Cast your vote for who the greatest receiver is in Steelers history.
The 33rd Team offered up their Top 10 wide receivers of all time and they included former Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown at No. 8 but he was the only former Steeler to make the cut.
This got us thinking about where Brown fits historically among the best receivers in franchise history. There are really four guys who can make an argument to be on top including Brown. As an old-school fan, I grew up watching John Stallworth and Lynn Swann and while their numbers weren’t great, both guys made their biggest plays in the biggest moments and you cannot diminish their impact on what is the greatest dynasty in NFL history.
Then there is Hines Ward. He’s quietly the statistical leader of the Steelers and one of only 14 players with 1,000 or more career receptions. Ward epitomizes everything it means to be a Steeler. He’s also been an impact player in the most meaningful of moments.
Then there is Brown. In terms of overall talent, Brown stands above the other three. And in terms of numbers, Brown had the greatest six-season stretch in NFL history. But you have to include Brown’s meltdown at the end of his time with Pittsburgh and the fact that for all his numbers, in one Super Bowl with the Steelers, a loss by the way, Brown caught one pass for one yard.
Cast your vote and let us know who you consider the greatest wide receiver in Steelers history.
33rd Team has Antonio Brown as their No. 8 wide receiver of all time.
When it comes to the NFL, the debate of best of all time at any given position is just fuel for a heated argument. Aside from a consensus about who is at the top at any position, trying to sort out a Top 10 is an even more daunting task.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have several players who could be considered in the Top 10 of their respective positions. This includes wide receiver where Pittsburgh has three former stars in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But when Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team put out of his list of the 10 best receivers of all time, he included a different former Steeler.
Valentino put Antonio Brown at No. 8 all-time but did not include Hines Ward, John Stallworth or Lynn Swann anywhere on the list. Here’s what he had to say about Brown.
Antonio Brown’s achievements on the field make an easy case for his entry into the NFL Hall of Fame. Having clinched a Super Bowl title and earned first-team All-Pro honors four times, along with a spot on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Brown altered the perception of being a dominant wide receiver. Standing at just 5-foot-10 and weighing 185 pounds, Brown was virtually unstoppable at his peak.
The bulk of Brown’s impressive stats were accumulated from 2013 to 2018, though he had already made a Pro Bowl appearance in his sophomore year in 2011. During this six-year period, he consistently caught at least 101 passes each season, never dipping below 1,284 yards or eight touchdowns.
He topped the league in receptions and yards twice and in touchdowns once. His most prolific season in 2015 saw him reel in 136 catches for a staggering 1,834 yards.
He’s 25th in yards, 21st in receptions, 26th in touchdowns, and third in yards per game. But self-inflicted mistakes cut his career short, producing only 91 receptions for 1,084 yards and nine touchdowns after turning 31. His lack of longevity in his later years hurt his argument for landing higher, but his peak is impossible to erase.
Putting aside all of Brown’s nonsense, there is little doubt he’s the most talented receiver in Steelers history. And his six-season stretch from 2013-2018 is unmatched in NFL history. His status as a Hall of Famer is far more debatable given the length of his career and off-field issues.
A career retrospective on Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris.
Thirty-five years ago this month, Franco Harris said goodbye to the game he loved so dearly. Not because he wanted to, but because no one wanted him.
The NFL is all about what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, and, at 35, Harris wasn’t able to do it anymore.
While retirement didn’t come on Franco’s terms, his talent and production crafted an illustrious career. As one of the key players on the dominating Steelers teams of the 1970s, his NFL journey included four Super Bowl titles, an NFL-record eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and 47 games with 100+ yards on the ground.
Draft woes
Harris was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (13th overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft.
It was a great day for the Steelers but not so much for Harris. In a recent interview with I80 Sports Blog, he was candid about his initial opposition to being drafted by Pittsburgh. “Noooooo!!! That’s the one team I did not want to go to; I did not want to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.” The running back added that, after four years at Penn State (just under three hours from Pittsburgh), he wanted to go out and see the world. Not to mention, the Steelers were awful and, up to the point of drafting Franco, had played 39 championship-less seasons.
That was about to change.
Glory days
Harris’ arrival in Pittsburgh coincided with the Steelers’ finding their identity under head coach Chuck Noll.
The AFC Rookie of the Year in 1972, Harris gained 1,055 yards rushing (and 10 touchdowns) and became only the fourth first-year player to exceed the 1,000-yard mark in the NFL.
The Penn State product gained instant popularity — so much so that he had his very own army. A group of passionate Italian-American Steelers fans who were called The Italian Army asked the rookie for permission to add his name to their group; after all, it only made sense since Franco was part Italian.
“This group of Italians was having dinner and drinking wine, and they wondered what they could do,” Harris once shared. “They said it would take an army to keep the fans going, and someone said, ‘Hey there’s this kid from Jersey, and he’s half Italian… maybe we can do, ‘Franco’s Italian Army.’ … So we got together, and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and it was incredible. One was a baker, and the other was a pizza chef… the baker would make bread and hollow it out and put wine in it and make a priest carry it into the stadium… We’re still going!”
