Perspective Of An Average Steelers Fan: Top 500 Steelers (2020 Edition)

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Being an average Steelers fan; I’m compelled to compare players from different eras. Dave Bryan was kind enough to publish my original List of Top 500 All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers in January 2017. My last update came at the end of the 2019 NFL season: Top 500 Steelers (2019 Edition).

The latest edition of the Top 500 All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers incorporates on the field service, recognition, and accomplishments of the 2020 Steelers.  Former Steelers rankings may change due to changes to Steelers All-Time individual leaders in select categories, adjusted information in the Pro Football Reference (one of my main resources), or recognition for their play such as the Hall of Honor or Hall of Fame.

I waited for the announcement of the latest NFL Hall of Fame inductees before finalizing the latest edition. Congratulations to Alan Faneca and though not a player to Bill Nunn too!

Maurkice Pouncey announced his retirement before I could mail him the latest list. He rose three spots to number 27 on the all-time Steelers list.

Ben Roethlisberger broke into the top ten this year. Roethlisberger will undoubtedly be in the Steelers Hall of Honor and the Football Hall of Fame after he retires. Once he does, I project him to be at least number five on the all-time list but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

PLAYERS DROPPED OFF THIS EDITION

As players ascend into the top 500; inevitably Newton’s third law of motion forces other players out. Here are the players who fell from last year’s list along with their new ranking:

Here are some details on these Steelers of yore:

John L. Williams: Pittsburgh needed a fullback after Merrill Hoge left in free agency following the 1993 season. The Steelers signed John L. Williams following his eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He was Seattle’s first round draft pick in the 1986 draft following a stellar college career at Florida. Tom Donohue, then Steelers Director of football operations stated “The guy’s a complete fullback. He brings toughness and leadership to your team.” The Steelers considered his blocking and receiving skills an asset to the Steelers offense. In two seasons, Williams gained 427 rushing and 505 receiving yards. He scored three touchdowns in the seven postseason games for the Steelers. His final NFL games was in the Steelers loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. He was the lead blocker for Bam Morris who brought the Steelers within three points. 20-17. Williams prevented a pick-six by tackling Larry Brown before he could score second interception, but Dallas ultimately scored to win 27-17.

Carey Davis: The Indianapolis Colts signed Carey Davis as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He made brief appearances in three games for the Colts and Atlanta Falcons his rookie season but did not play again until 2007 as a Pittsburgh Steeler. The Steelers signed Davis to their practice squad in November 2006 to replace injured Cedric Humes. Davis beat out longtime fullback Dan Kreider to start opening day in 2007 alternating with Kreider until the rainy Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins when Kreider tore an ACL ending his season. In 2008, the Steelers carried Davis as their only fullback. But the role of fullback decreased in Bruce Arian’s second season as offensive coordinator. He ended up sharing the fullback role with tight end Sean McHugh in 2008. Gary Russell scored following Carey Davis lead block to go up 10-0 on the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers waived Davis prior to the start of the 2009 season, replacing him with Frank “the Tank” Summers. A popular teammate, he was signed back after the first month of the 2009 season but an injury including a hamstring limited him to appearances in six games. The Steelers did not offer him a contract in 2010 and he was signed by the Washington Redskins but cut before the season.

Derek Hill: Originally projected as a first rounder, the Steelers drafted Arizona wide receiver Derek Hill in the third round (61st overall).  The Steelers believed Hill was a deep threat to take pressure off Louie Lipps. A knee injury cost him three weeks of his rookie camp, but he became the starter over Dwight Stone midway through the season.  He played in all 32 regular season games starting 20 in his two years in the Black and Gold. Hill scored his only touchdown in his second game in a 41-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He caught 53 passes for 846 yards. Hill caught a seven-yard pass in Pittsburgh’s wildcard win over the Houston Oilers. He aggravated his knee injury in pregame warmups before the Steelers 23-24 playoff loss to Denver to finish the 1989 season. In 1990, the Steelers finished 9-7 again but missed the playoffs in a final game 34-14 loss against the Houston Oilers. Derek Hill caught a 43-yard pass to the four-yard line that set up a Merrill Hoge touchdown in the losing effort. The Steelers were dead last in passing offense in 1989 with just 2178 passing yards. In 1990 they were 24th of 28 teams. The Steelers lost Derek Hill to Plan B free agency when they decided not to protect him. However, he never played another down in the NFL. Instead, he played in the CFL with Toronto Argonauts then went on to the NFL Europe with the Amsterdam Admirals and Scottish Claymores. His final professional football season was in 1997 with the Anaheim Piranhas in the Arena Football league. Unfortunately, Hill died in January 2012 in Los Angeles at age 44.

