Insight News Honors the Legacy of Frank Gilliam, Sr.

By Leahjean M. Denley, MBA

Sports Editor

Legendary and influential NFL scout for the Minnesota Vikings, Frank Gilliam, Sr., passed away on Sunday, April 2, 2023 at the age of 89. When Jim Finks, the Viking’s general manager at the time, recruited Gilliam in 1970, he was one of the first Black scouts in the entire NFL.

Gilliam is a remarkably familiar name in football circles. All-Pro NFL nephew, Joe Gilliam Jr., was one of the first Black starting quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and brother, Joe Gilliam Sr,. was a highly respected collegiate assistant head football coach, defensive coordinator, and head coach retiring from Tennessee State University [TSU]and inducted into the TSU Sports Hall of Fame.

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, Gilliam was a member of the famous “Steubenville Trio,” together with Calvin Jones and Eddie Vincent. The trio became star Hawkeye football players at the University of Iowa in the early 1950s.

For three seasons, from 1957 to 1959, Gilliam played for the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Gilliam spent a few years teaching after retiring from professional football before returning to Iowa City to work as head coach Jerry Burns’ assistant coach at the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970.

During the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football in 1989, Iowa fans chose an “All-Time University of Iowa Football Team,” and Frank Gilliam was chosen as a starting end.

When Frank Gilliam was signed by the Vikings, another Hawkeye teammate, Jerry Reichow, was the team’s director of player personnel at the time. Upon hearing of Gilliam’s passing, Reichow said to Vikings.com, “Frank and I were freshmen together at Iowa and became close friends — friends forever really.” Reichow added, “Frank went on to play in Canada and was back coaching at Iowa when I started scouting with the Vikings. I was down there once and asked if he would be interested in scouting with the Vikings, and he became the first guy I hired, and we worked together for over 30 years. Frank was a great guy and a really good scout. He had grown up in football and really studied it. I don’t think we ever had an argument in all those years working together because I think we complemented each other with how we did things. From the start, we hit it off really well. We never did get over the hump, but we got the Vikings real close. I’ll miss him.”

The Gilliam-Reichow Personnel Fellowship was established by the Vikings in 2022 in remembrance of Gilliam and Reichow. The fellowship’s goal is to educate participants on “player evaluation, scouting, film study, data analysis, and intangible factors” that go into creating an NFL roster. Jim Marshall, a defensive end who played for the Vikings for 19 seasons, commended Gilliam in an interview that was posted on the team website. “I always had a great deal of respect for Frank and not because we’re the same race. It was because he had a lot of skill, a lot of talent.” Marshall added, “He had the ability to look out and pick players who had a significance that they could offer to the team. I know as a group we were very proud of him because we could see he did his job and did it well.” Scott Studwell, a retired Vikings player and scout, was one another who praised Gilliam’s legacy stating, “Not only was he a great leader with unmatched skills and a keen eye for what it takes to play and be successful in the NFL, he was also a great mentor and friend. The Vikings family lost an iconic piece of their past successes, and I am forever grateful to have Frank in my life- RIP my friend.

I love you and will miss you for the rest of my days.” Gilliam not only made an impact on the football field for the Vikings, but the Twin Cities also felt his impact through the Gilliam family’s social community engagement and philanthropic activities.

Frank Gilliam, Sr.’s legacy will live on through the surviving immediate family members, a host of nieces and nephews blessed with the family genius and athletic gene, as well as through all whose life he touched.