Hence, the troop became Franco’s Italian Army. Game after game, they maintained a voracious presence at Three Rivers Stadium complete with flags, banners, and army helmets with No. 32 on them.
The Immaculate Reception
Single-handedly, Harris is responsible for one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Of course, that play is the miraculous Immaculate Reception, which gave the Steelers their first-ever playoff win in a dramatic victory over the Oakland Raiders in 1972.
Under tremendous pressure from Raiders linemen, Terry Bradshaw scrambled around in the pocket and eventually was able to get the ball out toward running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided with Fuqua as the ball arrived and sent the ball backward. Everyone thought the play was over… except for Franco. He scooped it up mere inches from the turf and hit the ground running for a 60-yard score with five seconds remaining in the game. Three Rivers Stadium erupted when the referee’s arms shot up, indicating a touchdown.
(AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)
It was such a bang-bang play that there are no photos of the reception, only the before and after — Bradshaw scrambling, the Tatum-Fuqua collision, and Harris escaping the clutches of cornerback Jimmy Warren (pictured above). Video footage also doesn’t show the entire ball from nose-to-nose, leading non-Steelers fans to debate whether it was even a reception. But we all know it was, and that’s all that matters.
To this day, 48 years later, it stands as the most awesome catch in Steelers history. Considering how many great catches have been made for the franchise since then tells you just how mind-blowing the Immaculate Reception was.
Contract squabble
Football is a business, first and foremost. It’s the business side of things that often find fans’ most beloved players on another team.
When Harris’ contract expired following the 1983 season, he saught a better deal than the franchise was willing to offer. Harris was now 34 and, as is the case with most running backs in that career stage, his knees were shot. He had been through multiple surgeries, and the Steelers knew his physical limitations would affect his contributions.
Bearing this in mind, Pittsburgh reportedly still offered Harris a significant raise and guarantee in a one-year contract. According to Jeffrey Krivis, in his in-depth article Recovering From Mistakes Made In Negotiations: The Franco Harris Fiasco, Franco’s agent (Bart Beier) countered with a second-year guarantee demand.
“Franco’s agent tried to one-up the Steelers in a way that backfired and prevented his client from achieving his life’s dream,” Krivis wrote.
In an unexpected move, after a five-month-long contract dispute, the Steelers placed their Pro Bowl running back on waivers on Aug. 20, 1984. When he wasn’t claimed by a team, Harris became a free agent for the first time in his 12-year career.
It wasn’t until Week 2 of the regular season that he was signed by the expansion Seattle Seahawks.
Harris was just 363 yards shy of breaking Jim Brown’s rushing record — a record that, at the time, was the NFL’s best. With 14 weeks remaining in the season, it was not impossible to attain. Halfway to setting the rushing record, Harris was released by Seattle Week 8.
Little did Franco know that he hung up his cleats for one final time, never to play another down in the NFL.
Reluctant retirement
Even after the midseason release by the Seahawks and months of being out of football, Harris had hopes of playing for a team in 1985.
Unfortunately for him, nothing materialized.
“I have no regrets,” Harris told the Associated Press in 1985. “I was ready to play this year. I worked hard. I thought I might get a shot with one team, and it didn’t happen… There comes a time in life when you say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to just hang on.’ I’m definitely not hanging on to it.”
At the time Franco retired, he held or shared 24 NFL records, which included 24 points and 354 yards rushing in four Super Bowls and 17 touchdowns and 1,556 yards rushing in 19 playoff games. Harris, a nine-time Pro Bowler, also earned the title of Super Bowl MVP when he rushed for 158 yards in the 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.
His career rushing and yards from scrimmage totals of 14,622 ranked as the third-highest marks in pro football history. Harris was second to Brown in career rushing touchdowns with 91. He also caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine touchdowns.
It’s a shame that Harris’ career didn’t end the way he deserved. But, ultimately, he was recognized with the highest-ever NFL honor of a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Harris chose Lynn Swann as his presenter. “I look forward to the day that you will be immortalized,” Harris said to Swann in his HOF enshrinement speech.
Fittingly, Harris and Jack Lambert were both inducted the same 1990 HOF class. “[Jack] taught me how to run out of bounds by chasing me all the time,” Harris shared with a laugh.
Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Selflessly, Harris’s speech was more about his teammates than about himself. “I was able to achieve goals beyond my wildest dreams because of the people who surrounded me,” he said. “They brought out the best in me, they made me rise to new heights, they made me a better ballplayer.”
To this day, three decades removed from football, he is still one of the best and most-loved running backs to ever don the Black and Gold.
The Pittsburgh Steelers compiled a Franco Harris highlight reel, which can be viewed on their YouTube channel.
With first ballots due next week comes a national urge to induct Steelers’ Bill Nunn into Hall of Fame.
The Steelers dynasty of the 1970s is represented by 13 individuals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s time to add one more: Bill Nunn Jr. https://t.co/lRWABoVMBE
Since early 2020, national pro football writers have made a significant push for former Steelers assistant personnel director and scout to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you Google Bill Nunn and Hall of Fame, you’ll easily find a dozen links from writers who believe it’s beyond time Nunn is recognized for his contribution to the Steelers.
