Coming out of Colorado as one of the top quarterbacks in the 1995 NFL Draft, Kordell Stewart was hoping to be the next star quarterback who brought a different set of skills to the NFL.
Eventually, he did, putting together one heck of a career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it certainly didn’t start out that way as he found himself behind the likes of Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak and Jim Miller on the QB depth chart despite being a second-round pick at No. 60 overall in 1995.
Undeterred, Stewart took on a new role with the Steelers as a rookie, one that would ultimately help the Steelers get to Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys that season.
The 1995 season saw the birth of the “Slash” era where Stewart played some quarterback, ran the football, played some wide receiver and really was on the field for the Steelers to utilize his athleticism and open-field abilities under offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt.
“It was the best time of my life ’cause I threw it, I ran it, I kicked it, I caught it. It was the time where there was nothing really to think about…but the ‘Slash’ role was second to none,” Stewart said of that era during a sit-down with Rob King for Steelers.com. “It was the first and being able to do it at, at quarterback, running back wide receiver and, and punting the ball too at the same time, and then committing to playing quarterback, that wasn’t heard of.”
That hybrid role certainly wasn’t heard of, especially with a quarterback like Stewart, who was quite good at Colorado, all of a sudden wearing different hats as a running back, wide receiver and even a punter at times.
Teams were unprepared for it and Stewart had a great deal of success with it.
The hybrid role only started due to injuries at receiver during that 1995 season, Stewart said. That included the late Charles Johnson getting hurt, not to mention O’Donnell getting hurt under center as well. But what kick-started the “Slash” era was Johnson being banged up, putting Stewart under the spotlight in practice on the scout team as a receiver.
“A few other receivers were hurt and I’m sitting on the sideline just watching. But mind you, in practice on scout team, I’m sometimes doing on the L-one or R-one, which is a guy on the very far outside on either side. I’m playing quarterback, I’m warming up with Neil catching the ball,” Stewart said recalling how the hybrid role was born. “So I’m beating Darren Perry in practice. I’m beating Carnell Lake, I’m beating Rod Woodson, I’m beating Willie Williams. You know, I’m beating pretty much everybody that I’m going up against…whoever lined up in front of me. And so it gets to a point where Neil O’Donnell asked me, he said, ‘Would you play wide receiver?’
“And I was like, ‘Man, I don’t care. I don’t wanna sit on the sideline with no khaki shorts on holding the clipboard all day. I’m about to get fat sitting over here watching this mess.'”
Ultimately, the “Slash” era got its start on Oct. 29, 1995, in Week 9, which was the second matchup of the season against the then-AFC Central Jacksonville Jaguars.
On a 3rd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 28 late in the first quarter, Stewart took a quarterback draw and raced 16 yards, giving birth to the “Slash” era. From that game to the end of the regular season, Stewart carried the ball 15 times of 86 yards, scoring a touchdown in Week 15 against the New England Patriots in a 41-27 win.
Stewart also added 14 receptions for 235 yards and a touchdown that year, hauling in a 71-yard touchdown pass in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 49-31 win. But his most famous “Slash” play that year came in a 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 10 when he ran all over the field before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Mills.
The “Slash” era continued into the playoffs, too. Stewart hauled in a 5-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone from O’Donnell in the 1995 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, helping the Steelers reach Super Bowl XXX.
The 1996 season was Stewart’s best in the “Slash” role. He had 39 carries for 171 yards and five touchdowns that season, including a then-record 80-yard touchdown against Carolina. He also added 17 receptions for 293 yards and three touchdowns.
That all was a springboard to his dominant 1997 season as the starting quarterback, setting off one heck of an exciting era for the Steelers.
But that 1995 season, Stewart recalls it fondly.
“You know, that was a great year. That was a fun year,” Stewart said.
Steelers fans would agree.
