Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kordell Stewart literally had his day in Las Vegas yesterday. As he shared on Instagram, the mayor officially proclaimed Feb. 22, 2024 Kordell Stewart Day. An avid golfer going back to his playing days, he partnered with the Traillionaires Foundation to host a two-day charity golf event in Las Vegas over the past two days.
View this post on Instagram
They gave the event the title the Service, Leadership, Venture, and Resource Classic Golf Tournament. Its aim ties into the Foundation’s broader goal to aid students of color. Its mission seeks to “help students obtain life-sustaining jobs faster, develop important life skills, and increase financial knowledge, thus advancing the rate of youth of color develop creditworthiness, savings, and investments”, according to its website.
Among the notables participating, the greatest name of interest is Jerome Bettis. The two spent much of their careers as teammates with the Steelers from 1995 through 2002. Two other teammates on defense, OLBs Joey Porter Sr. and Greg Lloyd joined in as well. Another Hall of Fame running back, Eric Dickerson, also made the trip for the fundraiser. Stewart’s Hall of Fame teammate in Baltimore, Jonathan Ogden, contributed his time among other sporting luminaries.
“It’s not about me it’s about these kids in need of support and vision”, Stewart said in part in his Instagram post. “Today was a good Day”. I don’t know the extent to which he partners with the Traillionaires Foundation, but he has another event coming up.
A second-round draft pick in 1995, Stewart quickly earned the nickname “Slash” for his versatility. As a rookie, he caught 14 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 86 and a touchdown. He also passed for 60 and a touchdown.
Stewart did not settle into the role of quarterback until 1997, going 11-5 as a starter. He made the Pro Bowl in 2001 following a 13-3 season, throwing for over 3,000 yards. But he lost his starting job to Tommy Maddox the following year.
In all, Stewart threw for 14,746 yards with 77 touchdowns to 84 interceptions. He also caught 41 passes for 658 yards and five touchdowns, rushing for 2,874 and 38 touchdowns. To that he added six punts, though mostly with the Ravens.
A polarizing player, Stewart drew many fans but more than his share of detractors as well. Since retiring, he has talked about dealing with racism and false allegations about his sexuality while in Pittsburgh.
In terms of football, his current main interest concerns his alma mater. He is all in on the Colorado Buffaloes with Deion Sanders at the helm. The team sparked some early excitement in 2023 before imploding, partly due to injury, finishing 4-8.
With the likes of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, however, they remain an intriguing team moving forward. They still have work to do on the recruiting front, but this is a team that only won one game the year before.
