Tag: Donnie Shell

8 Steelers among ‘best player to wear each jersey number’

Several former Pittsburgh Steelers were selected as best to wear their respective numbers.

Eight players from the Pittsburgh Steelers past made CBS Sports’ list of “best players to wear each jersey number in the NFL,” half of whom were career-long Steelers.

The list combed through each jersey number, and CBS Sports selected the best player to wear it.

Denver Broncos former quarterback John Elway beat out Ben Roethlisberger as the best player to wear No. 7. Since it’s a league-wide list, that’s an easy mistake to make. But CBS really lost me when they also considered former Cincinnati Bengals QB Boomer Esiason.

Here’s what CBS Sports had to say about the four players who spent their entire careers in the black and gold:

No. 43: Troy Polamalu, DB
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers

Polamalu had an instinctual feel for the game. Images of him timing the snap to hurdle the offensive line and sack the quarterback were common on Sundays. The Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame inductee recorded 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and three touchdowns. The California native won two Super Bowls in addition to being named a six-time All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.

He was the No. 16 overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft.

No. 58: Jack Lambert, LB
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Lambert won four Super Bowls as a member of the Steelers. The NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 1,479 tackles, 28 interceptions and 23.5 sacks. He has been selected to nine Pro Bowls and is an eight-time All-Pro. Lambert was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

No. 59: Jack Ham, LB
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Former Steelers are dominating yet another list. The same happened with our Ultimate NFL Draft last month. Ham has recorded 32 interceptions and two touchdowns. The Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer went to eight Pro Bowls and was an eight-time All-Pro. Like Lambert and Blount, Ham was named an honorable mention to the CBS Sports Steelers Franchise Five.

No. 75: “Mean” Joe Greene, DT
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

The former No. 4 overall selection played 13 seasons in the league. He won four Super Bowls and was an eight-time All-Pro during that period. His No. 75 jersey is one of two — Ernie Stautner being the other — to be retired by the Steelers franchise. Greene also made 10 Pro Bowls and has been inducted into the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame.

Others appearing on the list include defensive backs Rod Woodson (No. 26) and Donnie Shell (No. 31), running back Jerome Bettis (No. 36), and linebacker Kevin Greene (No. 91).

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Latest update on Steelers-Cowboys HOF game

The governor of Ohio offered his thoughts on August’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.

The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game is currently scheduled to kick off the 2020 NFL preseason. Unfortunately, and especially because it’s just less than two months away, it appears the game is unlikely to be played.

Per Joe Rutter of Trib Live, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the Aug. 6 game scheduled between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys should not be played with fans in attendance. DeWine also believes the Aug. 8 Hall of Fame induction ceremony should not be conducted with fans.

Akron’s Tom Benson Stadium holds 23,000 people, and tickets, which went on sale in March, sold out an hour after going on sale. More than 10,000 tickets for the induction ceremony have been sold.

“Having a crowd that size, I think is highly unlikely,” DeWine said. “Certainly, it could not occur today. It would be very dangerous to do it today.”

HOF board of directors will meet Thursday to see if they can come up with a backup plan.

This news certainly doesn’t sound hopeful for Steelers and Cowboys meeting in the preseason. Fans don’t seem to care much for the game, and injuries are always a concern. Still, the opportunity to see former safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell and former head coach Bill Cowher inducted — live or televised — is special.

We’ll just have to wait and see what the HOF officials come up with.

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WATCH: Steelers-Rams Super Bowl 14 in its entirety

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be presenting Super Bowl XIV on Facebook and YouTube channels Sunday evening.

In 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team to win four Super Bowls when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl 14.

There’s no need to dig out the VCR to relive the matchup, fans can enjoy every magic moment of the gridiron battle via Facebook or YouTube.

For fans seeing it for the first time, you’re in for a treat. Not only does the victory make this game special, but there are some bonuses the Steelers have added, including interviews with wide receiver John Stallworth and safety Donnie Shell.

Coverage starts Sunday at 6 p.m.

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Contingency plans for Steelers-Cowboys HOF game

Alternatives for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame game, as well as the enshrinement ceremony, are being considered.

Little did the cast of “Good Morning Football” know how the sports landscape would be turned upside down when, on March 9, they announced the teams representing the AFC and NFC in the 2020 Hall of Fame game.

Single event tickets for the Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys HOF game went on sale on March 13 and sold out in 22 minutes — just two days after the NBA season was shut down.

