Kevin Colbert
Personal information
Born:January 1957 (age 66–67)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
High school:Cranberry Township, Butler County (PA) North Catholic
College:Robert Morris
Career history
  • BLESTO Scout (1984)
  • Miami Dolphins (1985–1989)
    • College scout
  • Detroit Lions (1990–1999)
    • Pro scouting director
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (2000–2010)
    • Director of football operations
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (2010–2016)
    • General manager
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (2016–2022)
    • Vice president & general manager
Career highlights and awards

Kevin Colbert (/ˈkoʊlbərt/; born January 1957) is a former American football executive. He served as the general manager of Pittsburgh Steelers from 2000 to 2021.[1][2] Colbert is widely credited with putting together the Super Bowl XL and the Super Bowl XLIII teams in Pittsburgh along with owner Dan Rooney, president Art Rooney II, and coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.[3]

Early life and career

A Pittsburgh native, Colbert grew up not far from Three Rivers Stadium on the city's North Side and attended North Catholic High School and Robert Morris University. Colbert has experience in coaching and managing teams in baseball and basketball alongside his primary sport, football. After graduating from Robert Morris University in 1979, he served as a graduate assistant coach on Robert Morris's basketball team from 1979 to 1981 and also was the head coach of the baseball team in 1981. In 1981, Colbert moved to Ohio Wesleyan University to be their backfield coach and recruiting coordinator from 1981 to 1983, and served as the school's head baseball coach in 1984.[3]

In 1984, Colbert joined the BLESTO Scouting Organization and from there was hired by the Miami Dolphins as a college scout from 1985 to 1989. Colbert joined the Detroit Lions as the Pro Scouting Director in 1990, where he was responsible for scouting players at the pro level (the NFL, the NFL Europe League, and the Canadian Football League) as well as assisting with college player evaluation. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2000 as the director of football operations, assisting in the assembly of two Super Bowl winning teams. In 2010, Colbert was named the Steelers' first ever general manager and was placed in charge of player transactions and acquisitions as the head executive in the Steelers organization.[4]

On January 28, 2022, it was announced that Colbert would step down as the Steelers’ general manager following the 2022 NFL Draft. The transaction became official on May 1 after the draft concluded.[5]

Personal life

Colbert and his wife Janis have three children: Kacie, Jennifer, and Daniel as well as two grandchildren, Avery and Brock.[3]

References

  1. ^ "GM lukewarm on Big Ben's future with Steelers". ESPN. February 17, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Bryan, Dave (January 3, 2021). "Report: Steelers GM Kevin Colbert Expected To Remain With Organization Through 2021". Steelers Depot. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "The Man Behind the Players". Pittsburgh Quarterly. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "Kevin Colbert Bio" (PDF). 2012 Steelers Media Guide. Steelers.com. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  5. ^ "Steelers GM Kevin Colbert to step down after 2022 NFL Draft". nfl.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.


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