Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team
Encyclopedia
The Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team represents the franchise's
best players from the pre-1970 era. The team was chosen by a small group of Steeler officials and journalists and presented as a part of the Steeler's 75th season celebration in .
The club presented an updated and expanded All-Time team at the same time, which was determined on the basis of fan voting. The All-Time team represented the top 33 players in the team's first 75 years. However, club officials recognized that since the All-Time team was selected by fans who had a natural bias toward choosing more recent players — due both to the team's struggles prior to the 1970's and because many fans never saw the players older players perform — many noteworthy players from the team's first four decades would be overlooked. The Legends team was created to address this oversight.
Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney
summed up the sentiment to create the Legends team thusly: "There were a lot of great Steelers prior to 1970 who were as good as today’s superstars, but fewer people got to see them play. We are looking forward to welcoming the Legends Team and having today’s fans see some of the great Steelers from the pre-1970 era."
The eight-person selection committee that named the Legends team included Dan Rooney, Steelers Vice President Art Rooney, Jr., team scout Bill Nunn, former long-time coach Dick Hoak
, long-time Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope
, former sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press
Roy McHugh, and former team officials Joe Gordon and Ed Kiely. This panel chose the top 24 players in the club's pre-1970 history: eleven on offense, eleven on defense, one punter and one placekicker.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
best players from the pre-1970 era. The team was chosen by a small group of Steeler officials and journalists and presented as a part of the Steeler's 75th season celebration in .
The club presented an updated and expanded All-Time team at the same time, which was determined on the basis of fan voting. The All-Time team represented the top 33 players in the team's first 75 years. However, club officials recognized that since the All-Time team was selected by fans who had a natural bias toward choosing more recent players — due both to the team's struggles prior to the 1970's and because many fans never saw the players older players perform — many noteworthy players from the team's first four decades would be overlooked. The Legends team was created to address this oversight.
Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney
Daniel Milton "Dan" Rooney is the United States Ambassador to Ireland. He is chairman emeritus of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team in the National Football League , which was founded by his father, Art Rooney. Rooney was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions...
summed up the sentiment to create the Legends team thusly: "There were a lot of great Steelers prior to 1970 who were as good as today’s superstars, but fewer people got to see them play. We are looking forward to welcoming the Legends Team and having today’s fans see some of the great Steelers from the pre-1970 era."
The eight-person selection committee that named the Legends team included Dan Rooney, Steelers Vice President Art Rooney, Jr., team scout Bill Nunn, former long-time coach Dick Hoak
Dick Hoak
Richard John Hoak is a former running backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers — the longest tenured coach in the team's history...
, long-time Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope
Myron Cope
Myron Cope , born Myron Sidney Kopelman, was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sportscaster who is best known for being "the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers."...
, former sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
Roy McHugh, and former team officials Joe Gordon and Ed Kiely. This panel chose the top 24 players in the club's pre-1970 history: eleven on offense, eleven on defense, one punter and one placekicker.
Offense
| Position | Jersey No. | Player | Years on Team | # of Pro Bowl Pro Bowl In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those... s |
Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... |
Honors | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 22 | Bobby Layne Bobby Layne Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962... |
– | 6 | Yes | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| span style="display:none">2Running back | 44 | Dick Hoak Dick Hoak Richard John Hoak is a former running backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers — the longest tenured coach in the team's history... |
– | 1 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">2Running back | 35 | John Henry Johnson John Henry Johnson John Henry Johnson was an American football fullback. He played from 1954 to 1965 for the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League... |
– | 4 | Yes | ||
| span style="display:none">3Wide receiver | 87 | Roy Jefferson Roy Jefferson Roy Lee Jefferson is a former American football wide receiver who played twelve seasons in the National Football League... |
– | 3 | No | 1969 Steelers MVP | |
| span style="display:none">3Wide receiver | 44, 25 | Ray Mathews Ray Mathews Raymond Dyral Mathews was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League for ten seasons. Mathews went to school at Clemson University and played baseball and football there... |
– | 2 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">4Tight end | 81 | Elbie Nickel Elbie Nickel Elbert Everett "Elbie" Nickel was a professional American football tight end in the National Football League... |
– | 3 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">5Center | 21 | Chuck Cherundolo Chuck Cherundolo Charles James "Chuck" Cherundolo, Jr. is a former American football player and coach. He played center and linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers... |
–, – | 2 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">6Guard | 62 | Mike Sandusky Mike Sandusky Mike Sandusky was a guard who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1957 NFL Draft. Sandusky attended the University of Maryland.-External links:*... |
– | 1 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">6Guard | 66 | Bruce Van Dyke Bruce Van Dyke Bruce Van Dyke is a former American football guard in the National Football League who played eleven seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Green Bay Packers.-Early years:... |
– | 1 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">7Tackle | 71 | Charlie Bradshaw | – | 2 | No | ||
| span style="display:none">7Tackle | 74 | Frank Varrichione Frank Varrichione Frank Varrichione is a former American football tackle. He played eleven seasons in the National Football League: six for the Pittsburgh Steelers and five for the Los Angeles Rams.-See also:... |
– | 5 | No |
Defense
| Position | Jersey No. | Player | Years on Team | # of Pro Bowl Pro Bowl In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those... s |
Hall of Fame | Honors | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| span style="display:none">1Defensive tackle | 76 | Eugene Lipscomb Eugene Lipscomb Eugene Allen Lipscomb was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League and a professional wrestler.-Early life:... |
– | 3 | No | ||
| Defensive tackle | 70 | Ernie Stautner Ernie Stautner -References:* * *-External links:*... |
– | 9 | Yes | 1950s All-Decade Team | |
| Defensive end | 60 | Ben McGee Ben McGee Ben McGee is a former American football defensive end who played nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went to Jackson State University.... |
– | 2 | No | ||
| Defensive end | 84 | Bill McPeak Bill McPeak William Patrick McPeak was an American football player and National Football League coach.-Playing career:... |
– | 3 | No | ||
| Linebacker | 60 | Dale Dodrill Dale Dodrill Dale Dodrill is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He attended Colorado State University.... |
– | 4 | No | ||
| Linebacker | 66 | Myron Pottios Myron Pottios Myron Joseph Pottios is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, and the Pittsburgh Steelers... |
, – | 3 | No | ||
| Linebacker | 49, 33 | Jerry Shipkey Jerry Shipkey Jerry Shipkey was a football player. He played as a linebacker for six seasons in the NFL.-External links:*... |
– | 3 | No | ||
| Defensive back | 80 | Jack Butler | – | 4 | No | ||
| Defensive back | 3, 35 | Bill Dudley Bill Dudley William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley was a professional American football player in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-Early life:Dudley was born in Bluefield, Virginia and... |
, – | 3 | Yes | 1946 NFL MVP 1940s All-Decade Team |
|
| Defensive back | 11, 20 | Howard Hartley Howard Hartley Howard Paul Hartley is a former American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Duke University.... |
– | - | No | ||
| Defensive back | 28 | Clendon Thomas Clendon Thomas Clendon Thomas is a former American football halfback who played ten seasons in the National Football League.In college, he was a star athlete for the Oklahoma Sooners under legendary coach Bud Wilkinson... |
– | 1 | No |
Specialists
| Position | Jersey No. | Player | Years on Team | # of Pro Bowl Pro Bowl In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those... s |
Hall of Fame | Honors | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | 17, 23, 39 | Armand Niccolai Armand Niccolai Armand Niccolai was a guard who played nine seasons in the National Football League. Niccolai attended Duquesne University.... |
– | - | No | ||
| Punter | 28, 18 | Pat Brady Pat Brady (American football) Patrick Thomas Brady was an American football player who was a quarterback and punter for the University of Nevada, Reno and later for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.... |
– | - | No |