Jim Covert Biography

James Paul Jimbo Covert was born on March 22, 1960, and played eight seasons as an offensive tackle in the NFL with the Chicago Bears. He earned consensus All-American honors while playing college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. As a senior in 1977, Covert led the Freedom Bulldogs to an undefeated 11–0 record and a Midwestern Athletic Conference Championship. Despite a loss in the second round of the WPIAL playoffs, he received UPI First-team All-State honors and became a highly recruited player. In 1980, he played on a top-ranked Pitt team that included future NFL stars Russ Grimm, Mark May, and Dan Marino. Covert was later named to the University of Pittsburgh's All-Time Football Team and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, a team coached by former Pitt All-American Mike Ditka.