Gordon Gravelle

I was surprised to learn that gordon gravelle was traded to the NY Giants prior to the start of the 1977 season. What did the Steelers get for him? Was it John Hicks who was a total bust? I'm assuming that they converted larry brown from TE to T and made gravelle expendable. I thought Gravelle was a very good tackle. anybody remember him from the 70's?

 

I remember the name, but little else.

 

I remember him. Gravelle was a starting OL for the IX and X teams on the right side. He was, as were most OL on those teams, highly underrated. The Steelers were able to sell high on him after the 76 season and got a #2 pick from the Giants for him, which they used on another OL, Ray Pinney, who played for the Steelers for about 10 years.

After playing for the Giants, Gravelle went to the Rams and played against the Steelers in SB XIV, making him that rarity to play for and against the Steelers in a SB game.

Yes,Larry Brown was converted in 77 and became a beast at T for the next 6 years or so. In fact it was Pinney though, starting for the injured Brown in SB XIII, who had a great game against Harvey Martin who had been the MVP the year before.

The 70s Steelers had so much depth on the OL it wasn't even funny. It makes me cry thinking about it compared to the guys they have today.

As far as the Hicks trade, I believe that was for another Steelers OL, Jim Clack. Hicks was a huge draft bust for the Giants and didn't even make the Steelers team (sort of similar story to Levi Brown).
Clack was traded in the Steelers blood purge after the 1977 season, when they also traded Frank Lewis, Ernie Holmes, Glen Edwards and Jimmy Allen and got little in return. All but Holmes would continue to be very good players in the NFL for some time after leaving the Steelers.

 

Actually, Lewis had some pretty good seasons with Buffalo. Edwards had some in San Diego. And your man Jimmy, well, he went on and had a few good seasons in Detroit--he had 15 combined interceptions in 80 and 81.

 

Yes, that's what I was saying, the players they dumped in the 77 off season all started, except for Holmes, and were very good for their new teams and all could have been useful in the 80 or 81 seasons. The 77 purge is a little told story about the 70s Steelers and I find it especially interested. It is my belief- based on some personal interaction with the players involved, and what other people have told me- is that the cleared out players, with the exception of Lewis, all had some drug issues as well as money complaints.

 

Allen had drug issues?

Jimmy, I don't know if I've told you this, but I really appreciate the historical insight you bring to this board.

 

Did Mike Webster have drug issues even when he played? Also didn't Ernie Holmes have some too? Wasn't it him that wrecked drunk or was that Greenwood?

 

Holmes had all kinds of issues. He actually went on a drunken shooting spree and tried to shoot a police chopper from the sky.

 

Dang that's so messed up. I think I actually knew that though.

 

yes, this is coming back to me. actually, Ray pinney was drafted in 1976 and they got the pick from chicago for Ron Shanklin. for gravelle, we got Giants 3rd round pick in 1977. we drafted tom beasley for that trade. we traded frank lewis to buffalo for Paul Seymour TE and he was a complete bust (he was damaged good) and never played for the Steelers. we never got anything back from buffalo. Jim clack for john hicks was also a bust. hicks never played for the steelers.

that story about the 1977 purge is very interesting. we got rid of many good players but it turned out very good for us.

 

ssshhh
don't tell 12to88 the Steelers had drug issues

my stance for their dominance in the 70's wasn't ROIDS
butt
damn good cocaine

a hell of a connection in Pittsburgh to filter it through out the Midwest and northeast

sign of the times

 

wasn't just the 70's either.

 

Tons of drama on that 1977 team.
http://prod.www.steelers.clubs.nfl....it-began/41f4e45b-b84a-4ed9-9a23-dce0cb99614a

 

daddy mac will make you

JUMP JUMP


PANAMA!!! bump bump

 

Kris Kross will make ya JUMP JUMP!
Da wiggity wiggity wiggity wack!

 

Thank you JackAttack. I go way back with the Steelers, started rooting for them back in 72 when I lived in New Jersey, where I used to talk football all the time with one of my best friends in grade school, Greg Schiano. (Greg was a Redskins fan then, so remember where you heard that first if Snyder ever hires him).

I do find the whole 77 "purge" as I call it, particularly interesting as I remember it from my childhood. (In 1977 I moved to Vermont and following the Steelers was a little tougher because the Bills/Pats/Jets sucked up all the TV regional coverage.)
I do know that Holmes definitely had a drug problem,(I'm talking about narcotics not steroids) and Jim Clack later told a writer friend of mine that he battled a drug problem long after he left football. I've known Jimmy Allen for a number of years now, but I've never talked about it with him. His son and late wife have told me that he had a problem with drug abuse though, but he kicked it eventually. He made a lot of trouble for himself in 1977, which was too bad because he probably would have started full time had he been on the 1978 team.

If you read my friend Jim O'Brien's new book about Chuck Noll, then you will read a bit about me in the chapter he did about Jimmy Allen. Today Jimmy is a really positive and upbeat individual-a nice success and survival story, practically a reverse of the Mike Webster story. He lives in Victorville, California and still stays in touch with Frenchy Fuqua and a few other former teammates. I last talked him at the time LC Greenwood passed away. One of these days I'll ask him if he wants to do a Q and A for this board.

 

D'Oh!
I misread your post.

 

THAT would be awesome!

 

Well if it turns out that can't happen will you guys settle for a Q and A session with me?

 

:no:

 

LOL!

 

here is a thing about jimmy allen. looks like people are looking for him.

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/2012/01/13/its-out-of-the-29/

 

Thanks for posting this- to follow up on it:

Jimmy actually saw that article online and forwarded to me! I contacted both the writer and the guy at Pierce College, because I knew exactly where Jimmy was...

Jimmy was unable to make that Hall of Fame dinner, but he later has served as an honorary captain for Pierce and attended a big UCLA reunion in 2012.

Here's a picture of Jimmy and Mark Harmon taken at that event: