Bill Nunn, 89, Steelers scout extraordinaire; journalist; former WVSU basketball star passed on Tuesday

During his 46 seasons in the NFL, Bill Nunn was a pioneer in creating opportunities for athletes from traditionally Black Colleges

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania  -- If Dan Rooney can be called the visionary and Chuck Noll the architect in the building of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s that produced four Super Bowl championships over a span of six seasons, well, then Bill Nunn was a guy who made sure the warehouse was stocked with construction materials.

Bill Nunn is widely known as one of the National Football League’s preeminent scouts of the last 50 years, the man largely responsible for opening the pipeline from the predominantly black colleges in the south to the NFL, but he was so much more than that.

Born William Nunn Jr., he was a college basketball player so talented that he was asked to help integrate the NBA after World War II. He was a journalist – first a sports writer, then sports editor, then managing editor of The Pittsburgh Courier during an era when it was one of the most influential black publications in America. He dabbled in sports promotions, some boxing matches and some Negro League baseball games involving the Indianapolis Clowns playing at Forbes Field. He was the son of William G. Nunn Sr., an editor at The Pittsburgh Courier starting in the 1940s, and the father of Bill Nunn III, an actor whose film credits include “Do the Right Thing,” “Regarding Henry,” “Sister Act,” and “Spider-Man.” And even though Bill Nunn Jr. always contended that he was the third most famous Bill Nunn in his family, he was a pioneer whose work directly created opportunities for hundreds of athletes while helping to throw the doors wide open for thousands more.

Mr. Nunn, 89, died on Tuesday night in the hospital as the result of complications of a stroke he had suffered recently. His death was some 48 hours before what would have been his 46th NFL Draft as a full-time scout for the Steelers.

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Bill Nunn and Roger Guenver Smith Banter in The Burgh in 2011

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