Living in the World
Buddy Dial

Gilbert Leroy “Buddy” Dial died. Now he did not claim the attention in death that Myron Cope did. But, he was a big part of Steeler football history. He was a hero of mine as a child. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1959 to 1963. This was a time when the Stillers showed promise. They came within a game of of playing for the NFL championship in 1963. And, during his tenure in PGH, they had 3 of 5 winning seasons, unheard of for the Black & Gold, those loveable losers. Dial still is in the record books of Pittsburgh even though he played long before the AFL opened up NFL football. In 1961, he caught 12 touchdown passes, a record that still stands but tied by Louis Lipps and Hines Ward. His 235 yards receiving against Cleveland, also in 1961, is the second best in Steeler history.

Despite his records he is hardly mentioned with all time greats like Swann, Stallworth, Lipps and now Ward. He was an All-American at Rice Universtiy, not exactly a football hotbed today. But, in the 1950s, as part of the South West Conference, the football was in the top escelon of the college game. He was drafted by the NY Giants in the second round and traded to PGH. His excellence as a player is shown by his being induced into both the College and High School Football Halls of Fame. He was selected All Pro in 1961 and 1963, playing in the Pro-Bowl both those years. Cathching passes from the incomporable Bobby Layne, he lead the league in yards per game receiving in 1960 and again in 1963 as Ed Brown’s deep threat. Astonishingly, his 20.8 yards per catch average over his entire career is still second in NFL history!!

He had a difficult life after football suffering greatly from injuries he sustained. He knew the tragedy of real life. He had five back orperations and was addicted to pain killers that destoryed his kidneys. He was declared permanently diabled in 1993, but was involved in lagal wranglings with his former wife over disability payments through 1999. Additionally, in 1999, his son Kevin Dial was on of nine prople shot to death by a gunman at an Atlanta office building. Despite all his problems, he did return to Rice Stadium this past season for a reunion with the 1997 Rice team that lost in the 1958 Cotton Bowl to Navy.

The Steelers never won a playoff game until 9 years after Dial was traded to the Cowboys. Buddy Dial was the first 1,000 yard receiver for Pittsburgh. He and others like John Henry Johnson, Dick Hoak, Lou Michaels, John Baker and Dick Haley gave young boys like me a glimmer of hope. The Stillers could be winners…or at least be respected for effort. The Black & Gold would go on to be one of the great sports franchises in the history of professional sports. It was a success born out of long years of frustration, waiting ‘til next year, and disappointment. Just like life, you keep working hard, plugging away and competing. Maybe you don’t get the big enchilada, but you lay the groundwork for those who do. Such was a Buddy Dial.