Some very sad news to pass along today. Former Pittsburgh Steelers’ outside linebacker Clark Haggans has died. He was 46.
93.7 The Fan’s Colin Dunlap was the first to report the news, tweeting it moments ago. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
UPDATE (9:57 PM Wednesday): A local report does not rule a cause of death but says foul play is not suspected. There will be another update when an investigation is completed.
Haggans was drafted in the 5th round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He appeared in 172 games, 104 of them in Pittsburgh, making 61 starts for the Steelers. With the black and gold, he recorded 32.5 sacks. Haggans was part of the team’s 2005 Super Bowl winning team, the fifth in franchise history.
Haggans was part of Kevin Colbert’s first ever draft class in Pittsburgh, selected 137th overall out of Colorado State. He spent his first four seasons with the team coming off the bench and mostly playing special teams, though he notched 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2002.
He would become a full-time starter in 2004, starting 13 games that season, and finishing the year with 37 tackles and six sacks. His career year was 2005, a nine-sack campaign that saw him force four fumbles, one part of a great Steelers’ defense that became the first #6 seed to win the Super Bowl. Haggans recorded a sack in the team’s Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks, taking down QB Matt Hasselbeck on the opening possession of the game and forcing a Seattle punt.
For his Steelers’ career, Haggans recorded 332 tackles (31 for a loss) with 32.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one interception.
Haggans signed with the Arizona Cardinals for the 2008 season, spending four seasons there and recording 14 sacks. His last year in the NFL came in 2012, appearing in nine games as a reserve for the San Francisco 49ers.
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