Randy Fuller: The Steelers signed Randy Fuller after Rod Woodson injured his knee at the start of the 1995 season. The Broncos fourth round pick in 1994, he played special teams and in nickel defense before Denver waived him during his second summer camp. Fuller played in 39 games with four starts in three seasons with the Steelers. He also played in seven playoff games in the Black and Gold. His highlight moment was in the 1995 playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, he knocked away the Hail Mary pass that clinched the 20-16 victory and a trip to Super Bowl XXX. His reward was being replaced in dime packages for the big game by Rod Woodson coming back from his knee injury.

In 1997, he strip-sacked Houston’s Steve McNair. Greg Lloyd recovered the fumble but lost it himself before Jason Gildon picked the bouncing ball up and scored the defensive touchdown in a 37-24 win. Randy started three games in 1997 after Carnell Lake got injured. But Fuller injured his groin which hampered him for the rest of the season. Fuller signed with Atlanta following the 1997 season. He finished his NFL career in 1999 with Seattle. Following football, Randy Fuller worked fulltime at a residential treatment center helping people with mental health issues.

Blake Wingle The Steelers drafted guard Blake Wingle in the ninth round out of UCLA. The Steelers needed offensive linemen as veteran Ray Pinney jumped over to the upstart USFL Michigan Panthers who joined former Steeler lineman Tyrone McGriff. Wingle won the final offensive lineman spot in part due to Tunch Ilkin’s placement on injured reserve with damaged shoulder ligaments. Wingle gained playing time in the Steelers first game against the Broncos when Craig Wolfley was knocked out of the game temporarily after being knocked woozy. He played in all 16 games his rookie season usually relieving Wolfley or Steve Courson during games. Wingle started the first 10 games his second season after Steve Courson was traded. But eventually lost snaps to rookie Terry Long.

It was a tough season for the first-time starter with four holding penalties in one game against the Rams. He was also “run over” by a Miami Dolphin defender who knocked David Woodson out of the game with a concussion. Wingle made the Steelers initial roster in 1995 and played in three games. But the Steelers waived him after activating Randy Rasmussen. The Green Bay Packers picked him up and he played two games for them in 1985 then started two of three games played for Cleveland in 1987 to close out his NFL career.

Pete Rostosky:  Pete Rostosky played high school football for Elizabeth Forward. The Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Connecticut. A defensive end in college, he converted to offensive tackle. The Steelers drafted Gabe Rivera and were stacked on the defensive line but needed help on the other side. Mike Webster, Tunch Ilkin, and Craig Wolfley tutored him, and he stayed with the team from 1983-1986 as a reserve tackle playing 35 games with eight starts. He missed his rookie season and half of 1984 with a knee injury. He played all 16 games in 1985 and 11 more his final year in 1986.  Following football, he worked in his families mining business and helped coach football at Charleroi High School and his alma mater. Rostosky was lucky to have played at all. In a hunting accident, a hunter shot him in the head with a shotgun. Surgeons could not remove 22 pellets which remain in his head. Yet, he completed his football season and received a scholarship to play at Connecticut. Tough guy.

David Edwards: The Steelers signed Illinois defensive back Dave Edwards as an undrafted free agent in 1985. Players nicknamed him “Rambo” during training camp his rookie year. Edwards showed his potential by intercepting a pass, sacking the quarterback, and making seven tackles in a preseason matchup against the Vikings when the other reserves did not fare so well. Tony Dungy helped coach him. In his second season, Edwards scored a safety against the Bengals when he tackled Jeff Hayes in the backfield following a bad snap. Unfortunately, the lackluster Steelers lost 24-22. A couple weeks later, the Steelers got revenge, thumping the Bengals 30-9. Edwards was fined $1500 for a late hit that triggered a brawl where eight Steelers teammates and an undetermined number of Bengals players were fined for fighting. Bryan Hinkle who was fined said he did not recall any fight stating, “I don’t remember fighting. It’s ridiculous. I don’t even know what fight he’s [Commissioner Pete Rozelle] talking about.” Edwards was waived at the end of camp in 1987 but was re-signed to the replacement roster that played three games. He did not make it to the final Steelers roster that season. He intercepted a pass in his final game but that was not enough for the Steelers to retain him on their roster after the strike ended.

