Super Bowl Champion Jimmy Orr Dies at 85; Played for Steelers, Colts

Paul KasabianSenior ContributorOctober 29, 2020

FILE - In this 1970 file photo, Baltimore Colts' Jimmy Orr poses for a photo, location not known. Orr, a sure-handed wide receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Colts, died Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. He was 85. His death was confirmed Wednesday by Edo Smith and Sons Funeral Home in Brunswick, Ga. (AP Photo, File)

Uncredited/Associated Press

Jimmy Orr, a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts from 1958 to 1970, died at the age of 85 on Tuesday evening.

Per the Associated Press' David Ginsburg, Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home in Brunswick, Georgia, confirmed Orr's death on Wednesday.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay offered his condolences:

Jim Irsay @JimIrsay
Rest in peace to another NFL legend, JIMMY ORR. Jimmy led the NFL in yards per reception three times during his 13 years in the league, and "Orr's Corner" in the south endzone at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium was sacred ground. Our condolences to Jimmy's family. https://t.co/d3OtDEd8t7

Orr spoke about that end-zone corner in an interview with Mike Klingaman of the Baltimore Sun in 2009.

"I must have caught 45 or 50 touchdowns in that right corner," Orr said. "It was sloped some, a little downhill, which helped me, speed-wise. I wasn't all that fast."

Former Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia State football coach Bill Curry, who played with Orr on the Colts during his 10-year NFL playing career, provided a few words as well:

Bill Curry @coachbillcurry
My wonderful friend/teammate Jimmy Orr died last night. He was one of those few men who could find the good when the rest of us could not. As a WR no one could cover him-He quietly put up incredible numbers, and didn’t know it! Thanks Jimmy, Love you Man https://t.co/aBlQivNIMF

Orr was a fan favorite, as Klingaman noted: "Fans loved the tough, cigar-smoking flanker with the Southern drawl, who played and partied hard."

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The wideout led the league in yards per reception in 1958, 1964 and 1968. He caught 400 passes for 7,914 yards and 66 touchdowns during his career, including season highs of 55 catches for 974 yards and 11 scores in 1962. He played with Pittsburgh from 1958 to 1960 before spending the rest of his career with Baltimore.

The 13-year NFL veteran made two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team. The Colts earned four playoff berths during his career and won Super Bowl V to cap his final season in 1970.

The Colts never had a losing record during Orr's 10 years in Baltimore, going 97-38-5 during that span. Orr led the Colts in receiving in 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1968.