By Tim Clinton

SPORTS EDITOR

Steve Largent caught the pigskin with the best of them as a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.

Now he is helping pitch it for Southern Recipe Pork Rinds because of their help with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund that is dear to his heart.

"It's an effort by (former Chicago Bears coach) Mike Ditka to raise money for former players who have hit hard times and have nowhere else to turn," Largent said in a phone interview Thursday morning.  "The Pork Rind Appreciation Day folks decided to support it and I already was supporting Mike."

Pork Rind Appreciation Day coincides with Super Bowl Sunday.

"Some of my teammates even need it," said Largent of the assistance fund. "Not the guys making millions today, but the guys Mike and I played with."

Teammates stand out as Largent's favorite  memories from his 14 seasons with the Seahawks.

"I got to meet so many people," he said.  "We had a lot of fun.  We made good friends and told a lot of tall stories."

Largent's efforts on the field are legendary.

He left the game in 1989 with six National Football League records.

He had the most receptions with 819, most yards with 13,089 and most touchdowns with 100.  He also went a record 177 straight games with at least one catch, and had the most seasons with 50 or more receptions with 10 and the most 1,000 yard seasons with eight.

The marks were all later eclipsed by Jerry Rice, who finished his 20-year NFL career in 2004 with a partial season wearing Largent's retired No. 80 as a Seahawk.

Rice previously wore the number with San Francisco and Oakland.

"I met Jerry," Largent said of giving his permission. "It was not that big of a deal to me."

What was a big deal for Largent was making the NFL playoffs four of six seasons under head coach Chuck Knox.

"It's what you play for," Largent said.  "It's the next level of football in my book."

Largent started his Seahawks career their first season in 1976.  He was traded to them for an eighth round draft pick after a career of only four preseason games with the Houston Oilers.  They had drafted him in the fourth round out of Tulsa University, but overlooked him because of his 5-foot, 11-inch height and lack of blazing speed.

But he wound up proving all naysayers wrong and was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1995.

Largent had also been elected to Congress in 1994 as a Republican representing Oklahoma's First District that includes his native Tulsa.  He stayed until 2002 when he resigned to run for Oklahoma governor and lost a razor thin election.

Largent left politics but stayed in Washington, D.C. 12 years working with wireless phone companies through the Cellular Telephone Industries Association.

"That was a fun job for me," he said.  "Then I left D.C. and moved back to Tulsa.  I'm doing some speaking in appearances.  I'm basically retired now."

The 69 year-old Largent just celebrated his 49th wedding anniversary this Thursday on the day of his interview.

"It sure was (an accomplishment)," he said.  "Maybe more so for my wife than me."

Largent and his wife Terry have four children and 10 grandchildren.

His youngest son Kramer battled a rare genetic condition called spina bifida to start his life, but now may be the first to provide the Largent couple with great grandchildren according to Steve.

"He showed his wisdom and married a doctor," Largent said of Kramer.

Largent said he hopes he passed on wisdom to younger players late in his Seahawks career, which still stands out in his mind.

"It was a great, great experience I will treasure the rest of my life," he said.