Former Fort Worth Poly standout and first-round NFL draft pick dies at 69
Greg Hawthorne, a Fort Worth Polytechnic and Baylor standout who was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ No. 1 pick in the 1979 NFL draft, died Wednesday, his family announced. He was 69.
Hawthorne won a Super Bowl in his rookie season and played in another in a nine-year career with the Steelers, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
Drafted as a running back, Hawthorne served mainly as a backup, amassing 527 career rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He was more of a weapon in the passing game, catching 92 passes for 1,112 yards and four scores, either out of the backfield or as a running back or tight end.
Hawthorne was a surprise selection with the No. 28 pick, the last in the first round, in 1979, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The newspaper said it ran the headline “Greg Who?” the day after his selection.
“Hawthorne had only played in three games during his senior season at Baylor due to a hip injury and was not projected to go in the first round,” the newspaper said. “His Steelers career got off to a rough start when he pulled his hamstring during his rookie training camp.”
Hawthorne didn’t play much as a rookie for the defending champions, who boasted standout running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, but he earned a Super Bowl ring in a 31-19 victory over the Los Angles Rams in Super Bowl 14.
Hawthorne was traded to New England in 1984 and appeared in Super Bowl 20, a blowout 46-10 loss to the Chicago Bears to end the 1985 season.
Hawthorne lived in Waco after his playing days.
In 2015, he came back to Polytechnic for a halftime ceremony to present a gold football to high schools who had produced players who made it to the Super Bowl.
“I never had any idea I’d wind up in the NFL,” Hawthorne told the Star-Telegram. “It’s not a game for everybody, but if you love it and you’ve got the dedication and discipline and desire, you can get there.
“It takes a little luck, too.”
Hawthorne recounted a story about the day he was drafted, when new Steelers teammate Joe Greene came to his family’s door. The future Pro Football Hall of Famer had starred at North Texas and still lived in the area in the offseason.
“My mom didn’t know anything about football,” Hawthorne said. “She said, ‘Somebody’s at the door for you.’ It was Joe Greene. You never know what’s going to happen. I loved the game, and it paid off.”
