Ernie Pough

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1952)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Ernie Pough

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| number = 22, 85, 82

| position = Wide receiver / Return specialist

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|5|17}}

| birth_place = Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| high_school = New Stanton Senior (Jacksonville)

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lbs = 174

| college = Texas Southern

| draftyear = 1976

| draftround = 3

| draftpick = 88

| pastteams =

| status =

| highlights =

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 40

| statlabel2 = Kick returns/ yards

| statvalue2 = 40/ 793

| statlabel3 = Receptions/ yards

| statvalue3 = 10/ 166

| statlabel4 = Rushes/ yards

| statvalue4 = 5/ 41

| statlabel5 = Touchdowns

| statvalue5 = 1

| pfr = PougEr00

}}

Ernest Leon Pough (born May 17, 1952) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

Early life

Pough grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and attended college at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, a historically black college which at the time competed in Division II. He was a four-time All-America track athlete as well as a running back and wide receiver on the school's football team.{{cite news|last=Heufelder|first=Bill|title=Pough is Making Tracks|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XcgdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BVcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5172%2C4712844|access-date=December 20, 2011|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press|date=October 27, 1976|page=49}}

Football career

Pough was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1976 NFL draft. Although he was considered undersized for the NFL, his sprinter's speed (he ran the 100 yards in 9.3 seconds) made him a threat.

He played for the Steelers for two seasons before being traded along with guard Jim Clack to the New York Giants prior to the 1978 season in exchange for offensive lineman John Hicks.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3h0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f9sFAAAAIBAJ&dq=jim-clack&pg=5629%2C5321510|title=Western Pa. very familiar to new Steelers|last=Emert|first=Rich|date=April 18, 1978|publisher=The Beaver County Times|pages=B-1|access-date=2 April 2010}} He played one season with the Giants and one for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League before ending his football career.

References