The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. Tied for the league lead with six Super Bowl championships, there have been countless Hall of Famers and all-time greats who have played for the team. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are the two most likely to receive the knock in coming years, but there are plenty of other players who are more than deserving.
The 1970s dynasty that won four Super Bowls in six years has plenty of Hall of Famers already. Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Donnie Shell, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, and Mike Webster have already gotten in. But two key members of the Steel Curtain defensive line have received less recognition for their excellent play than they deserve. Those players are L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White.
Talk of Fame TWO’s John Turney released a list of the top defensive end duos in league history that are not enshrined in Canton. Greenwood and White headlined the list at the No. 1 spot.
“These were the bookends on the ‘Steel Curtain’ defensive line for three of the four Super Bowl champions,” Turney wrote. “The only reason they didn’t make it four straight was that White was injured for part of the 1979 season and lost his starting job.
“They each played in 18 playoff games and were an integral part of the Steelers’ success in the 1970s. Though they didn’t produce a lot of sacks, they were excellent pass rushers. It’s just that the Steelers had tackles named ‘Mean’ Joe Green and Ernie ‘Fats’ Holmes who could take down passers, too.”
They were both great all-around players who could stuff the run and get after the quarterback. Greenwood in particular tops most Steelers fans’ list of Hall of Fame snubs over the years. He has 78 career sacks, four Super Bowl rings, six Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro selections, and even received Defensive Player of the Year votes in 1974. He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1970s.
Greenwood has been a Hall of Fame finalist on six different occasions—the last one coming in 2006—but has fallen deeper into the logjam on the list of Hall of Fame hopefuls.
“He also could make a case as Defensive MVP in Super Bowls IX and X had there been such an award. He was that dominant in those games,” Turney wrote about Greenwood. “Of the 32 players listed, he probably has the best chance of getting a bust in Canton.”
In Super Bowl X against the Dallas Cowboys, Greenwood had four sacks. He was a huge part of securing some of those Super Bowl championships.
In 2020, the NFL had a centennial slate induction class in honor of the NFL’s 100th season, and it had a carve-out to include 10 “Seniors” who last played in the league 25-plus years ago. That was how Donnie Shell got in, which was well-deserved, but that was one of Greenwood’s best chances to get in. He didn’t even make the finalist list.
White will never hear his name called for Canton, but he was a critical part of those championship defenses just the same. He won four Super Bowls (three as a starter) and tallied 55 career sacks with two Pro Bowl selections in 1972 and 1973.
Both of these players went in the first half of Steelers Depot’s recent “All-Time Draft.” Each player was taken later than they should have been. When Greenwood and White were selected, our panel of “GMs” unanimously praised the amazing value that each player presented. We overlooked their value just as the Hall of Fame continues to do.
