Akil Blount, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount and a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason roster two years ago, was named the first recipient of the James Harris-Doug Williams Fellowship on Monday.

The Fellowship was created through a collaboration between the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Black College Hall of Fame. It is named after Harris and Williams, former NFL quarterbacks and co-founders of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Akil Blount will work with the executive team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, for a year.

Mel Blount spent 14 years with the Steelers and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. He attended a historic black college (Southern) and so did his son, who played football at Florida A&M.

Akil Blount went undrafted but spent two months on the Steelers’ offseason roster in 2017. He was waived after rookie minicamp and signed this past offseason with Orlando of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football.

Blount earned his degree in business administration from Florida A&M in 2015 and graduated recently with his Master of Business Administration from the university. He was a two-time team captain and twice was an all-conference selection.

“He is such a great first recipient,” Williams said. “He has done everything that we were looking for in a Fellowship. We are truly blessed for Akil to be our first of many more to come.”

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