Ron Blackledge (born April 15, 1938) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in A ...

from 1978 to 1980, compiling a record of 8–25. Blackledge then worked as an assistant coach in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL), for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

from 1982 to 1991,Jackson has new pact; can pay debt to coach
and was an offensive line coach with the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...

from 1992 to 1997.

Coaching career

Blackledge joined the Steelers in 1982 as an offensive assistant and was named offensive line coach two days later. From 1984 to 1988, he shared the offensive line coaching duties, focusing on the tackles and tight ends. He took over responsibility for the entire line in 1989. His 33 years of coaching include nine seasons at the high school level in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes ...

, 14 years in college and 14 in the NFL. His first coaching position was at Canton South High School in 1960. He also coached at

Timken High School Timken High School was a high school in Canton, Ohio. Timken participated in the Principals Athletic Conference (PAC-7/8), before they were absorbed by Canton McKinley in 2015. Formation Timken Vocational High School was built in the 1930s by a ...

and Glenwood High School in Canton before moving to

Ashland College Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with T ...

as an offensive line coach in 1968. Following two years at Ashland were stints as offensive line coach at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state's ...

, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

. He was named offensive coordinator at

in 1977. He served as that school's head coach from 1978 to 1980 before joining the Steelers. As a player, he played

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

for

Bowling Green University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research ...

from 1957 to 1959. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972. With the

, he coached two linemen to

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

seasons including:

Mike Webster Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is a memb ...

(1982/1983/1984/1985/1987) and Tunch Ilkin (1988/1989). With the

, he coached Will Wolford to a Pro Bowl season in 1995.

Personal life

Blackledge is the father of former quarterback

Todd Blackledge Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 19 ...

, who played for the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

and

Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackledge, Ron 1938 births Living people Baseball third basemen Ashland Eagles football coaches Bowling Green Falcons baseball players Bowling Green Falcons football players Indianapolis Colts coaches Kent State Golden Flashes football coaches Kentucky Wildcats football coaches Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Princeton Tigers football coaches High school football coaches in Ohio People from North Canton, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Baseball players from Ohio