Former Pittsburgh Steelers scout Bill Nunn is finally getting his long overdue opportunity to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Nunn, a journalist turned scout turned personnel assistant, who was as instrumental as anyone in helping turn the Steelers into a winning franchise in the 1970s, is now the Contributor finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021, according to Jim Trotter on Tuesday.
Nunn, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 89, was largely responsible for the Steelers’ ability to scout and add quality players in the 1970s from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Most notably, Nunn was responsible for the Steelers finding Hall of Famers Mel Blount, John Stallworth and Donnie Shell. Nunn served as a scout and assistant director of player personnel for the Steelers from 1968 to 2014.
“You don’t know how much this means to us,” Nunn’s daughter, Lynell Wilson, said on Tuesday, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
To be elected to the Hall of Fame, Nunn must now receive 80 percent voting support by the entire 48-member Selection Committee on “Selection Saturday.” The Hall’s Selection Committee, at its annual meeting to be held Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 in Tampa, Fla., will consider 18 finalists: a Senior (Drew Pearson), a Coach (Tom Flores), a Contributor (Nunn) and 15 Modern-Era Finalists (to be determined from a preliminary list announced Sept. 16; trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and to 15 finalists in January).
Current bylaws call for a class no smaller than four nor larger than eight. Nunn will be voted on for election independent of the other finalists. The Class of 2021 formally will be enshrined on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021 during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls in Canton.
If he secures the required 80 percent “yes” votes from the full voting committee, Nunn will become the first person of color to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Contributor.
This is obviously great and long overdue news and it now means that Nunn is virtually a lock to be a member of the Class of 2021. Assuming he gets the required votes, Nunn will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next summer along with former Steelers Shell, Troy Polamalu and Bill Cowher. It’s also quite possibly that former Steelers guard Alan Faneca is ultimately voted a member of the 2021 Class as one of the five modern-era selections.
