Former Pitt, Jets, Steelers offensive lineman Jim Sweeney dies at age 60
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Jim Sweeney, who left his mark on Western Pennsylvania football as a teenager and later became a durable and reliable offensive lineman for Pitt, the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, died Saturday. He was 60.
Sweeney helped Seton LaSalle win its first WPIAL title in 1979 while compiling a 10-2 record and outscoring opponents, 304-109. He played under Seton LaSalle coach Tom Donahoe, later a general manager with the Steelers and Buffalo Bills, and alongside four teammates who went on to Division I football, including Albany coach Greg Gattuso, the Rebels’ fullback who first met Sweeney when they were in the first grade.
We lost a great Pitt Man pic.twitter.com/x01NDqIXmO
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) October 2, 2022
At Pitt, Sweeney was Dan Marino’s center, but he played every position along the offensive line, plus tight end, from 1980-83. The Jets drafted him in the second round (No. 37 overall) in 1984.
Sweeney played 16 NFL seasons, 11 with the Jets, one with the Seattle Seahawks and the last four with the Steelers.
“I loved Jim,” said former Steelers teammate and linebacker Levon Kirkland. “I remember his hands, how strong he was and how nice he was.
“He was always encouraging, always telling me he thought I was a great player. Just a sweetheart of a man. That’s tragic. To lose a good guy like that is sad.”
It was with the Jets that he made his most significant impact as a player who coaches and teammates could rely upon to be where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there.
From Dec. 9, 1984, to Christmas Eve 1994, Sweeney started 158 consecutive games for the Jets. He was the team’s fulltime center from 1988-94.
“(Center) was my natural position,” he told newyorkjets.com in 2018. “All through grade school, high school and most of college, I was a center. I was just able to play other positions. I have to give a lot of credit to my father who said, ‘The more you can do, the longer you’ll stick around.’
“When I was at Pitt, I played different positions. I had a pretty good coach, Joe Moore, who wanted players to play more than one position. He would rotate me in at guard, so that’s where I first got my playing experience.”
Sweeney’s versatility was matched by his reliability.
“I wanted to play in as many games as possible and I understood that there aren’t a whole bunch of opportunities,” he told the Jets’ website. “I just loved to play the game. It was what I was meant to do. So, if it was what I was meant to do, I didn’t want to waste a little bit of God’s talent because I don’t want to show up at the pearly gates and have him say to me, ‘Hey, you wasted my talents.’ I wanted to make sure I utilized every gift he gave me.
“I figured play as long as you can, play as hard as you can and play as often as you can.”
Speaking to newyorkjets.com Sunday, Jets radio analyst Marty Lyons, a teammate from 1984-89, called Sweeney “a typical Pittsburgh guy.”
“He was tough. He was tough to practice against every day. You could count on him every single Sunday. He had a different personality as soon as he crossed over the lines, though. Hard-nosed, tough football player, a loving, caring friend off the field.”
Frank Ramos, the Jets’ longtime public relations director, said Sweeney was “one of the toughest players in Jets history.”
“He was really a good technical player, so tough, and he was a great leader. And he was a fun guy to be around, so well-liked by his teammates.”
Sweeney stuck with football after retiring in 1999, immediately joining the Duquesne University staff (2000-02) and later coaching on the high school level at Peters Township and South Fayette.
In 2014, he reunited with Gattuso, the head coach at Albany, as the team’s offensive line coach. He stayed there through last season.
Sweeney said he tried to impart to his players what his coaches taught him.
RIP Jim Sweeney, 1962-2022.
A true Pitt man who played 16 seasons in the @NFL for the Jets, Seahawks and his hometown @Steelers. pic.twitter.com/kBj0vGGBQx
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) October 2, 2022
“Humor was a big part of that,” Sweeney told newyorkjets.com. “I loved them all. They all taught me lessons.
“I don’t necessarily coach like they did. I take little bits and pieces of what they did, put them together and then put my own spin on it.”
Sweeney died only hours before two of his NFL teams, the Jets and Steelers, met in a game Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Jets Pro Bowl tackle Marvin Powell, 67, died Friday, the day before Sweeney.
“It’s shocking,” Lyons said. “It’s just sad to lose two teammates, two people who were quality individuals. It makes you realize how fragile life is. One day you’re here and the next day you’re gone.”
Sweeney is survived by his wife, Julie, and their five children: Shannon, Liam, Aislinn, Kilian and Teagan.