The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some fantastic wide receivers throughout the franchise’s history. There are the two Pro Football Hall of Famers, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. There is the mercurial but incredibly talented Antonio Brown.
And then there is the quintessential Steelers wide receiver: two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl XL Most Valuable Player Hines Ward. He retired holding the franchise records in receptions (1,000), receiving yards (12,083), and receiving touchdowns (85). He made the Pro Bowl four times in his 14-year career with the Steelers. He was also inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor in 2019.
But is that worthy of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio? Is Hines Ward a Hall of Fame wide receiver?
“I believe Hines is,” former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a sit-down interview with Steelers Depot’s Scott Brown Monday at Grandview Golf Club in Pittsburgh. “Solid competitor. Super Bowl champion. He changed some rules in football. When you change rules, you’re pretty significant. They change rules maybe to protect players, but Hines never played dirty football. Hines played aggressive football — and I think that’s a compliment to him — in addition to productive, winning football. Hines was a leader. Hines was a Super Bowl champion and yes I think he should be in the Hall of Fame.”
The best wide receivers tend to be depicted as divas. After all, it’s one of the most visible positions on the football field. Wide receivers have the potential to absolutely embarrass defenders on any given play. So the elite players are probably going to have big personalities and celebrate their victories.
Ward certainly had big victories on the football field. Perhaps there was none bigger than in Super Bowl XL when he caught a pass from fellow WR Antwaan Randle El on a trick play for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
With 86 days now left to go before the Steelers play the Bengals in Week 1, here is #86 Hines Ward (@mvp86hinesward ) and his Super Bowl XL TD catch on the trick play. #Steelers #NFL #Steelers #NFL #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/dGwLD4rSKJ
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) June 17, 2022
But for a wide receiver who holds the franchise record for most career receiving touchdowns (plus 10 more in the playoffs), Ward was just as at home de-cleating defenders with blocks as he was running by them (or through them) for a touchdown. He wasn’t just a willing blocker, he was a devastating one.
Colbert certainly defended Ward when talking about him as an aggressive player who forced rule changes in the NFL. During the 2009 offseason, the NFL approved a new rule that forbade offensive players from using their helmet, shoulder, or forearm to make contact with a defender’s head or neck. It was nicknamed the Hines Ward rule thanks in part to Ward’s then-legal block on Keith Rivers that left the Cincinnati Bengals LB with a broken jaw.
While Colbert says that Ward was never a dirty player, his peers saw things differently. Sports Illustrated conducted a poll in 2009 of 296 players and Ward received 11.6 percent of the vote for dirtiest player in the NFL. That was the most in the league. He received over five percent more of the votes than then-Washington DT Albert Haynesworth and Ward’s teammate LB Joey Porter, who both received six percent of the votes. Steelers S Troy Polamalu also received 3.7 percent of the votes.
Yet there are few wide receivers in the league then or now who were willing to sacrifice their bodies for the good of the team like Ward. He took hits, dished them out, and did it with one of the most infectious smiles seen on the football field. There are few receivers in NFL history who were as productive as Ward while also being as impactful without the ball in their hands.
That’s why Colbert believes Ward is a Hall of Famer. He did it all on the field and was a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Perhaps Ward’s path to Canton has become a little easier. He was a semifinalist for the Class of 2024 that saw fellow WR Andre Johnson enshrined. Johnson played 14 years in the NFL like Ward. He finished his career with 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns. Johnson had more receptions and yards than Ward, but Ward has three things over Johnson.
Ward had more career receiving touchdowns, two Super Bowl titles, and a Super Bowl MVP. Johnson, despite his play, never won a championship in the NFL. Ward believes that he elevated his game in the postseason and that should help him get into the Hall of Fame.
So perhaps we are one step closer to seeing Ward joining Stallworth and Swann in Canton, Ohio.
