In the long, storied history of the National Football League, there are few teams who have helped chronicle the memoir of America’s game quite like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In their 93 years as a franchise, the Steelers have fielded several of the greatest players of all time. Putting together a list of the 30 best players to ever don the Black and Gold is a daunting task, but it is exactly what this panel did over the course of several weeks to present the best of the best.
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This is Part One of a three-part series we will be releasing over the next three weeks every Monday, ranking the 30 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time, beginning today with No. 30-21. Enjoy.
Meet the panel
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Jarrett Bailey, SB Nation
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Don Chedrick, 93.7 The Fan
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Todd Haley, Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator
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Alan Saunders, Steelers Now
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Dave Dameshek, Meadowlark Media
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Joe Starkey, 93.7 The Fan
30. Joey Porter
Career Stats
Career accolades
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1-time First-Team All-Pro
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1-time Super Bowl champion
Player tribute
The lifeblood of the 2005 Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL, Joey Porter never lacked passion or words for his opposition. Oftentimes taking match to the gasoline ahead of a big game, Porter walked the walk as much as he talked the talk. – Don Chedrick
29. Andy Russell
Career stats
Career accolades
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2-time Super Bowl champion
Player tribute
Russell was one of the few bridges from the dark days of the 1960s to the Steel Curtain dynasty of the 1970s. After his rookie season in 1963, he missed two seasons due to military service in Vietnam, returning in 1966. While names like Lambert, Green, Ham, and Blount are the ones most uttered when discussing the historic unit, Russell was s star in his own right. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, appearing in six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1970-75, helping Pittsburgh win two of their four Super Bowls of the decade. – Jarrett Bailey
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28. James Farrior
Career Stats
Career accolades
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1-time First-Team All-Pro
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2-time Super Bowl champion
Player tribute
Like Russell before him, Farrior has become the Ringo Starr of the 2000s Steelers defense. It’s completely understandable as to why Troy Polamalu is the first name that comes to mind in terms of that specific era, and James Harrison would likely be the No. 2 name. However, Farrior’s addition in 2002 as a free agent signing from the New York Jets gave Pittsburgh stability and dominance in the middle of the field. He was an All-Pro in 2004 when the Steelers went 15-1 and made it to the AFC Championship Game, and actually finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting that season. He was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2008 when the Steelers won their second Super Bowl in four seasons, both of which he was an instrumental piece. – Jarrett Bailey
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27. Jack Butler
Career stats
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Interceptions returned for TD: 4
Career accolades
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3-time First-Team All-Pro
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Pro Football Hall of Fame (2012)
Player tribute
Butler was one of the first great ball hawks in NFL history. He picked off 52 passes in his career, including 10 in 1957, which would be like picking off 20 passes today. Pittsburgh didn’t win much during Butler’s career, as he never appeared in a playoff game, but he solidified himself as one of the all-time greats during his nine year playing career. – Jarrett Bailey
26. Casey Hampton
Career stats
Career accolades
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2-time Super Bowl champion
Player tribute
The Steelers were arguably the best run-stopping defense of the 2000s, and Hampton’s presence in the middle of the defensive line is a big reason why. The amount of attention he required opened up lanes for the likes of James Farrior, Larry Foote, and others to hit open gaps and stop ball-carriers in their tracks. He is one of the best nose tackles of his time, and a prototypical zero-tech. – Jarrett Bailey
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25. Greg Lloyd
Career stats
Career accolades
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3-time All-Pro (All First-Team selections)
Player tribute
Lloyd was the hand that took the baton and kept the tradition of great linebackers alive in Pittsburgh. From 1988-97, he was the soul of the Steelers’ defense, helping Pittsburgh make it to a pair of AFC Championship Games and an appearance in Super Bowl XXX. Along with the likes of Levon Kirkland and Kevin Greene, they made up the “Blitzburgh” defense of the 1990s, which was one of the best of the decade. – Jarrett Bailey
Career accolades
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2-time First-Team All-Pro
Player tribute
Pounce was one of the most unique players I ever coached. His measurables didn’t blow you away. You would think that maybe he wasn’t big enough or athletically gifted enough to be great, but when the pads went on and real football started, he could do everything. Smart, tough, physical, great communicator – just a major energy bringer on and off the field. Great player in the same Hall of Fame vein of other great Steelers centers. – Todd Haley
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23. Ernie Stautner
Career accolades
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1-time First-Team All-Pro
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Pro Football Hall of Fame (1969)
Player tribute
Like his teammate Jack Butler, Stautner had Aton of personal success in an era where team success never came. Stats are unfortunately very limited from the 1950s and early 1960s, so it’s hard to truly paint the picture for how great Stautner was. However, his nine Pro Bowl selections and five All-Pro nods tell the story for you. A dominant player that should not be forgotten. – Jarrett Bailey
22. L.C. Greenwood
Career accolades
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2-time All-Pro (Both First-Team selections)
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4-time Super Bowl champion
Player tribute
For fans that grew up in the 2000s, Hines Ward has become to them what LC Greenwood is to those who watched him play in the 1970s – a guy you desperately want to see get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame because he is truly deserving of it. Whether it happens for Greenwood or not, what he accomplished as a Steeler should be remembered forever. Though not an official stat at the time, he recorded five sacks in the Steelers’ four Super Bowl wins of the 1970s and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team. – Don Chedrick
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21. Jerome Bettis
Career stats
Career accolades
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2-time First-Team All-Pro
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1993 Offensive Rookie of the Year
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1-time Super Bowl champion
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Pro Football Hall of Fame (2015)
Player tribute
Bettis was the last of a dying breed – a freight train power back who ran through defenders rather than around them. The Bus arrived in Pittsburgh via trade with the Los Angeles Rams in 1996, and he would become the face of the franchise for the next decade. He was the NFL’s fifth all-time leading rusher at the time of his retirement in 2006, and went out on top in his hometown of Detroit in Pittsburgh’s 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. – Jarrett Bailey
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