Less than an hour before Penn State kicked off against Washington, word got out that PSU legend and current color commentator Jack Ham had suffered a “medical emergency” that required treatment at the University of Washington Medical Center.
Minutes after Penn State’s 28-25 win, coach Matt Campbell opened his postgame press conference with a statement on Ham, as well as a positive update, confirming that Ham is in stable condition.
WHAT CAMPBELL SAID
“Everybody knows that, man, this was a gut-wrenching day for Penn State football with Jack Ham. Obviously, a really tough situation as we get off the buses here. First of all, I think we should all know (Penn State play-by-play announcer) Steve Jones and the heroic effort that he did for one of his, man, somebody he loves dearly. And if it’s not for Steve, you know, what he did, I don’t know if we would have as good of news as we do right now. And then I want to also thank the University of Washington, their athletic director,
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Their emergency team. They were incredible. They were outstanding. I think, hopefully, as all of you know, Jack is in stable condition right now. And then, obviously, the emotion of that. What I was really proud of our football team. We talked about a little bit before we went out for the game. The courage of our kids to play with what Jack Ham means to Penn State football. How that guy played the game. How that guy still, to this day, serves our football program. It was awesome to be able to go win the football game for him and his family.
ONE OF THE GREATEST
Ham is one of the greatest players not just in Penn State history, but in the history of football. Ham, a PA guy who played high school football at Bishop McCourt in Johnstown, has been Penn State’s radio color commentator since 2000, and has worked with PSU play-by-play man Steve Jones for all of that time. Ham’s best known for what he did on the field, first as an All-American linebacker at Penn State, then one of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 12 pro seasons, Ham made eight All-Pro teams, earning first-team honors every year from 1974-1979. He made it to the second team in 1973 and again in 1980, so Ham was among the best linebackers in the game for almost a decade straight, helping the Steelers win four Super Bowls and become one of the greatest dynasties in the history of North American sports.
When people think about Penn State as “Linebacker University,” Ham is one of the first players who made that happen, paving the way for great LBs in the future such as Greg Buttle, Shane Conlan, LaVar Arrington, Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor, NaVorro Bowman, Tony Rojas and many others.
