HOUSTON – New York Jets legend and Texas Southern University alumni Winston Hill was selected for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The former offensive tackle earned the honor posthumously as part of the Centennial Class, which was created to celebrate the league’s 100th anniversary and to vote in 15 new members who may have been overlooked in the past.
Hill, who died in 2016 at the age of 74, played 15 seasons for the Jets and was the starting left tackle and protected Jets quarterback legend Joe Namath’s blindside in Super Bowl III when the Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts–the team that drafted Hill in 1963.
At TSU, Hill was a three-time All-SWAC player and an All-American.
He is also a member of the Texas Southern Sports Hall of Fame.
During his 15-year career, Hill won a Super Bowl ring, making his mark on the field setting two franchise records with 195 consecutive games played and 174 straight starts–most for an offensive lineman. He also had eight all-star berths; four in the AFL All-Star Game and four in the NFL Pro Bowl.
Hill’s No. 75 jersey retired in 2009. He was selected in the Jets’ 2010 Ring of Honor inaugural class and the Jets’ All-Time Team, revealed in September.
After retiring in 1977, Hill owned and operated a barbeque restaurant, Winston Hill’s Ribs and Stuff, in Denver, Colo.
