When Mel Blount invites you to dinner, you show up. The Hall of Famer who defined the Steelers’ standard for cornerbacks treated the entire position group to a meal last week, according to his youth foundation’s Instagram page.
The photo features Beanie Bishop Jr., Cory Trice Jr., Brandin Echols, Darius Slay, Mel Blount, Jalen Ramsey, Daryl Porter Jr., and Joey Porter Jr. And that looks like James Pierre on the far left by process of elimination, though it’s hard to tell with the hat. Almost the entire cornerback room was in attendance, including the practice squad.
“Mr. Mel connected with Jalen Ramsey and wanted to take the Steelers’ secondary to dinner — just to share encouragement between generations,” the caption reads. “That’s what makes this organization special — the older generation pouring into the younger.”
Pouring into the younger generation of Steelers is something that Blount has always taken pride in. That courtesy doesn’t just extend to cornerbacks, either.
Calvin Austin III mentioned visiting Blount’s farm as a rookie with the rest of his rookie class and how he stays in touch from time to time.
“As rookies, we all go to his house and where he has all his land,” Austin said via Chalk Talk with Gerry Dulac on 102.5 WDVE. “As rookies, we probably had like three or four interactions with him…It’s just really cool that they’re still pouring into us…That’s what makes it when you put on the jersey, really something meaningful.”
Sifting through the comment section of Blount’s Instagram, other former players have similar stories.
“Mel Blount has been doing great things off the field his entire life,” former Steelers RB Chuck Sanders wrote. “Took us to dinner in 1986.”
Blount hasn’t played a snap for the Steelers since 1983, but his impact on the organization has never faded. He’s not alone, either — legends like Mean Joe Greene, who went on to coach and scout for the team, and others such as Merril Hoge, Tunch Ilkin, Craig Wolfley, Ike Taylor, and Brett Keisel have carried on that tradition by staying closely involved over the years. There are too many to list them all.
When pundits debate whether the “Steelers Way” is fading, it’s hard to make that case with guys like Blount still working to keep it alive.
