PERSONAL INFORMATION
CAREER HISTORY
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Kevin Colbert never played in an NFL game, but his impact was found all over the football field for the Steelers for more than 20 years.
Colbert, who joined the Steelers in 2000, served in a variety of roles for the team during his tenure, starting as director of football operations (2000-10), before he was named the organization's first-ever General Manager in 2010. He was named Vice President and General Manager in 2016, a position he held until he retired in 2022.
"Having grown up in the Pittsburgh area and watching these great players, coaches, administrators as we're all coming up through our careers, you never imagine yourself being part of it," said Colbert. "And then even when we were there with the team, it was a little unreal that we're actually part of this. And oh, by the way, we have to carry the great standard that the ones before us set.
"When you're working toward keeping up the tradition and meeting the obligation to do that, you don't really think about everything else. Until it's over, you never really reflect on that because there was so much to do at a given moment. Afterwards you reflect on it and you think about all the great people you had the opportunity to encounter, to work with, to learn from. It's always going to be special, but with an honor like this, it's just brought to the forefront."
During his time at the helm, the Steelers had only one losing season, with a 226-124-3 (.644) in the regular season and 15-12 (.556) in the playoffs. The team won three AFC Championship games and two Super Bowl Championships during Colbert's years.
Colbert oversaw the makeup of the Steelers roster that won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII, as well as playing in Super Bowl XLV.
The Steelers Super Bowl XL team, which defeated the Seattle Seahawks for the organization's fifth Super Bowl championship, was comprised of 17 starters who Colbert either drafted or signed.
In addition, only two starters from the Super Bowl XLIII team, Hines Ward and Aaron Smith, were not drafted or signed by Colbert.
His track record for the NFL Draft includes the first ever trade up in Round 1 in team history when the Steelers moved up 11 spots in 2003 to select future Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
Colbert also engineered a trade in the 2006 NFL Draft, moving from the 31st spot to the 25th slot to select receiver Santonio Holmes, who would become the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII. Colbert later traded Holmes in 2010 for draft picks that led to the team selecting receiver Antonio Brown in the sixth round.
Among the players drafted or signed by Colbert were three Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year recipients in James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and T.J. Watt, one Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in Kendrell Bell and one Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in Ben Roethlisberger.
Colbert also had players that he drafted or signed selected Associated Press First-Team All-Pro 25 times.
When Colbert retired, he spoke about the pride of adding to the Steelers Super Bowl legacy, going from four Lombardi Trophies before he arrived to six at the time of his retirement.
"There were four when we got here and you knew the task," said Colbert during the press conference following his final NFL Draft. "You think about DMR (late Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney). And being able to add to that room means a lot. It doesn't mean it's over. The next step, I mean, we've got to get more. We'll never lose that. But it means a lot."