Steve Largent Biography

1954-

American football player

Although his fourteen seasons with the Seattle Seahawks did not result in any National Football League (NFL) championships, Steve Largent retired as the holder of NFL records in receptions, yards, and

Steve Largent

touchdowns. Often underestimated by his opponents, who thought that Largent was too small and slow to be an offensive threat, the wide receiver eventually gained recognition as a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. After retiring as a professional athlete in 1989, Largent returned to his native Oklahoma and opened an advertising agency while cultivating his contacts with the state's Republican Party leadership. In 1994 he won election to the U.S. Congress as the Representative of the First District of Oklahoma, a feat that made him one of just five former NFL players ever to have served in Congress. Reelected in 1996, 1998, and 2000, Largent resigned from office in late 2001 in order to enter Oklahoma's gubernatorial race in 2002. Although he held a wide lead in the polls throughout most of the race, Largent lost the election and said that he would return to the private sector.