From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve Courson
Steve Courson
Steve Courson
Football & steroids
Position(s) Jersey #(s)
Guard 77, 72 During his freshman year at the University of South
Carolina, Courson later stated that:
Born October 1, 1955(1955-10-01)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania "I got banged around by older, stronger kids. I knew
at the time I had to do a lot of work. I knew I had
Died November 10, 2005(2005-11-10)
(aged 50) to go on drugs. I wasn’t going to be out there just to
Farmington, Pennsylvania be out there. I had to be the best. I only did steroids
the summer before my sophomore year. My body
Career information
weight went from 225 to 260 in a month and a half.
Year(s) 1978–1985 I didn’t need them after that."[1]
NFL Draft 1977 / Round: 5 / Pick: 125
He played for the Steelers from 1978–1983 and retired
College South Carolina in 1985 after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Bucca-
neers. In 1991, his book False Glory: The Steve Courson Story,
Professional teams
about his life in football when he used steroids, was pub-
• Pittsburgh Steelers (1978-1983) lished. He was one of the first American football players
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984-1985) to admit to using steroids and harshly criticized them,
Career stats making nearly 100 speeches a year to high school and col-
lege athletes about their dangers. Courson bench pressed
Games played 103
605 pounds (274 kg) but came to feel ashamed and guilty
Games started 73 that he really didn’t lift the weight – it was the power
that steroids gave him.[citation needed] Courson was one of
Fumble 6
recoveries the first players to confess he had been using steroids
during his playing career. He suffered from a heart con-
Stats at NFL.com dition which was believed to have been caused by his
Career highlights and awards steroid use.[2]
After his career Courson was effectively blackballed
• No notable achievements
by the NFL because of his outspoken stance on
steroids.[citation needed] He had a spell as a high school foot-
Stephen Paul "Steve" Courson (October 1, 1955 – Novem-
ball coach in the 1990s. Courson’s wife Cathy committed
ber 10, 2005) was an American football guard for the Na-
suicide. After her death he met Denise "Dee" Masciola,
tional Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
who became his girlfriend.
Early years Death
Steve Courson grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Courson stayed near Pittsburgh for the rest of his life.
and went to Longmeadow High School . He played on the
In November 2005, he died in an accident at his home
offense and defense lines and graduated in 1973 in Get-
in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Courson had been cutting
tysburg, Pennsylvania. His #71 was retired, and he is the
down a 44-foot (13 m) tree on his property, but a gust
only football player in Gettysburg High School history to
of wind changed the direction of its fall, and he moved
receive such an honor.[citation needed]
into its path while attempting to prevent his dog from
After graduating from Gettysburg, Courson went on
being struck. The dog, a black Labrador retriever, was
to play on the offensive line at the University of South
found alive guarding Courson’s body when the tree was
Carolina.
removed [1].
In the months before his death in 2005, Courson
wrote a 5,000-word letter expressing disappointment
that more players weren’t open about their steroid use
and saying the league’s enormous popularity relies on a
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Steve Courson
"myth" of its players as drug-free heroes. "I believe the
NFL is a prisoner to their own public relations myth,"
References
Courson said in the letter, which was found on the com- [1] Johnson, William (1985-05-13). "Getting Physical-
puter of his western Pennsylvania home after he was and Chemical". Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated.
crushed to death at age 50 by a tree he was cutting down. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/
"The level of deception and exploitation that the NFL re- magazine/MAG1119449/1/index.htm#top.
quires to do business still amazes me." Courson, who be- Retrieved 2009-08-28.
came one of professional sports’ first steroids whistle- [2] See Courson v. Bert Bell NFL Player Retirement
blowers by detailing his use in a 1985 Sports Illustrated in- Paln, 214 F.3d 136 (3d Cir. 2000)
terview, wrote the letter to a former Pittsburgh Steelers Persondata
teammate he played with on Super Bowl-winning teams
Name Courson, Steve
in 1978 and 1979.
Courson is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, in Gettys- Alternative names
burg, Pennsylvania. Short description
Date of birth October 1, 1955
See also Place of birth
• Doping in sport Date of death November 10, 2005
Place of death
External links
• Steve Courson at Find a Grave
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Courson&oldid=440147974"
Categories:
• 1955 births
• 2005 deaths
• People from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• American football offensive linemen
• Pittsburgh Steelers players
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
• South Carolina Gamecocks football players
• Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania
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