Ron Hughes (American football)
Encyclopedia
Ron Hughes is the College Scouting Coordinator of the NFL's
Pittsburgh Steelers
.
. He was a standout football
and basketball
player at Charleroi High School
. He matriculated to nearby California State College
where he played center
and linebacker
on the football team. He received his degree in education in 1965.
area. This included two years as an assistant coach at Bishop Canevin High School
, four years as an assistant at North Catholic High School
and finally six years as head football coach at North Catholic.
Hughes joined BLESTO, a scouting
organization used by the NFL's
Detroit Lions
and Pittsburgh Steelers
, among others, in 1979 where he spent the next four years as a local and regional college scout.
He joined the Detroit Lions
in their college scouting department in 1982. Two years later he moved into the role of Director of Pro Personnel in Detroit. He served in that role for six years before moving up the ladder to the Director of Player Personnel, where he was responsible for the team's entire college and pro scouting departments. In 1996, Hughes was named the Lion's Vice President of Player Personnel, in essence the team's General Manager (GM). He served in that role until being swept aside at the start of the team's disastrous Matt Millen era.
In 2001 he was hired by his former protégé Kevin Colbert
as a draft consultant for his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers
. In 2003 Hughes accepted the position of College Scouting Coordinator for the Steelers, which he still holds.
, near Detroit.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
Biography
Hughes is a native of Charleroi, PennsylvaniaCharleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
. He was a standout football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player at Charleroi High School
Charleroi High School
The Charleroi High School is a public high school located in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA. The High School is operated by the Charleroi School District. It was built in 1965, and at the time is noted for being one of the few high schools in Pennsylvania to have a Planetarium. It was renovated in...
. He matriculated to nearby California State College
California University of Pennsylvania
California University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in California, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1852, it is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Cal U's enrollment is approximately 9,400.The main campus consists of about 38 buildings situated on 92 acres...
where he played center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
and linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
on the football team. He received his degree in education in 1965.
Football career
After college, Hughes spent the next fourteen years teaching biology and coaching football at the high school level in the PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
area. This included two years as an assistant coach at Bishop Canevin High School
Bishop Canevin High School
Bishop Canevin High School is a Catholic high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school is located in the Oakwood neighborhood of the city.-External links:* *...
, four years as an assistant at North Catholic High School
North Catholic High School
North Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school located on Troy Hill on the Northside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school's mascot is the Trojan and its official colors are scarlet and gold....
and finally six years as head football coach at North Catholic.
Hughes joined BLESTO, a scouting
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
organization used by the NFL's
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, among others, in 1979 where he spent the next four years as a local and regional college scout.
He joined the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in their college scouting department in 1982. Two years later he moved into the role of Director of Pro Personnel in Detroit. He served in that role for six years before moving up the ladder to the Director of Player Personnel, where he was responsible for the team's entire college and pro scouting departments. In 1996, Hughes was named the Lion's Vice President of Player Personnel, in essence the team's General Manager (GM). He served in that role until being swept aside at the start of the team's disastrous Matt Millen era.
In 2001 he was hired by his former protégé Kevin Colbert
Kevin Colbert
Kevin Colbert is the general manager of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers since the start of 2000. He is widely credited with putting together the World Championship Super Bowl XL team in Pittsburgh along with owner Dan Rooney and coach Bill Cowher...
as a draft consultant for his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. In 2003 Hughes accepted the position of College Scouting Coordinator for the Steelers, which he still holds.
Personal
Hughes and his wife, the former Adrianne Corno, are the parents of three children Ted, Scott and Mrs. Jennifer Antoniotti and also have three grandchildren. He and Adrianne reside in Bloomfield Hills, MichiganBloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, near Detroit.
External links
- Getting to Know a GM: Ron Hughes, ArrowheadPride.com (KC Chiefs blog), January 6, 2009 (accessed-online 2009-02-23)
- Personal beef one in a Millen, Bob McGinn, Milwaukee Journal SentinelMilwaukee Journal SentinelThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
, January 30, 2009 (accessed-online 2009-02-23)