Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Ring of Honor: Woodson, Lambert, Ham & Greene
We're taking a look at the best four players to have ever played for each of the 32 NFL franchises. Let's reveal the four greatest Steelers according to our Bookies.com algorithm...
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most prestigious teams in NFL history, and one of the original NFL teams. Tied with the Patriots with six Super Bowl wins, they are the face of the NFL for a lot of casual viewers.
Formerly known as the Pittsburgh Pirates, they changed their name to the Steelers in 1940 and their dynasty truly began in 1974 when they won four Super Bowls in six years.
They most recently made it to the Super Bowl in 2010, when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in a hard-fought 31-25 defeat. Out of their eight appearances in the Super Bowl, they have a stellar record of 6-2. A variety of Hall of Fame coaches in Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll have led the Steelers to many successful seasons since the 60s.
Tomlin, who has been the head coach for the Steelers since 2007, enters his 16 season with his first starting quarterback change after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.
While we wait to see what happens with the starting QB position, let's take a look at the top four players that have played for the Steelers in their long history.
Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Ring of Honor
No. 1 - Rod Woodson
Rod Woodson, one of the greatest defensive backs in the history of the NFL, comes up first on our list. During his time in Pittsburgh, Woodson went to seven Pro Bowls, earned 5 All-Pro first-team honors, and won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
A defensive back that could do it all, he made 38 of his 71 interceptions with the Steelers and returned four touchdowns on special teams. He finished his career with the Ravens and the Raiders, where he won a Super Bowl in 2001.
No. 2 - Jack Lambert
As one of the greatest inside linebackers to play the game, Jack Lambert could do it all. During his full career with Pittsburgh, he had 28 interceptions to go along with 17 fumble recoveries, which made him a powerhouse on the field.
A second-round pick for the Steelers in 1974, he won Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He appeared in nine Pro Bowls and was awarded the All-Pro first team six times. He was a member of all four Super Bowl-winning teams in the 70s.
No. 3 - Jack Ham
Jack Lambert’s partner in the linebacker room, Jack Ham was another unstoppable force for the Steelers defense. Helping Lambert in the four Super Bowl victories, Ham was one of the best outside linebackers to play the game, accumulating 32 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries during his career with the Steelers.
Just like Lambert, Ham made six All-Pro first team selections, with eight Pro Bowl appearances, just one shy of Lambert’s nine.
No. 4 - Joe Greene
The last player on our list is none other than “Mean” Joe Greene. He's another part of the vicious defensive dynasty from the 1970s that won four Super Bowls during that period.
As the fourth overall pick, he won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1969 went on to win two Defensive Player of the Year awards throughout his career. Combine that with his ten Pro Bowls, four All-Pro first-team selections, and his ability to get to the quarterback, he achieved at least nine sacks in three seasons, making him one of the greatest defensive tackles to ever play the game.
Methodology
To determine the Ring of Honor for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bookies.com utilized the website, ProFootballReference.com to gather for each player:
- Career Weighted Approximate Value (Career AV)
- Hall of Fame Monitor score
After those findings, we averaged the two data sets to develop our rankings for the players to determine the top four players included in the Ring of Honor.
