Frank Pollard is a career quality starter β a running back whose body of work places Pollard in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Pollard's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Frank Pollard
Height5'10"
Weight218 lb
BornJun 15, 1957
Age69
CollegeBaylorSee College Stats
Rookie yr1980
Draft1980 Β· Rd 11, Pick 305 Β· PIT
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextRegular-season all-time ranks
Postseason all-time ranks
A high-end running back defined as much by excellent availability over their career as by their on-field impact (top 20% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 112 Β· #966 Β· High-ValueWorth 112 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back β top 22% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 7 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +16 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
7 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
50
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
7
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+16
Avg surplus
peak +28
7 seasons Γ ~16 surplus β VORP 112
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
2 grids split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1980 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 4 | 16 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1981 | β | PIT | 14 | β | 123 | 570 | 2 | 4.6 | 1.6 | β | β | β | β | 19 | 156 | 0 | β | 8.2 | β | β | β |
| 1982 | β | PIT | 9 | β | 62 | 238 | 2 | 3.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β | β | 6 | 39 | 0 | β | 6.5 | β | β | β |
| 1983 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 135 | 608 | 4 | 4.5 | 3.0 | β | β | β | β | 16 | 127 | 0 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | β | PIT | 15 | β | 213 | 851 | 6 | 4.0 | 2.8 | β | β | β | β | 21 | 186 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | PIT | 16 | β | 233 | 991 | 3 | 4.3 | 1.3 | β | β | β | β | 24 | 250 | 0 | β | 10.4 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | PIT | 3 | β | 24 | 86 | 0 | 3.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 2 | 15 | 0 | β | 7.5 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | PIT | 12 | β | 128 | 536 | 3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | β | β | β | β | 14 | 77 | 0 | β | 5.5 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | PIT | 10 | β | 31 | 93 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β | 2 | 22 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 111 | β | 1,906 | 7,978 | 40 | 4.2 | 2.1 | β | β | β | β | 208 | 1,744 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β | |
Rushing
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 23 | PIT | 16 | β | 4 | 16 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 5.1 |
| 1981 | 24 | PIT | 14 | β | 123 | 570 | 2 | 4.6 | 1.6 | β | β | β | 8.8 |
| 1982 | 25 | PIT | 9 | β | 62 | 238 | 2 | 3.8 | 3.2 | β | β | β | 6 |
| 1983 | 26 | PIT | 16 | β | 135 | 608 | 4 | 4.5 | 3.0 | β | β | β | 12.1 |
| 1984 | 27 | PIT | 15 | β | 213 | 851 | 6 | 4.0 | 2.8 | β | β | β | 14.1 |
| 1985 | 28 | PIT | 16 | β | 233 | 991 | 3 | 4.3 | 1.3 | β | β | β | 11.6 |
| 1986 | 29 | PIT | 3 | β | 24 | 86 | 0 | 3.6 | 0.0 | β | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 30 | PIT | 12 | β | 128 | 536 | 3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | β | β | β | 8.9 |
| 1988 | 31 | PIT | 10 | β | 31 | 93 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | β | β | β | 3.9 |
| Career | 111 | 1,906 | 7,978 | 40 | 4.2 | β | β | β | β | 70.5 |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 23 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1981 | 24 | PIT | 14 | β | β | 19 | 156 | 0 | β | 8.2 | β | β | β |
| 1982 | 25 | PIT | 9 | β | β | 6 | 39 | 0 | β | 6.5 | β | β | β |
| 1983 | 26 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 16 | 127 | 0 | β | 7.9 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | 27 | PIT | 15 | β | β | 21 | 186 | 0 | β | 8.9 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | 28 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 24 | 250 | 0 | β | 10.4 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | 29 | PIT | 3 | β | β | 2 | 15 | 0 | β | 7.5 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | 30 | PIT | 12 | β | β | 14 | 77 | 0 | β | 5.5 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | 31 | PIT | 10 | β | β | 2 | 22 | 0 | β | 11.0 | β | β | β |
| Career | 111 | β | 208 | 1,744 | 0 | β | 8.4 | β | β | β |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against rush yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
65
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
74
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 65
On-field 46.5
Availability 18.5
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rush yds/g)
1980bestavg 64elite 701988
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position42
Depth
of 100
Reached 43% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
43% of the all-time Rushing Yards leader43
1 category β₯25% of the all-time leader33
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 93%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average RBs aging curve. Group peak age: 21. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
π Playoff Performer
Yards / Carry: 4.2 regular season β 5.1 playoffs (3 playoff seasons)
+23%
vs reg season
From Scrimmage Β· Career
Scrimmage Yds
9,722
7,978 rush Β· 1,744 recv
Total TDs
40
40 rush Β· 0 recv
Total Touches
2,114
1,906 carries Β· 208 rec
Yds / Touch
4.6
rushing + receiving
Postseason Career
Rushing
Att90Yds462TD4Y/A5.1TD%4.4
Receiving
Rec18Yds180Y/R10.0
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Baylor), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
John StallworthWR8yGary AndersonK7yWalter AbercrombieRB6yMark MaloneQB6yLouis LippsWR5yWeegie ThompsonWR5yMel BlountCB4yFranco HarrisRB4yHarry NewsomeP4yLynn SwannWR3yBubby BristerQB3yEarnest JacksonRB3yScott CampbellQB3yRich ErenbergRB3yRod WoodsonFS2yDwight StoneWR2yJoe GreeneDT2yMerril HogeFB2yGregg GarrityWR2yDavid WoodleyQB2yWayne CapersWR2yRodney CarterRB2yCharles LockettWR2yChuck SandersRB2y
1980 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #305
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterFrank opened the Pittsburgh Steelers RB lineage the corpus knows, and handed it to Walter Abercrombie (1982β1987).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1988final season
Last recorded season with PIT
- 1980draft
Drafted by PIT β Round 11, Pick 305
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts5'10" / 218 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 8-season peers. See all β
68
peak 74
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1980
B1981
B1982
B1983
B+1984
B+1985
B1987
C1988
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 9 seasons.
82%
Era Translator
Rush Yds translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Rush Yds | Rush Yds/G | β 2025 Rush Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 16 | 1 | 147+131 | 8.7 |
| 1981 | 570 | 40.7 | 767+197 | 45.1 |
| 1982 | 238 | 26.4 | 569+331 | 33.5 |
| 1983 | 608 | 38 | 784+176 | 46.1 |
| 1984 | 851 | 56.7 | 1,218+367 | 71.6 |
| 1985 | 991 | 61.9 | 1,324+333 | 77.9 |
| 1987 | 536 | 44.7 | 1,102+566 | 64.8 |
| 1988 | 93 | 9.3 | 326+233 | 19.2 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
112 career value over replacement β #966 all-time of 4,642. 14/season above a replacement-level RB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #305 (Rd 11) Β· PIT Β· 1980 Β· +60 vs expected KV-H
68actual
8 expected Β· Ξ+60
Fan Rating
Rate Frank Pollard β All-Time
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