Val Jansante

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Val Jansante

No. 54, 85, 23
Jansante on a 1950 Bowman football card
Date of birth	(1920-09-27)September 27, 1920
Place of birth	La Belle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of death	October 1, 2008(2008-10-01) (aged 88)
Place of death	Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)	End, defensive end
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg)
US college	Villanova, Duquesne
NFL draft	1944 / Round: 10 / Pick 91
Career history
As player
1946–1951	Pittsburgh Steelers
1951	Green Bay Packers

Valerio Richard Jansante (September 27, 1920 – October 1, 2008) was a professional American football player who played wide receiver for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.^[1]

Career

High school

Born in

Then, he played for the Naval Base Fleet City team stationed out of Oakland, California. The Fleet City team played against professional teams that were still in existence during the war. Jansante's first 6 pass receptions were for touchdowns in 1945, and the unbeaten Fleet City football team won the championship.

NFL

Jansante was a tenth round draft pick in

Jansante was a two-way starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers from the first day he stepped onto the field in 1946. He played six seasons with the Steelers in which he was named First Team and Second Team All-Pro. With 154 receptions in six seasons, Jansante held the reception record for a while and was among the top 10 pass catchers for a number of years for the Steelers. There were two games in which he caught 10 passes. The first was in 1949 in a game against Philadelphia; the quarterback attempted a total of 10 passes and Jansante caught all ten. The second game with 10 receptions was against Los Angeles in 1950. In the 75 year Steelers’ history, Val is eighth on the all-time list for most receptions in a single game.

In 1951, while leading the club with 15 receptions in mid-season, following the 6th game, he left the Steelers to join the Green Bay Packers as a running back. He played 3 games for the Packers, and was listed by the team as an end.^[2]

Jansante played for conservative coaches Dr. Jock Sutherland and John Michelosen. It was both coaches’ style not to throw the football. He was the first of the Steelers to catch double-digit (10) passes in a single game, so it is a surprise that even 10 passes were thrown in Jansante's big days.

Retirement

After retiring from football, Jansante was a teacher and

Until Hines Ward in 2006, Jansante was the only Steeler ever to lead the team in receiving for five consecutive seasons. In the single-wing formation, Jansante was considered the best pass-catcher in Steelers history and often compared to Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers.

References

External links

• Val Jansante at Find a Grave