 Ilkin in 2009 | |||||||||
| No. 62, 79 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | September 23, 1957 Istanbul, Turkey | ||||||||
| Died: | September 4, 2021 (aged 63) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 263 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Highland Park (IL) | ||||||||
| College: | Indiana State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1980 / round: 6 / pick: 165 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Tunch Ilkin (Turkish: Tunç Ali İlkin; September 23, 1957 – September 4, 2021) was a Turkish-American football player and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the first Turk to play in the National Football League (NFL).[2][3] He was voted to the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team. After his playing career, he was a television and radio analyst for the Steelers from 1998 to 2020.[4]
- ^ "Tunch Ilkin Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "The Rumble". The New York Post. March 3, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
He can fall back on a degree in finance, but he would rather follow in the mobile, agile footsteps of former Steelers offensive lineman Tunch Ilkin, the lone NFL player of Turkish descent.
- ^ Shawn Nottingham and Christina Maxouris (September 4, 2021). "Former NFL player Tunch Ilkin dies at 63". CNN.
- ^ Bailey, Analis. "Former Steelers player, longtime broadcaster Tunch Ilkin dies at 63 after battling ALS". USA TODAY.