Top 10 Best Pittsburgh Steelers Players of All Time
You don't need to bleed black and gold to know the Pittsburgh Steelers have churned out some of the most iconic players the NFL has ever seen. But if you do bleed black and gold, chances are you've had more than a few debates about who really belongs at the top of the Steelers mountain. Quarterbacks who brought home the rings. Defenders who made grown men regret picking up a football. Guys with hair so wild and hits so brutal, they're still living rent-free in rival fans' nightmares.Maybe you grew up watching the Steel Curtain suffocate offenses in the '70s. Maybe you spent your Sundays yelling at the TV as No. 43 flew across the screen like a human missile. Or maybe your loyalty lies with the more recent legends who kept the wins coming and the terrible towels spinning. No matter which generation of Steelers you vibe with, your opinion helps shape this ongoing conversation.
Charles Edward Greene, better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1981. I can't knock anyone on this list because they're all Steelers, but Mean Joe has got to be at the top. If you saw what the Pittsburgh Steelers looked like before Mean Joe was drafted, it was sad. He was the best player on the best defense in the history of football and changed the Steelers from losers to winners!
#1 Pittsburgh Steeler of all time. Mean Joe was the catalyst that changed a perennial loser into the Steel Curtain and the team of the 1970s.
Indisputably the greatest defensive tackle of all time on any team.
Troy Aumua Polamalu is a former American football strong safety who played his entire twelve-year career for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Love him! This man is the definition of a football player! He's all in for the game, gives 100% all the time, and he's hands down the best safety I've ever seen! Plus, he's an amazing human being. Hopefully, he will be a Steeler for many more years to come! Steeler football is all about defense, and Troy is the exclamation point on this team!
Troy has pulled plays out of the air just when you thought it was over. He should definitely make the top 10, but let's not forget, it's the teamwork that makes the Steelers great.
He is a playmaker and game-changer. Opposing QBs base their entire offensive plan around avoiding him. And nobody is more altruistic off the field.
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger, Sr., nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He is my favorite player, and I think he is a really good quarterback.
He is a really good QB the Steelers have had!
Big Ben is just so awesome. He is the best quarterback on the Steelers team.
I think that he really should have been in the #1 spot! To me, Mean Joe Greene didn't play anywhere near as good as Jack Lambert! I mean, at least put him in the #2 spot for sure!
Reflected the city in which he played. Rough, tough, no-nonsense, and intense. His style of play was emulated by every high school linebacker in America.
Together, Jack and Terry were the best I can remember, making them winners on both sides of the ball (not that they both didn't have a lot of helpers).
He brought the Steelers from lovable losers to Super Bowl winners.
He is way better than Big Ben, and I'm a Steelers fan.
Come on! Terry Bradshaw is the best, hands down!
One of only five players in NFL history to rush for over 14,000 yards and run for 100+ touchdowns (including postseason play). The other four guys are Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, and LaDainian Tomlinson.
BEAST
Franco Harris was an American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. In the 1972 NFL Draft he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall. The Immaculate Reception is what saved the Steelers and led them to become the greatest NFL team of the Super Bowl era.
Mean Joe Greene said they didn't start winning until Franco Harris.
The man is Italian. What's better than that?
It's Lynn Swann for me. Probably the greatest athlete in NFL history. Who catches the ball out of bounds in midair like a ballerina and then lands back in? If he played on another team besides Pittsburgh, he would have crazy numbers.
He also played half his career in a dead ball era where wide receivers couldn't get into routes. The receptions he made against Dallas in the first Super Bowl matchup in '76 were amazing, even when the DBs could do what Jack Tatum did. In my opinion, he's the best.
Lynn was the most acrobatic and graceful receiver in NFL history. Truly a treasure of the best Steelers team in history.
I love Hines Ward. He never misses a catch from Roethlisberger. Ward is an MVP. He also always has a smile on his face. He is also very strong and he is my favorite player.
He is simply unstoppable. Agreed, without that amazing pass from Ben Roethlisberger, Ward would not be able to make such huge runs leading to touchdowns.
My favorite! One-of-a-kind player. He's an outstanding receiver, committed to his team, and does everything with a smile!
Here's why he's one of the best in Steelers history: 537 receptions for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns. He played in the Pro Bowl three times and was the 1984 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, catching 80 receptions for 1,395 yards and 11 touchdowns, all career highs.
He holds the Super Bowl record for career average per catch (24.4), 40.33 yards per catch in Super Bowl XIV, 12 postseason touchdown receptions, a string of 17 straight postseason games with at least one reception, and scored a touchdown in 8 straight postseason games (1978-1983). He is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002.
Its Joeysworld
The Newcomers
Mel Blount is my #3 top Pittsburgh Steeler of all time. He was the best DB of his era and caused the NFL to change the contact rules of the game. Mel still played at a Pro Bowl level after the rules changed.
Mel Blount brought pass interference rules to the NFL.
Iron Mike made great blocks for Franco Harris.
A Steeler forever, Rod defined his position as safety. He was also excellent at returning punts and kickoffs. In 1989, he blossomed as a star, with 80 combined tackles and 3 touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl berth and his first taste of postseason success with the Steelers.
In the 90s, no one did it better than Rod. In 1992, he became a game-breaker, making key plays in many Steeler wins throughout his stay. His accolades include the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Its Joeysworld
Antonio Brown is a former NFL wide receiver and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFC South Division. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2010 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has also been on the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots. He is a 7x pro bowler, and regarded as a skilled player... read more Best WR ever. The only people in front of him are Hines Ward, Lynn Swann, and Mike Wallace.
He can run really fast and do front flips. He also catches really well.
He catches everything thrown close to him and is a threat anywhere on the field.
Jack Raphael Ham Jr. is a former American football outside linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1971 to 1982. He is considered one of the greatest outside linebackers in the history of the NFL.
James Henry Harrison Jr. is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for Kent State University and was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Steelers: XL and XLIII. James Harrison has the most sacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He is really old but plays like he is 28 years old again.
My favorite Steelers player of all time! When you see James Harrison, you see what a Pittsburgh Steeler is supposed to be.
Number two center of all time, behind only Mike Webster. One of the most underrated players of all time!
Obviously, you can't put many pre-Super Bowl era Steelers on here, but Jack Butler should be on this list. He was second in career interceptions at the time of his retirement in 1959 after nine NFL seasons, all as a Steeler. Keep in mind that he had over 50 career interceptions in an era with less passing and fewer games per season.
Badass when the Steelers started to get mean again after the lean '80s and early '90s.
William Gay is an American football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. This guy is not only a great player but fun to watch. He has the best touchdown dance ever.
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. One of the most up-and-coming Steelers rookies in the league today! Hard not to love #88!
He has been catching everything in the end zone. That's how we won the game.
Alan Joseph Faneca is a former professional American football player who was a guard in the National Football League for thirteen seasons.