Steve Potter

Stephen John Potter (born November 6, 1957) is an American former professional football player. A linebacker and special teamer, he played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

After growing up in Pennsylvania, he played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers as a linebacker and defensive end from 1976 to 1979, starting in all four years. Potter was selected first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as a senior in 1979. After college, he signed with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL as an undrafted free agent, but did not make the team. He made the Miami Dolphins roster in 1981 and played two seasons there, appearing in Super Bowl XVII against the Washington Redskins. Potter then played one year each with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills before retiring after a brief return to the Dolphins in 1985.

Early life Stephen John Potter was born on November 6, 1957, in Bradford, Pennsylvania. He moved to Erie at a young age. He attended Fairview High School in Erie County where he competed in football, basketball and track and field. At Fairview, Potter was a defensive end and fullback in football. He was selected all-county in football and basketball and helped the football team compile a record of 26–1 in a three-year span. Potter was recruited to play college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, then one of the top-ranked teams nationally, but instead chose to play for the Virginia Cavaliers, who were coached by Dick Bestwick, the cousin of Potter's high school coach. He suffered from a shoulder injury that worsened after he pinched a nerve in the last game of the 1976 season; The Daily Progress noted that afterwards, "When lifting weights his shoulder would pop out in any of three directions".

After initially being demoted to second-string prior to the 1977 season, Potter said he became more aggressive and then earned back a starting role at defensive end. He gave what was described as the team's "best defensive end play all season" in a game against West Virginia, posting 11 tackles. He did not play in the final three games of the season after suffering an injury that damaged ligaments in his left knee, which was the second ligament injury in his career; in high school, he had torn ligaments in his right knee. Prior to the 1978 season, Potter had surgery to fix his shoulder issue. During the season, Potter posted 76 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was selected co-team captain to open his senior season in 1979. He led one of the top scoring defenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and helped Virginia to a record of 6–5, their first winning record since 1968. Potter was named the ACC defensive lineman of the week after posting six tackles and a forced fumble against Duke and finished the season with first-team All-ACC honors. Norris Brown, a tight end for Georgia, described Potter as the best defensive end he had competed against all season. He was invited to the Blue–Gray Football Classic. He played for them in preseason but was eventually released on September 1, 1980. No other team expressed interest in him after his release, leading him to fire his agent, who was his father. He impressed in preseason and ultimately made the team as a backup linebacker and special teamer. He appeared in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 1981, helping them to a record of 11–4–1. In a game that year against the Philadelphia Eagles, Potter forced a fumble in the final two minutes which sealed a Dolphins victory by a score of 13–10. The Dolphins lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the San Diego Chargers in the Epic in Miami. Potter played with the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, which they lost to the Washington Redskins. At the end of preseason, to his surprise, he was released by the Dolphins. Although the Dolphins wanted to sign him back, he was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs. Although he recorded 13 tackles, he said his play in the game was not effective and he was only a backup the rest of the year. Potter appeared in all 16 games during the 1983 season, recording one interception while the Chiefs compiled a record of 6–10. The Buffalo News noted that with the Chiefs, he "perfected the art of self-induced lunacy". Potter said, "When I'm lined up for a kickoff or punt, I act as crazy as I can. I'm getting the adrenaline flowing as much as I can. Getting my eyes wide as possible. Getting a crazy look on my face ... I visualize making the big hit every time, and the more I think about it, the crazier I get. But I can't single out one real crazy thing I've done in a game, because you've got to be crazy all the time." The 1984 Bills compiled a record of 2–14.

Potter was released by the Bills at the start of August 1985 and then returned to the Dolphins. He was waived/injured at the end of the month and placed on injured reserve. Across four NFL seasons, Potter appeared in 51 games, one as a starter, posting one interception. He was active in charity events for the NFL Alumni Association, competing in racquetball and golf tournaments. Potter was inducted into the Fairview Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and into the Erie Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.