On the eve of Super Bowl XLVI, the NFL will announce the new inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Out of the 17 finalist, four of them are former Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jerome Bettis, Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, and Kevin Greene are all on the cusp of being a part of an elite group gridiron greats.
The headliner of this shortlist of Steeler-greats is Bettis. The 10th overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft played his first three years in the league with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams before being traded to the Steelers on April 20, 1996. In Bettis’ ten years in Pittsburgh, he became the Steelers’ all-time leading rusher, and is currently the sixth-leading rusher in NFL history (13,662).
One of the players responsible for Bettis’ success is Dawson. The seven-time Pro Bowler played five seasons with Bettis, and has been a finalist for the HOF the past three years. In Dawson’s 13-year career with the Steelers, he has been named to the NFL First-team All-pro Team six times, and was also named to the NFL 1990s All-decade Team.
Greene only played for the Steel City from 1993-95, but was one of the most dominating defensive players in the league throughout his career. Just like Dawson, Greene was named to the NFL 1990s All-decade Team, and is most know for being the third-leading sacker of all-time with 160, which is also the most recorded by a linebacker. During his three-year stint with the Steelers, Greene helped lead the franchise to two AFC Championship Games and an appearance in Super Bowl XXX.
The Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee selected Butler in August of 2011 as a senior candidate for the HOF. Butler played for Pittsburgh from 1951-59. At the time of Butler’s retirement, he was third all-time in interceptions with 52.
The announcement of the new inductees in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be on the NFL Network on February 4th at 5:30 et.
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