Largent, Steve

Steve Largent, byname of Stephen Michael Largent, (born September 28, 1954, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.), American gridiron football player who is considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He retired from the sport as the owner of all the major career National Football League (NFL) receiving records.

Although he was a standout high-school football player and all-around athlete, Largent was not heavily recruited by college scouts, so he enrolled at the lesser-known University of Tulsa in his hometown. After graduating in 1976, following one of the most outstanding careers in the history of Tulsa’s football program, Largent was selected by the Houston Oilers in the NFL draft. He never appeared in a Houston uniform, however, as the Oilers dealt him to the Seattle Seahawks in a preseason trade.

Largent had an immediate influence with the Seahawks, catching 54 passes in his rookie season. Although he had always been a good overall athlete, he did not excel physically in any one area. At the professional level, he was never the fastest man on the field, never the best jumper, and never the quickest off the line of scrimmage. What made him a great receiver was his excellent hands, the intelligence and ability to run crisp routes that got him into the open, and the strength to gain extra yards after catching the ball. It was this extra effort that earned him the respect and admiration of opponents and fans alike. Largent’s incredible durability—he missed only four games because of injury in his first 13 seasons—made him an institution at the wide receiver position.

Over the course of his 14 seasons, Largent raised the bar by which other receivers were measured. He caught 70 or more passes six times and caught at least 50 in 10 seasons. He set a record by catching at least one pass in 177 straight games (broken in 1994) and led the NFL in receiving twice (1979 and 1985). He recorded 819 pass receptions for 13,089 total receiving yards and collected 100 receiving touchdowns, all of which were NFL records that have since been broken. Largent was named to the Pro Bowl seven times during the course of his career, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

Largent retired from football in 1989 after spending his entire career in Seattle. He worked as a marketing consultant for the Sara Lee Corporation from 1991 to 1994 and, after a lifetime of community involvement and interest in politics, decided to run for national office. In 1994 Largent was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma’s first district. He was reelected on three occasions before leaving his office to mount an unsuccessful bid for the Oklahoma governorship in 2002. From 2003 to 2014 he was CEO and president of a cellular communications lobbying group.