Do you remember these players? If you have an interesting anecdote about any of them, please give us your story in the comment section.

NEWCOMERS TO THE TOP 500

Here are the new additions to the list:

All seven ascending players were on the 2020 roster. The Steelers drafted all but Steve Nelson who the Steelers signed as a free agent after his rookie contract from Kansas City Chiefs expired.

There are no blasts from the past that rose to the top 500 this edition. Instead, here are highlights of four former Steelers who were Pro Bowlers as Steelers but do not make this year’s top 500 list:

Johnny Lattner: Notre Dame halfback Johnny Lattner won the Heisman trophy in 1953. The Steelers picked him in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1954 draft. Art Rooney took a risk since they were competing with both the CFL and the US Air Force for Lattner. The Steelers did get Lattner’s service for his rookie season where he garnered Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season for his rushing and return skills. He started 11 of 12 games played scoring seven touchdowns. He led the Steelers in all-purpose yards with 1028. However, the US Air Force came knocking and claimed Lattner for two years military service after season’s end. Lattner was set to return to the Steelers for the 1957 season. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury playing for a military team that never healed. He came to camp, but his knee kept him from playing again. Lattner who died in 2016 had 25 grandchildren. One of whom is Robert Spillane, now a linebacker with his Grandpa’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Milt Simington:  A pro bowler in his only season with the Steelers; he was picked to the 1942 NFL All-Star team but suffered heart attack while practicing. He died a few weeks later at only 24 years of age. Milt was versatile player who played guard but was also a place kicker. A career tragically cut short. Milt peaked at number 402 and last appeared in the 2017 edition of the top 500 Steelers.

Merlyn Condit: The Cleveland Rams drafted Merlyn Condit in the second round of the 1940 draft. He had starred for Carnegie Tech and Art Rooney traded a player to acquire his rights. Condit broke up a pass to preserve a tie against the New York Giants in his debut as a Steeler. He was selected to play for the NFL All-Stars who played the champion Chicago Bears at the end of the 1940 season. Condit was caught in the whirlwind when Rooney sold the Steelers in 1941 ultimately ending up with Brooklyn. He played one more season for Pittsburgh in 1946 before retiring. He worked as an engineer for the Mine Safety Appliance Company for 35 years. Condit passed away in 1982. Condit peaked at number 434 and last appeared in the 2018 edition of the top 500 Steelers.

Art Jones: Bert Bell of the Eagles drafted Art Jones in December 1940. After he became co-owner of the Steelers, Bert Bell signed Jones  in July 1941. On offense he scored five touchdowns. He averaged 37.7 yards per punt and even returned 14 punts to average 16.6 yards per punt. He led the league with seven interceptions. His all-around performance led to selection to the all-star game. Unfortunately, Art entered the navy following his rookie year.  Following his war service, Jones rejoined the Steelers in October 1945. New Steelers coach Jock Sutherland released Jones just before the start of the 1946 season. Art Jones peaked at number 433 and last appeared in the 2018 edition of the top 500 Steelers.

CONCLUSION

22 players played a regular season game in Steelers uniforms for the first time in 2020. There are now 1,546 players who have worn the Black and Gold in at least one regular season game since the team entered the league in 1933.

Many of you may dispute where I rank different players. That’s ok by me. I use a matrix, so once the numbers are crunched players end up where they do. I wish some of my favorite players ranked higher. Conversely, there are some jagoffs that I wish came in lower on the rankings. It is what it is. Here we go.

The full list of top 500 Steelers is just below your music selection.

YOUR MUSIC SELECTION

I always like to include some music. Steelers fans are all over the world. Here is Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo.

The Top 500 Steelers (2020 Edition):