Bill Nunn Jr. obit

Bill Nunn Jr. Dies at 89

 

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Bill Nunn Jr., football front-office pioneer, dies at 89.

Bill Nunn Jr., a pro football pioneer who helped open doors into the National Football League for Black players and personnel, worked on the National Football League draft right until the end. A part-time scout for the Steelers long after his retirement, Mr. Nunn suffered a stroke two weeks ago while analyzing college prospects at the team's South Side training facility. He died late Tuesday at UPMC Presbyterian from complications of that stroke. He was 89 and resided in Pittsburgh.

The NFL draft runs today through Saturday, and the Steelers will have Mr. Nunn's opinions handy when they make their picks. "I think he will be giving them a hand if he can," said his son, Bill Nunn III. "I have a feeling it's going to be a good draft for them."

William G. Nunn Jr., who succeeded his father as managing editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, became the first African-American appointed to a front-office position with the Steelers and held the title of senior assistant in their player personnel office when he died. Mr. Nunn worked for the Steelers for 46 years and is best known for discovering overlooked players from historically Black colleges who became Super Bowl champions with the Steelers.

As one of the longest tenured employees of the Steelers, Mr. Nunn also held the distinction of being one of a select few in the organization with six Super Bowl rings.

Nunn was born and raised in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the son of William G. Nunn Sr., who was the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier. The Courier was among the most influential black publications in the nation.

The younger Nunn attended college at West Virginia State where he was a stand-out basketball player on a team which went 26–0 in his senior season. His high school and college teammate, Chuck Cooper would become the first black player drafted by the NBA. Another college teammate, Earl Lloyd, was the first black person to play in an NBA game.

Nunn was recruited by the Harlem Globetrotters, but chose instead to return home to Pittsburgh to work at the Courier. Nunn started as a sportswriter at the Courier, and eventually moved up to become the sports editor and then managing editor in the mid-1960s after his father's retirement.