If the NFL gets the green-light to resume operations, the HOF wants to be ready. Should that not happen, they also need to have alternatives in place.

As with every move that the NFL makes regarding its season, the HOF will follow suit.

David Baker, executive director of the Hall of Fame, told USA TODAY Sports that there are contingency plans under consideration for the annual preseason kickoff game (Aug. 6) and the HOF enshrinement ceremony (Aug. 8).

“We’re not going to do anything that’s not safe,” Baker told USA Today Sports. “But I do hope that we can lead in showing that this can be done in a way that will inspire us.”

One of the possibilities is to postpone the game and ceremony to later in August if the NFL shortens the preseason.

If the Steelers-Cowboys exhibition game is canceled, the enshrinement could be coupled with the Centennial Celebration slated for Sept. 18, when 10 selections from the seniors pool, including former Steelers safety Donnie Shell, are to be inducted to mark the NFL’s 100-year anniversary. The league was founded on Sept. 17, 1920.

Conducting a virtual enshrinement, much like the NFL did with the draft, is not currently on the table. Baker wants to preserve experiences of tradition like the Gold Jacket Dinner, where new inductees are introduced and make their way to the stage to receiver their jacket surrounded by tables where current Hall of Famers sit.

If the game is canceled, two other options are being discussed for 2021: Conducting the enshrinement Easter Weekend or inducting two classes.

While there are many sold-out ticket packages, as of May 4, more than 14,000 tickets remained available for the HOF enshrinement ceremony, which will include the induction of former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher and legendary safety Troy Polamalu.

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Former Steelers safety Donnie Shell announces Hall of Fame presenter

Donnie Shell, former DB of the Pittsburgh Steelers, announces his presenter for the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony.

Safety Donnie Shell, a member of the famed 1970s Steel Curtain, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame by his daughter, April Nicole Shell.

“The thing I really enjoyed was hearing the comments and advocacy of my teammates,” Shell said to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “I will cherish that forever. That is awesome. I told my son keep everything from the websites, save it all for my grandkids. To see how they thought of me as a teammate. I knew some of that, but when they expressed that and it came out in articles, it almost brought tears to my eyes.”

Shell is one of 10 seniors who will be enshrined as part of the Centennial Class of 2020. Shell had a shot to be inducted in 2002 when he was in the top 15 of balloting.

Undrafted in 1974, Shell joins four teammates previously inducted into the HOF from that same rookie class: Wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth; linebacker, Jack Lambert; and center, Mike Webster.

To this day, Shell’s career interceptions (51) stand as the most in NFL history for a strong safety. He had at least one INT in each of his 14 seasons. He also had 19 fumble recoveries, one of which he took 21 yards for a touchdown.

Shell enjoyed many accolades during his time with the Steelers. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and was the Steelers MVP in 1980. He saved several potential six points from being scored in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV.

Shell is the 26th Steeler to be inducted into the HOF.

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Former Steeler Donnie Shell named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Donnie Shell finally makes the Hall of Fame.

It’s about time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Wednesday that former star safety Donnie Shell will be enshrined as part of the 2020 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Shell, along with former head coach Bill Cowher will both join the HOF as part of their centennial class. For 14 seasons, Shell patrolled the secondary for Pittsburgh and a strong case can be made he’s one of the four best defensive backs to ever play for the Steelers.

The Hall is making right a three-decade wrong by finally putting Shell in the HOF. His stock suffered because of all that talent on those Steelers’ teams of the 70s but Shell’s physical play and his 51 career interceptions make the most convincing case.

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Will Donnie Shell finally make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Donnie Shell should have made the Hall of Fame years ago.

This year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have a special Centennial class for 2020. This will include 10 former players not among the regular finalists recently announced and will all be players who played more than 25 seasons ago. One name on the list who we are all excited to see if former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Donnie Shell.

Shell was a dominant player during his time who was known to the splash play before the media even coined the phrase. He had 51 career interceptions and was just as intimidating as a run stopper.

The fact Shell isn’t already in the Hall of Fame is confounding but likely had to do with time. Shell joined the Steelers during their greatest decade. But personally, I think it’s because he came after many of the other Steeler greats already in the Hall. And because Shell played on past those Super Bowl runs, he got lost in the mix. But maybe this year the HOF will finally make amends and put in Shell, who I believe is the fourth-best defensive back in franchise history.

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