Steve Largent is an all-time great wide receiver in NFL history. He basically put the Seattle Seahawks on the map, as his NFL career began the same year that the franchise started playing games in 1976. He was the first Seahawks player to be named a Pro Bowler (1978) and earned an All-Pro nod later in his career. But there was a lot more to Largent than met the eye.
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Sure, he was arguably the greatest wide receiver in pre-Jerry Rice NFL history. When he retired in 1989, he held the NFL career records for receptions (819), receiving yards (13,089), and receiving TDs (100), all marks that would eventually be surpassed by Rice, who idolized Largent growing up.
After his retirement, though, Largent made a different kind of contribution to America: he became a United States congressman.
While appearing on the Second Acts podcast hosted by Charles Tillman and Roman Harper, Largent talked about that chapter of his life, his second act, so to speak. First elected in 1994 to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, the former wideout reflected on how another NFL player-turned-politician, Jack Kemp, inspired and guided him in his post-football political career.
“Jack Kemp was a guy that I really modeled my career beyond football. He was Jeff Kemp’s father, and a great quarterback at Buffalo, and he was in Congress for a number of years. So I was kind of second after Jack Kemp, being in Congress. But he really set an example for me. In fact, I talked to him before I ran for Congress, and just got some advice from him,” Largent started narrating his journey.
Kemp was the Bills’ quarterback from 1962 to 1969 during their last few years before the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. He was the AFL MVP in 1965 and a five-time First-Team All-AFL player. However, he wasn’t a Hall of Fame-caliber player like Largent was. Kemp may have had the more impressive political career, however.
He was first elected to Congress in 1971, after which he served nine consecutive terms before serving as HUD secretary in George H. W. Bush’s cabinet from 1989 to 1993. He was also the Republican Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1996 alongside Bob Dole, though the pair lost handily to Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Perhaps Largent could have surpassed Kemp in the political landscape as well as the football one, but it seems he decided he didn’t want to work in D.C. anymore.
While he said that he “loved” his time in Congress and that those were “unbelievable” years, Largent asserts he would never get back into the political game due to one big reason.
“It was really a unique experience to be in Congress and be a Republican and be in the majority for the first time in 40 or 50 years… I loved it, but I’d never go back,” said the former wideout with a laugh.
“Because every week that Congress was in session, they were in session for 90 percent of the time. I’m living in Tulsa, and flying to D.C. and then… flying from D.C. back to Tulsa every week… That was just hard to fly that much… and I’m trying to raise four kids and get them into college. It was harder on my wife, probably,” he explained.
Largent felt he’d “made his point” and returned home to Oklahoma, where he ran for Governor. However, he lost by a hair to Democrat Brad Henry in that 2002 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, and that signalled the end of politics for him.
Largent and Kemp are far from the only NFLers to continue on to a career in public service. Here are a few more of the guys who did both football and politics/justice very well:
- Colin Allred: Titans LB 2006-2010, U.S. Congressman for Texas 32nd District (2019-2025)
- Anthony Gonzalez: Colts WR 2007-2011, U.S. Congressman for Ohio’s 16th District (2019-2023)
- Alan Page: Vikings HOF DT 1967-1978, Associate Justice of Minnesota Supreme Court (1993-2015)
- Burgess Owens: Jets S 1973-1979, U.S. Congressman for Utah’s 4th District (2021-Present)
- Jon Runyan: Eagles Pro Bowl OT 2000-2008, U.S. Congressman for New Jersey’s 3rd District (2011-2015)
- Heath Shuler: Redskins/Saints QB 1994-1998, U.S. Congressman for North Carolina’s 11th District (2007-2013)
- Robert R. Thomas: Bears K 1975-1982, Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court for the 2nd District (2000-2020)
- Tommy Tuberville: NCAA Head Coach, Senior Senator from Alabama (2021-Present)
- Eric Turner: Redskins/Chargers S 1995-2001, HUD Secretary (2025-Present)
Clearly, there have been a lot of men who have found interest in both football and politics. No one was as good at both as Steve Largent, however.
