Those who played alongside Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker Clark Haggans are reacting to the news of his death, first reported late Tuesday night, and remembering his life on and off the field. Former Steelers nose tackle Chris Hoke knew Haggans well, teammates together for years, and joined Ron Cook on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday to talk about the player and person he was.
“Clark was an amazing football player but just a great friend, a great person, teammate,” Hoke told Cook. “This is a tough one to swallow.”
Haggans was just 46 years old. No cause of death has been announced. Drafted by the Steelers in 2000 out of Colorado State — he left school as the program’s all-time sack leader — Haggans bided his time as a backup before breaking out as a starter in the mid-2000s. His best year came in the 2005 Super Bowl winning year, finishing second on the team with nine sacks.
An underrated member of some great Steelers defenses full of elite names, Hoke said Haggans’ contributions were always overlooked.
“The thing about Clark was he was pure energy,” Hoke said. “The guy radiated energy every single day. That’s what I love about Clark.”
Hoke also praised Haggans’ professional approach to the game, calling him a “tireless worker” who was always in the weight room and kept himself in great physical condition. In eight years with the Steelers, he recorded 32.5 sacks. Once he became a starter, he consistently put up good numbers, averaging 6.3 sacks from 2004 to 2007.
After moving on from Pittsburgh, he found production in Arizona for four seasons, 14 sacks across four years, before ending his career with a season in San Francisco.
Hoke argued that had Haggans played for a different defense that didn’t have so many superstars, his career would’ve been recognized far more.
“He was overshadowed,” he said. “But he was a critical part and piece of that defense.”
Off the field, Hoke said Haggans had a likeable personality who kept things light during the dog days of summer, back when there were grueling two-a-day practices under the hot Latrobe sun. He was someone Hoke and the rest of the Steelers’ team liked being around, a bond that still exists for many of those names today.
“He was friends with everyone,” Hoke said. “People loved to be around Clark. He was fun. He always had you laughing.”
