Mel Blount

CTL-E-7032 · Person · other · born 1948

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07904 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-7032.

Melvin Cornell Blount (born April 10, 1948, in Vidalia, Georgia) was, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's words, the prototype cornerback of his era and a major reason the Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the NFL in the 1970s. A Pro Scouts All-American as both safety and cornerback at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Blount was the Steelers' third-round draft choice in 1970 and a starter from 1972, bringing ideal size, speed and physical toughness to the Steel Curtain secondary. He intercepted at least one pass in all 14 of his NFL seasons, finished with 57 interceptions, and in 1975 led the league with 11 interceptions and was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Blount started in all four Steelers Super Bowl victories of the decade (IX, X, XIII and XIV), played in five Pro Bowls, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, in his first year of eligibility according to team and state hall accounts.

The record

• Also known as: Melvin Cornell Blount

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0386. Firsts disposition: no first is claimed. The popular claim that the NFL's 1978 contact restriction was a 'Mel Blount Rule' aimed at his physical play is widely repeated but was not supported by this record's authoritative sources (Hall of Fame, Steelers), so it is NOT carried in the description; it may be added only with a sourced rule-change account. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Blount is the HBCU-to-dynasty pipeline at its highest level — a Southern University defensive back who became the physical standard every big cornerback since has been measured against, and whose 1975 season remains the model of a cornerback taking over a championship team. Photo: CLEARED — 'MelBlount.jpg,' Commons description 'Mel Blount in 2025,' Category:Mel Blount, CC0 (recorded as found; CC0 is a rights waiver, not a public-domain dedication claim beyond the file's own LicenseShortName).

Relationships

• Pittsburgh Steelers — played for
  Mel Blount played his entire 14-season NFL career (1970–1983) as a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting in four Super Bowl victories (IX, X, XIII, XIV) and recording 57 interceptions (Pro Football Hall of Fame; Pittsburgh Steelers).

Referenced by

• Southern University — has alumnus → this record

Sources

• Pro Football Hall of Fame. "Mel Blount." ProFootballHOF.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• Pittsburgh Steelers. "Mel Blount." Steelers.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)

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Record CTL-E-7032 · Combined Graph record U-07904 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 2 sources · 2 mapped relationships.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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