Val Jansante - Legacy

Legacy

In 1983 when the Steelers were celebrating the 50th year in the National Football League, Jansante was on the All Time Greatest Steelers Ballot. Art Rooney, Sr., founder of the team, said he had fond memories of Jansante. “There wasn’t any better than Jansante,” he recalled. Jansante is also listed as one of the All Time Greatest Steelers in the 1998 book, Total Steelers, “The Official Encyclopedia of the Pittsburgh Steelers.” In 1999, he had the distinction of being listed as one of only six receivers to be considered on the ballot for the Pittsburgh Steelers All Century Team. In 2001, he was honored with the opening of the new Heinz Field by being one of 12 members of the 1947 first playoff team. Again in 2007, he was the honorary team captain for the coin toss when the Steelers played the San Francisco 49ers as one of the players from the 40’s decade.

He has been honored by being placed in the Duquesne University Sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2000 he was inducted into the Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame at the same time as the NFL Great Joe Montana.

Until 2006, Jansante was the only Steeler in the history of the club to lead the team 5 consecutive years in receiving; Super Bowl XL MVP, Hines Ward broke his 50 + year record. This is quite and accomplishment considering the forward pass wasn’t nearly as popular or effective when Val Jansante played. In the Single Wing that Pittsburgh played at the time, Jansante was considered the best pass catcher in Steelers history and was often compared to Pro Football Hall of Fame player, Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers.