During the month of June, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will construct a Mount Rushmore for each team. For this series, we will only consider players. For this article, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the focus.
Pittsburgh Steelers Mount Rushmore
Terry Bradshaw
Bradshaw was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and he twice earned Super Bowl MVP honors. He also was named to three Pro Bowls and he was the league MVP in 1978. Bradshaw played for the Steelers from 1970-1983 and he retired as the franchise leader in all major passing categories. True, Ben Roethlisberger’s numbers are better, and Big Ben is a fantastic quarterback in his own right (with two Super Bowl rings), but the first Pittsburgh quarterback that should come to mind is Bradshaw, even for someone my age. Bradshaw is one of only three quarterbacks to win four Super Bowls (the other two are Tom Brady and Joe Montana), so he has to be on the Steelers Mount Rushmore.
Joe Greene
No football fan would dispute the fact that “Mean” Joe Greene is one of the best defensive linemen in NFL history. Greene’s Coca-Cola commercial, while not a reason he makes the Steelers Mount Rushmore, is still one of the greatest ads of all-time. Greene allowed other Pittsburgh greats, like Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, to wreak havoc because he constantly required double teams. He played for the Steelers from 1969-1981 and at the time of his retirement in 1981, Greene had put up an unofficial 78.5 sacks. During his career he was a 10-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, 11-time All-AFC, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969, and he won four Super Bowls with Pittsburgh. Greene was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and although the Steelers do not officially retire jersey numbers, Greene’s number 75 has not been used since his retirement and it is understood that his number is “unofficially retired.”
Jack Lambert
Lambert played for the Steelers from 1974-1984 and he embodied what Pittsburgh football was all about. He recorded 1,479 tackles, 23 sacks and 28 interceptions and he is widely regarded as one of the best linebackers in NFL history. Lambert possessed speed, intensity, intelligence, range and durability, as he missed only six games due to injury during his first 10 seasons in the NFL. He made nine consecutive Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro seven times, was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1976 and he won four Super Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Franco Harris
There have been some really talented running backs who have carried the ball for the Steelers, but Harris stands above them all. He played all but one of his 14 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh and he tallied 11,950 rushing yards and 91 rushing touchdowns while with the Steelers – both are still franchise records. Harris was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1972 and he was a nine-time Pro Bowler, seven-time NFL All-Pro, and he won four Super Bowls. He is remembered for the “Immaculate Reception” but he accomplished much more than that while with the Steelers. In 1990, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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