In the illustrious history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a few positions stand out among the rest for their historical dominance.
Those include linebacker, pass rusher, quarterback and running back. Right up there with those positions should be safety, too.
Helping that argument is the fact that the Steelers have two of the best 11 safeties all-time in the NFL, at least according to The 33rd Team. In Elliott Kalb’s 11 best safeties of all-time, the Steelers were represented by Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell at No. 7, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu at No. 4.
Shell, who had previously been a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for induction only once before in 2002 before being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020 as a senior player, entered the NFL in 1974 with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State. A member of the famed Steel Curtain defenses that helped lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in 1970s, Shell registered 51 interceptions and 19 fumble recoveries during his long career. Shell’s 51 interceptions are still the most in NFL history for a strong safety. He also had at least one interception in each of his 14 NFL seasons.
“Following the 1978 season, Shell was chosen to the first of five consecutive Pro Bowl teams. He was also selected first- or second-team All-Pro five times, from 1978 through 1982,” Kalb writes regarding Shell’s ranking among the best safeties of all time. “He had 51 interceptions, 19 forced fumbles and 19 fumble recoveries. His 51 interceptions made him the first strong safety in the history of the National Football League to surpass the 50-interception mark.”
Shell played in 201 regular-season games during his Steelers career and in 19 playoff games. He was a five-time Pro Bowl player in consecutive seasons from 1978-1982 and voted first-team All-Pro in 1979, 1980 and 1982. He was a vital member of the four Steelers teams that won Super Bowls in the 1970s.
After the Steelers won their last of four 70s Super Bowl championships in January 1980, Shell continued to be an integral part of the team’s defense as the members of the Steel Curtain began to retire. From 1980-1987, when the Steelers posted a combined record of 63-57, Shell registered 37 total interceptions. Only three other players, Everson Walls (42), John Harris (41) and Ronnie Lott (38), had more during that span of years.
Along with Shell, Polamalu represents the Steelers in the 11 best safeties of all-time ranking coming in at No. 4 behind San Francisco’s Ronnie Lott, Baltimore’s Ed Reed, and former Houston Oiler Kenny Houston.
Polamalu was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft at No. 16 overall out of USC after the Steelers made a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to move up 11 spots to select the Trojans star.
Polamalu went on to play 12 seasons with the Steelers and his career ended after the 2014 season with him being a two-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, a two-time second-team All-Pro selection, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2010), an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and Steelers All-Time Team.
“Polamalu was a big part of the Steelers’ championships following the 2005 and 2008 seasons. In the AFC Championship Game, Polamalu’s interception and 40-yard return for a touchdown with just more than four minutes remaining vaulted Pittsburgh over Baltimore (as CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz put it, “It looks like No. 43 (Polamalu) was sending the Steelers to Super Bowl XLIII’,” Kalb writes.
In his 12 seasons with the Steelers, Polamalu recorded 32 total regular-season interceptions in addition to three more in the playoffs. He registered 14 forced fumbles and recovered seven total fumbles. Five of those regular-season takeaways that Polamalu registered he returned for touchdowns. He also returned one for a score in a playoff game. He is credited with making 778 total regular-season tackles during his career and 12 sacks.
He was the “Tasmanian Devil” and terrorized opposing offenses for years, easily earning a selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot player. During his tenure in Pittsburgh, Polamalu was often in the discussion as the best safety in the game with Baltimore’s Reed, so it’s no surprise he’s among the best safeties of all time.
It’s a legendary position for the Steelers, no doubt. Names like Jack Butler, Mike Wagner, Carnell Lake and Ryan Clark played key roles for the Steelers at the safety position, too, and soon Minkah Fitzpatrick will be in that discussion as well.