NFL columnist Jim Trotter is the latest to make a case for enshrining Nunn. According to Trotter, the initial ballots for contributors for the 2021 HOF class are due July 31.
Per Ed Bouchette, who has been equally vocal on Nunn’s behalf, a committee is expected to meet virtually in August to vote in one contributor to the 2021 Hall of Fame. If the recent outpouring of interest in Nunn being enshrined is any sign, he could finally be a finalist.
The contributor category was added in 2014 to recognize “outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching.”
We whole-heartedly agree that Nunn deserves to be honored with a bronze bust. After all, he was responsible for the scouting and drafting of players, including Mel Blount, Joe Greene, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and Donnie Shell — each who are Hall of Famers in their own right. It’s hard to believe that the Steelers would be a dynasty today if it weren’t for those legendary players.
A weekly series that examines the history of the Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
This is the second in a 13-part weekly series examing the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
The second on the Steelers schedule is a matchup versus the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Heinz Field. The last time these two met was in Denver in November of 2018, and the Steelers lost 24-17. Since then, the Steelers have most notably lost wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end, Jesse James. The Broncos are now without quarterback Case Keenum and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
Let’s take a look at the history between these two franchises.
Overall, the Broncos lead the series 20-11-1. Of those 32 games, 19 have been hosted at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
Their first-ever matchup was played on Sept. 27, 1970, at Mile High, when the Steelers lost by a field goal, 16-13.
The Broncos reigned victorious the next two contests. Their fourth time meeting ended in their first and only tie, at 35. Pittsburgh finally beat Denver in 1975 at Three Rivers Stadium thanks to two touchdowns by wide receiver Lynn Swann. The final score of 20-9 took the Steelers to 3-1 on the season.
The biggest blowout of the series came in primetime on Monday, Oct. 22, 1979, at Three Rivers. The Steelers crushed the Orange Crush, 42-7. It was a long game for the Broncos as their only points were scored in the first quarter.
There has never been a shutout in Steelers-Broncos history. The closest to it was in 1989 when the Denver beat Pittsburgh 34-7 at Mile High.
The biggest heartbreaker of the series was in 1990 when the Steelers faced the Broncos in Denver for the AFC Championship game. It started out as a defensive battle as Gary Anderson’s field goal were the only points in the first quarter. Running back, Merrill Hodge scored the first Steelers touchdown in the second, and the teams traded scores throughout the game. Anderson added an FG in the third and fourth quarters to give Pittsburgh a six-point lead. Broncos quarterback John Elway then lead his team 71 yards downfield for what would be the game-winning TD. The Steelers had a chance to pull off the win, but quarterback Bubby Brister fumbled the ball, crushing the Steelers hopes for a fifth trip to the Super Bowl.
In the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers have only beaten the Broncos three out of nine times. All but two of those games have been at Mile High.
The last time Pittsburgh hosted Denver was in 2015. WR Antonio Brown was the star of that game hauling in two of Roethlisberger’s passes for TDs as the 8-5 Steelers beat the 10-3 Broncos, 34-27.
This year’s contest will be Roethlisberger’s first game at Heinz Field since his season-ending elbow injury on Sept. 15, 2019.
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.
Very Happy to have my daughter April Nicole Shell as my presenter for the Pro Football HOF in September. See you in Canton! Donnie
“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.
Maybe one day Patrick Mahomes or, who knows who else (Joe Burrows even? Heh. Too soon? Too soon?) might join this list, but for now, let’s go with these 25. Some were clear choices while others you might dispute for someone else, but it’s obviously …
Maybe one day Patrick Mahomes or, who knows who else (Joe Burrows even? Heh. Too soon? Too soon?) might join this list, but for now, let’s go with these 25. Some were clear choices while others you might dispute for someone else, but it’s obviously a list full of Super Bowl MVP QBs, so guessing the top 10 or 12 should be easy. The rest are guys you sometimes forget about. With research, marginal recall and experts’ input, here’s the final call.
(Editor’s note: These are not ranked, although the first few are the ones that quickly became clear.)
Tom Brady
(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
He’s at the top of the list for reasons: He’s guided the Patriots to nine (!) Super Bowls and six titles and he has four Super Bowl MVP trophies, all NFL records.
Drew Brees one day will join LaDainian Tomlinson in Canton. What other teams drafted multiple players in one year who went on to the HOF?
The Chicago Bears chose Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers, back-to-back no less, in the 1965 NFL Draft and wound up with a pair of Hall of Famers. The Chargers chose LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees in the 2001 draft. When the Saints’ QB is done, he will surely join LT in Canton. Here are some of the teams fortunate to choose multiple players in one draft since 1960 that went on to Hall-of-Fame careers.
Dallas Texans (AFL): 1963
George Rose/Getty Images
Buck Buchanan was the first pick of the Dallas Texans from Grambling State in the AFL Draft. In the seventh round, the Texans, who became the Kansas City Chiefs chose LB Bobby Bell from Minnesota.
