Gary Ballman

Gary John Ballman (July 6, 1940 – May 20, 2004) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Ballman played college football for the Michigan State Spartans before playing halfback and wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1962 to 1966, making the Pro Bowl the final two seasons.

Biography

Gary Ballman was born July 6, 1940, in Detroit, Michigan.

He played football collegiately at Michigan State University, joining the Spartans' varsity squad as starting right halfback in 1959 as a sophomore.

Ballaman remains among the Pittsburgh Steelers' career leaders in kickoffs (64 returns for 1,711 yards), with the second-best average of 26.7. His 93-yard return against Washington on November 17, 1963, is tied for seventh-longest in team history. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1967 to 1972, then split his final season between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings.

He later worked for the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) until 1979 before moving to Colorado, where he worked as a building products salesman until his retirement in 2003.

On May 20, 2004, Ballman was stricken while mowing his lawn at home in Aurora, Colorado, and died at the age of 63.

NFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1962 PIT 3 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1963 PIT 14 4 26 492 18.9 67 5 1964 PIT 13 13 47 935 19.9 47 7 1965 PIT 14 12 40 859 21.5 87 5 1966 PIT 13 13 41 663 16.2 79 5 1967 PHI 12 12 36 524 14.6 67 6 1968 PHI 12 12 30 341 11.4 55 4 1969 PHI 14 13 31 492 15.9 80 2 1970 PHI 14 13 47 601 12.8 26 3 1971 PHI 6 6 13 238 18.3 57 0 1972 PHI 8 4 9 183 20.3 43 01973 NYG 3 0 1 16 16.0 16 0 MIN 5 0 2 22 11.0 12 0 Career 131 104 323 5,366 16.6 87 37