A new series for Steelers Depot we’ll dedicate a handful of posts to. You’ve heard about right player, wrong team to highlight those who changed organizations late in their career. Franco Harris in Seattle, Mike Webster in Kansas City, you get the idea.
Here, we’ll be talking about Steelers making plays for Pittsburgh but a position they’re not remembered for. And we’ll start things off by looking back at WR Hines Ward’s brief career as a kick returner.
Of course, those who know Ward’s career in-depth understand it started on special teams. A third round pick in 1998, Ward’s career didn’t start with flash. It was doing much of the grunt work. But I think those who even know that remember him running down kicks and punts, ten tackles across 1999 and 2000.
But briefly in 2000, Ward saw work as the team’s kick returner. He finished the year with seven returns for 186 yards. The best and longest return came that year in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, a 57-yard runback.
It came off a short kick that bounced into Ward’s hands at the one-yard line. He veers right, gets a couple of great blocks, and takes off down the right sideline. He jukes the kicker and gets a couple more yards out of it, running this one back 57 yards and inside the Browns’ 45.
By the way, that lead block that Ward got? That came from #56 Mike Vrabel, current Tennessee Titans’ head coach. A big celebration follows.
Unfortunately, the play wasn’t enough to give the Steelers’ a second half jumpstart. Ward’s return set up a short Kris Brown field goal to cut Cleveland’s lead to one, 14-13. Pittsburgh took the lead on a Jerome Bettis touchdown later in the third quarter but a pair of Dawson fourth quarter field goals edged the Steelers out 23-20.
For his career, Ward only returned seven kicks. A pair in 1999 and five in 2000, averaging 26.3 yards. By 2001, he became the team’s go-to wide receiver (though Plaxico Burress certainly made an impact) and didn’t play on special teams anymore. In college, Ward was used sparingly used as a kick returner and in a pinch, was used the same in Pittsburgh. Of course, his career is remembered for his catching, blocking, and occasionally his tackling, but also a kick returner early on as a Steeler.
