Sports: Football
Born: December 5, 1955
Town: Camden, New Jersey
Arthur Barry Still was born December 5, 1955 in Camden, NJ. He was one of 10 children raised by his mom, Gwendolyn, who struggled mightily to make ends meet. Basketball was the family game—three brothers (James, Wendell and Dennis) went on to play college ball and his sister, Valerie, became the all-time scoring leader for the University of Kentucky. As a senior in 1973–74, Art was the 6’7″ power forward on Camden’s 28–1 state championship team.
Although Art’s family teetered on the edge of poverty, an intense focus on education and achievement were nothing new to the Still clan. His great-grandfather, James Still, was one of the first African-Americans to graduate from Harvard Medical School. James’s brother, William, was a key figure in the Underground Railroad; much of what we know of its workings comes from the detailed memoir he published in the 1870s. William’s wife, Caroline Still, was one of the first African-American female doctors in the country.
Art’s game was football and he played the game with great passion and intelligence. At Camden High , Art was the star of the Golden Panthers varsity along with quarterback Derrick Ramsey. Both were recruited by the University of Kentucky and they roomed together in Lexington as undergrads. Kentucky had a good team during the mid-1970s and Art was a big part of their success. In 1976, Frank Curci’s Wildcats took the Southeast Conference crown and, in 1977, the team finished the year ranked #4 in the nation. Art was named an All-American that year, his senior season.
Art was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the second overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, right after Earl Campbell. During Art’s first two years in the league, he established himself as a formidable pass rusher. The Chiefs were rebuilding their team, however, so there were more L’s than W’s in KC for many years. In 1980, Art had 14.5 sacks and was a first-team All-Pro, as well as the Chiefs’ MVP. He was also invited to the Pro Bowl for the first of four times in his career.
In 1983, Art decided to become a vegetarian. He dropped 30 pounds and performed poorly at times. In 1984 he bulked back up and registered 14.5 sacks again to win team MVP for the second time. Finally, in 1986, the Chiefs made it back to the playoffs. Art was the veteran leader of a young defense that starred Deron Cherry, Lloyd Burruss and Bill Maas.
The Chiefs traded Art to the Buffalo Bills in 1988. He was the starting left end on division-winning teams in 1988 and 1989. He retired prior to the 1990 season with 78.5 career sacks. Because he had 40 before the NFL made sacks an official statistic, he is only credited with 48.5
Art’s young cousin, Devon, was also a football star. He was born in Camden but grew up in Delaware, and played college ball for Penn State, where he earned All-America honors. He was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As for Art, he reached the pinnacle of his career in 2015 when he was enshrined in the both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. By then, however, he was suffering from balance and memory issues and mood swings—and had joined the 2012 lawsuit against the NFL.
Art ran a successful marketing and business development firm in Kansas City for 12 years before moving into the health and wellness industry.