Punter Craig Colquitt had a successful NFL career He spent eight years in the league, and the first seven of those came with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was a part of two Super Bowl winning teams. It’s hard enough for punters to make it to the league in general, since it’s not normal practice for teams to keep more than one on their roster.
However, Colquitt had one aspect of his game that Chuck Noll loved, and he says it’s what helped him get drafted to Pittsburgh.
“All of a sudden, I started focusing, totally, on directional punting,” Colquitt said, speaking on the Relatively Famous YouTube channel. “And the Steelers at that time will tell you, there’s three reasons they drafted me. I was a two-step punter, didn’t have a punt blocked. I punted in front of 78,000 people at that time, and I was a directional punter. And Chuck Noll really loved that.”
The Steelers clearly had valued Craig Colquitt, as they took him in the third round of the 1978 draft. It didn’t take Colquitt long to start playing important football. They won the Super Bowl in each of his first two seasons, and Colquitt played a key role in many of those victories. One of the best performances of his career came in a postseason win against the Houston Oilers, when Colquitt kicked a 66-yard bomb to flip the field position, helping seal Pittsburgh’s victory.
It can be easy for forget about the punter when thinking about the Steelers in the 1970s. The franchise won four Super Bowls from 1974-1979, and that doesn’t happen without many great players donning the black and gold. Colquitt deserves his recognition, though. He was consistent, never averaging less than 40 yards per punt during his time with the Steelers. He was even better in the playoffs, averaging at least 42 yards per punt in three different postseasons. Colquitt also led all punters in the 1984 playoffs with 43.2 yards per punt.
The Steelers interest in his directional punting ended up starting a family legacy at the position. In 2020, Colquitt became the first Super Bowl champion to have two sons who both won the Super Bowl. His sons are Dustin and Britton Colquitt. Dustin won Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs, and Britton won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. Naturally, both of them were punters as well.
As the NFL continues to age, new strategies are constantly emerging. While many don’t think much of the average punter, things like directional punting are unique ways to change the game. It’s something that Colquitt excelled in, and it earned him an excellent career in the league.
