Steelers' HOF Mel Blount continues pursuing his passion in retirement

Mel Blount hasn't played a down of football in 35 years, but even though one dream has long since ended, he is still busy pursuing his passion.

The Steelers Hall of Famer is regarded as the greatest cornerback in the history of football, a player whose dominance forced the NFL to change its rules on pass defense.  It's been almost 49 years since he was drafted out of Southern University, and at age 70, one of the gems of the '70 draft is still going strong.

These days, Blount enjoys fun on his farm in Washington County.

"I'm a farm boy," he told Channel 11 sports director Alby Oxenreiter. "I grew up on a farm in Georgia. I tell people if you don't want to work, don't own a farm."

Blount remembers his time in the NFL fondly, but says this is where he truly feels at home.

"Playing in the NFL was a job," Blount said. "It was all in fun when we won. We didn't win all the time, but we won enough. This is fun every day."

Blount's youth home in Washington County is now nearly 30 years old. Over the decades, he's helped change the course of countless young lives.

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"I've been very satisfied with the path I chose in life, the path that God chose for me," Blount said.

Blount is at home on a horse and happiest when talking about family.

"I'm definitely proud of my kids," Blount said. "I love my grandkids. I kid all the time, if I knew grandkids was going to be that much fun, we would've had them first."

The conversation turned deep as Blount took Channel 11 across the sprawling fields of his home.

"What really drives me is fear," Blount said. "Fear of not doing everything you tell people you're capable of doing. I guess, too, the fear of failure."

Blount says he doesn't let that fear get the better of him.

"Nothing is easy in life," Blount told Channel 11. "You've got to work. You're going to have ups and downs. You're going to have hardships, but the ones that hang in there usually are the ones that succeed."

Cox Media Group