The athletes with the most talent often never
reach their full potential for a variety of reasons. Others, through
sheer grit, hustle, and determination, achieve above and beyond
their natural ability. Greg Best fits the latter category. Greg
participated in three sports at Blackhawk High School but excelled
at football, making second team All Conference as a junior and
first team as a senior. However, his modest size deterred many
college offers, so Greg walked on at Kansas State University
in 1978, and before the season ended he had earned a spot in the Wildcats
defensive backfield. Although being redshirted as a sophomore due to
a broken elbow, he finished his career at KSU as a starter. As a
senior, Greg helped Kansas State to its very first bowl game and not
only made Big Eight Conference first team as a defensive back but
was also named All American by The Sporting News. He was selected to
play in the annual Blue-Gray game, where he had two interceptions
and was the game’s defensive MVP. Although he was not drafted by the
NFL, Greg was determined to give the pros a shot. He signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983 and made the team. Against the
Cleveland Browns, Greg returned a fumble 96 yards for a
touchdown, a Steeler record, earning a game ball and recognition as
the Special Teams Player of the Week. Greg played the following
season in Cleveland and then went to Birmingham in the USFL, later
playing for Montreal in the Canadian Football League and with
Pittsburgh and New York in the Arena Football League before retiring
in 1988. Greg returned to Beaver County as a project manager for
S&S Maintenance Construction Company and kept
involved in sports by coaching the Blackhawk Midget football team.
The athletes with the most talent often never
reach their full potential for a variety of reasons. Others, through
sheer grit, hustle, and determination, achieve above and beyond
their natural ability. Greg Best fits the latter category. Greg
participated in three sports at Blackhawk High School but excelled
at football, making second team All Conference as a junior and
first team as a senior. However, his modest size deterred many
college offers, so Greg walked on at Kansas State University
in 1978, and before the season ended he had earned a spot in the Wildcats
defensive backfield. Although being redshirted as a sophomore due to
a broken elbow, he finished his career at KSU as a starter. As a
senior, Greg helped Kansas State to its very first bowl game and not
only made Big Eight Conference first team as a defensive back but
was also named All American by The Sporting News. He was selected to
play in the annual Blue-Gray game, where he had two interceptions
and was the game’s defensive MVP. Although he was not drafted by the
NFL, Greg was determined to give the pros a shot. He signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983 and made the team. Against the
Cleveland Browns, Greg returned a fumble 96 yards for a
touchdown, a Steeler record, earning a game ball and recognition as
the Special Teams Player of the Week. Greg played the following
season in Cleveland and then went to Birmingham in the USFL, later
playing for Montreal in the Canadian Football League and with
Pittsburgh and New York in the Arena Football League before retiring
in 1988. Greg returned to Beaver County as a project manager for
S&S Maintenance Construction Company and kept
involved in sports by coaching the Blackhawk Midget football team.