9 in 1938.
Despite his personal success, after the single less-than-illustrious season with the Pirates, White decided to return to his deferred dream of studying law at Oxford. As he put it at the time, “I think I may find it awfully difficult grappling again with problems in a book, instead of those on a football field, but I’ll be better equipped for having done it”. White went on to Oxford and Yale, ultimately earning his law degree in 1946. He additionally played in two more NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, earning two additional All-Pro distinctions before stepping up to serve his country on the Pacific Front in World War II as a naval intelligence officer.
After the conclusion of his career in the NFL and his military service, White continued to study law and was appointed as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and to the Supreme Court of the United States in the following year. White was confirmed by a unanimous voice vote in the United States Senate and took his seat on the bench on April 16th, 1962. He remained on the bench until his retirement in 1993, having presided for over thirty years and partaking in some of the most transformative judicial decisions from the high court in the nation’s history. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 84.
From the gridiron to the nation’s highest court, White distinguished himself as tough, competitive, and smart, and I like to think that his time in Pittsburgh sharpened him a bit for his future career in politics.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
