Today is June 2 and with that, most fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are excited to see if the team might ultimately trade for a player or two this month. Specifically, a trade for a wide receiver is what most Steelers fans are hoping for. With that setup now out of the way, it would be quite the news story should the Steelers ultimately trade for a player in June. Why? Well, because it’s been more than 50 years since such a thing has occurred.
According to my research of the NFL archives and data kept by Pro Sports Transactions, the last time the Steelers traded for a player in June was back in 1972. Not only that, but it was also late in June when that particular trade happened. The actual date and trade? Well, it happened on June 28, 1972, and the trade included the Steelers acquiring return specialist/defensive back Ron Gardin from the New England Patriots in exchange for an undisclosed 1973 draft pick. That was likely a conditional sixth-round pick, according to PST.
Gardin, who was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the sixth-round of the 1970 NFL Draft out of Arizona, had previously been traded to the Patriots early in the 1971 season for a fifth-round draft pick.
“I think he can help us with his speed,” Steelers HC Chuck Noll said following the team’s acquisition of Gardin via a trade in late June 1972.
At the time that the Steelers acquired Gardin, he ranked second among American Conference punt returners, having brought back 34 punts for 419 yards, a 12.3-yard average. He also had one return for a touchdown to his credit.
While in college at Arizona, Gardin played both wide receiver and running back, and he compiled 776 yards and seven touchdowns on 191 total attempts, to go along with 73 receptions for another 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. Prior to the Colts trading Gardin to the Patriots in 1971, they attempted to move the player to wide receiver after initially having him play defensive back in addition to serving as a return specialist.
Gardin’s time with the Steelers didn’t last very long, however, as the team waived him in early August 1972, ahead of their first preseason game. According to newspaper reports at the time, Gardin was dealing with a bruised shoulder that he suffered during a team training camp scrimmage just prior to him being waived.
The Miami Dolphins proceeded to claim Gardin off waivers from the Steelers. Gardin, however, ultimately landed on the Dolphins’ Reserve/Injured list after tearing knee ligaments in an August preseason game.
In January 1973, the Green Bay Packers signed Gardin as a free agent following the team giving him a tryout as a wide receiver. Gardin’s stay on the Packers’ roster only lasted until May that year, as the team ultimately released him well ahead of its training camp getting underway.
As for the supposed sixth-round selection that the Steelers gave to the Patriots in exchange for Gardin in 1972, that never had to be transferred. It was tied to the player ultimately making Pittsburgh’s roster that season, which he ultimately failed to do.
While Gardin’s NFL career was relatively short-lived and not overly notable, he did win a Super Bowl as a rookie as a member of the Colts. In fact, Gardin returned four punts for four yards in the Colts’ Super Bowl V win against the Dallas Cowboys. At that time, Gardin also became the first former Wildcat to play in a Super Bowl.
After his professional football career ended, Gardin reportedly worked as a recreational coordinator for the Marty Birdman Recreation Center in the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department in Arizona. He was also once the president of the NFL’s Retired Players Association.
