Jimbo Covert (2019) - Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame

Jimbo Covert

Induction:
2019
Class:
1985

Covert was a fixture on Pitt's punishing offensive fronts from 1980-82, surrendering just three sacks during that span. His senior season he did not give up a single sack the entire year. Covert was a two-time first team All-American, earning consensus status as a senior. In his three years as a starting offensive tackle, Pitt went a combined 31-5, finishing in the nation's Top 10 each season. The 1980 and 1981 teams each went 11-1 and finished as high as No. 2 in the national polls. Covert was chosen in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft (sixth overall) by the Chicago Bears and was a consensus All-Rookie pick. During his eight seasons in Chicago (1983-90), his lengthy list of individual accolades included: All-Pro status four times, two first-team All-NFL selections, two Pro Bowl invitations and two selections as the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year (1985 and 1986). With Covert as a spearhead, the Bears led the NFL in rushing four consecutive seasons (1983-86). He was a vital cog for Chicago's famed 1985 team that went 15-1 and routed the New England Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl XX. Covert was named to the Bears All-Time Team as well as the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1980s. He was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. His No. 75 jersey is retired by Pitt.