On Tuesday morning, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its list of 25 semifinalists for modern-era players in the 2024 class. Two Steelers were named to that list with James Harrison and Hines Ward making the cut. This is not the first time either player has made the list, as Harrison has now made it twice while Ward has advanced to the semifinal round for the last eight straight years.
During head coach Mike Tomlin’s Tuesday press conference posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page, he was asked about Ward being named a semifinalist.
“Hines is like John Lynch, to me,” said Tomlin. “I coached both guys. Stats don’t tell their story. Ask the men that played football against them of that generation. Their impact on the game and how the game is played, and in some instances, how the game is officiated. Hines was a football player first and a receiver second. I used to say that to describe him all the time because of just the ridiculous consistency of his toughness. In the passing game, in the running game, running the football after the catch, or blocking.”
Ward frequently had highlight reels made of him, for his play as a receiver, but more frequently for an enormous, punishing block on opposing defenders. As Tomlin mentioned, the NFL implemented new rules to eliminate some aspects of wide receiver blocking, now known as illegal crackback blocks. It was a different era, and the current era of fines and penalties for these types of plays was ushered in by players like Ward. One of the marks of a Hall of Famer is to what extent the player changed the game during his time in the league. Ward quite literally changed the game in this regard.
“He is well deserving of consideration,” Tomlin said. “I hope it happens for him this time, but I think if I’m gonna phrase it succinctly in terms of my experience and exposure, I feel similarly to how I felt about John Lynch. Stats are just a component of the story in terms of the type of player that he was.”
Ward spent his entire 14-year career with the Steelers. He won two Super Bowls, appearing in three, including Super Bowl XL where he was named the Super Bowl MVP. He was the perfect wide receiver for the brand of football that the Steelers are known for. He finished his career with 1,000 receptions, 12,083 yards, and 86 touchdowns. He was named to four Pro Bowls and three second team All-Pro lists. Ward is also a member of the Steelers Hall of Honor.
Ward has never moved past the semifinalist phase of this process, so hopefully we can see him start to move further along in the process this year or in years ahead.
