DEATH OF EX-STEELER GILLIAM ATTRIBUTED TO DRUG OVERDOSE

NASHVILLE (AP) - Joe Gilliam, the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback,
died of a cocaine overdose, the Nashville medical examiner said yesterday.

"The cause of Mr. Gilliam's death is cocaine intoxication," Dr. Bruce Levy
said. "The manner of his death is accident."

Gilliam died on Christmas Day at 49. He had struggled for years after his
NFL career with drug problems, living periodically on the streets of
Nashville, his native city, where he was lauded as "Jefferson Street Joe"
during his heyday as a star at Tennessee State.

At a reunion of former Steelers shortly before his death, Gilliam said that
he had avoided drugs for three years.

Gilliam was drafted by the Steelers in 1972. When some players, including
quarterback Terry Bradshaw, went on strike two years later, Gilliam became
the starting quarterback. He kept the job for a time after the strike,
leading the Steelers to a 4-1-1 record. But Bradshaw was restored as the
starter, and the Steelers went on to win their first Super Bowl.

Gilliam had said that he started using drugs about 1974. His cocaine and
heroin problems ended his football career. He pawned his two Super Bowl rings.

But over the last three years, Gilliam seemed to have turned his life
around. He was praised for opening a football camp for teens at Tennessee
State last summer and for counseling those who attended to stay away from
drugs and alcohol.