Steeler Nation: Meet Ed Kissell

Sometimes things just fall in to your lap. A friend of mine brought singer, Savanna D’Amico over to my apartment to hang a few months ago and after seeing my ridiculous wall of Steelers stuff, she told me about a Steelers player she once knew. His name is Ed Kissell. She told me when she was in high school, he was her gym teacher. He never boasted about playing professional football, she just remembers overhearing someone talk about it in passing, as if it were no big deal.

I told her how great it would be if she could get in touch with him again so I could maybe get some old Steelers memorabilia, or just talk Pittsburgh Football with an old player.

Months went by and a couple of days ago I got a call from Savanna saying that she found Mr. Kissell and that he is 82 and still kickin it. She left his number for an interview.

She wasn’t kidding.

As you can see from the photo above, it took Ed all of about 30 seconds to sign some pictures and send me some very cool stuff. He lists the positions he has played as Quarterback, Cornerback, Safety, and Kicker (among other things including a short stint at linebacker).

The Kissell family was no stranger to professional football by the time Ed was ready to play pro ball. Every one of his four older brothers played professional football, including his brother John Kissell, probably the most well-known of the Kissell boys for his stint playing for the then champion Cleveland Browns team. Below, I have attached an article Ed sent me (laminated and everything) about his family of 5 brothers and which teams they played for.

Based on the article, and what I could tell from my interview with Ed, these boys weren’t just a bunch of big dumb football players. After pro ball, many of these brothers went on to practice law, teach Physics, and earn advanced degrees from the likes of Ivy League schools like Harvard University. After his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ed told me that he didn’t just teach Gym class, he also taught Physics, Social Studies, and Math.

But let’s start from the top.

Ed Kissell was drafted in 1952 by the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Quarterback position. I asked Mr. Kissell how it felt being drafted by a professional team that had a less than spectacular past as an organization. “I never gave it a thought,” he said, “I was just glad someone picked me up.” It was actually Art Rooney Sr.’s brother Dan (not the current owner, but the brother of the original owner) who saved Ed from being cut before his first season. Ed mentioned that he was just a kid from New Hampshire, not one of those home-town favorites born and bred in the Steel City. Dan told Art that he should watch Mr. Kissell play, and Art liked what he saw.

Ed sounded a little disappointed when he told me how he never really got a chance to play quarterback, but his voice lit up when he talked about playing defense. He was switched to defense early on and played Corner, Safety and Linebacker. He said he also did all of the kick-offs and even some field goals. It was Dan Rooney (Art’s bro) that worked with him on his kicking.

He remembers his brother John driving him out to Allegany, New York to St. Bonaventure University to train before the seasons. LSU’s George Tarasovic, Notre Dame’s Heisman trophy winner John “Johnny” Lattner, and University of Nevada’s Pat Brady were all Ed’s roommates while playing for the Steelers. Lattner only played for the Steelers for one year before joining the Air Force. He injured his knee so badly in a game that he was forced to end his career in professional football prematurely.

Kissell remembers the games in Pittsburgh being loaded with people. I asked him if the stadium was still packed even though the teams weren’t ever contenders in the playoffs. “Oh, we weren’t that bad,” he said, “Pittsburgh was a real football town, the games were always crowded.”

During his 4 year stint with the Steelers, Ed had sustained injuries to his legs that prevented him from being as speedy as he once was, and had to end his professional football career after the 1955 season. I asked him what it was like playing for the Steelers, and if he ever got to play against any of his brothers. Of course, his brother John played for the Browns so Ed got to play against him all the time.

That had to be a blast.

Ed recalls “running down the sideline chasing Marion Motley down.” Motley was a solid 240lb fullback for the Cleveland Browns, much bigger than Ed who was just 6’1, 193lbs. “He had gotten by everyone else and it was just me and him left. I looked to see how I could get him down before getting in to the end zone and just before I made a move, he stepped out of bounds. I think he was injured,” Ed said jokingly, “I don’t think it was because he was scared I was going to hit him.”

As a starter in 1952, Ed recorded 5 interceptions.

Ed’s Superstition

When Savanna told me about Ed, she mentioned that he is superstitious about watching Steelers games. He feels like if he doesn’t watch, they don’t win. Well, let’s just hope Ed sticks around another couple of decades! Hearing an 82 year old talk about his friend’s Steelers man-cave is pretty hilarious, but I made it through without giggling. Ed told me about his buddy Dan who lives nearby in New England.. He said he was in Dan’s man-cave to watch the championship game against the Jets, but on his way out of the basement he badly pulled his Achilles Tendon. When asked to go back for the Super Bowl he declined citing his injury. He ultimately believes his absence is why the Steelers lost.

Any one else want to pitch in for an elevator over at Dan’s man-cave?

Ed was flattered that I was interested in talking with him. He couldn’t have been a nicer guy, and was extremely humble and warm in our conversation. I am constantly moved by experiences like these. I even found myself tearing up a bit as I told Ed how my dad would have been so excited that I was interviewing an old Steelers player. Ed responded by telling me that he’d say a prayer for my pop. Though the 50s were about a decade before my dad’s time, I can just hear him getting all crazy over my interview. When I started collecting antique Steelers football cards I asked him if he knew some of the players from the 50s and 60s and he named about 30 off the top of his head.

Dad would be proud. So was Mr. Kissell.

Here’s that article I mentioned earlier on Ed’s brothers. Done around the turn of the century, I think. There isn’t a date listed that I could find.