Steelers top 30 moments in franchise history
By Kim Myers
Retiring Joe Greene’s No. 75
Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene is handed his number 75 jersey by Steelers President Art Rooney as owner Dan Rooney stands by in a ceremony to retire his number during halftime of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a unique organization. From the standards of head coaching where the team has had only three head coaches in the last 46 years to the fact that they’re the only team in the NFL with six Lombardi trophies, the Steelers do it their own way and something must be working right.
Before 2014 the Steelers only had one jersey retired. It was defensive tackle Ernie Stautner’s No. 70 jersey that was retired on October 25th, 1964. Stautner played for the Steelers from 1950-1963 and then coached the defensive line from 1963-1964.
The Steelers waited 50 years to retire another jersey. The Steelers announced in the summer of 2014 that they would retire the No. 75 jersey that Mean Joe Greene wore for the Steelers. Greene called the honor “completely overwhelming” and the Steelers held a pre-game ceremony on Nov. 1, 2014 and a half-time presentation during their 42-23 rout of the Baltimore Ravens.
The team left open the possibility of retiring other players’ jerseys but have long had a tradition of not re-issuing numbers for certain players. To date they haven’t re-issued the numbers for Gary Anderson (1), Terry Bradshaw (12), Franco Harris (32), Jerome Bettis (36), Troy Polamalu (43), Mel Blount (47), Mike Webster (52), Jack Lambert (58), Jack Ham (59), Dermontti Dawson (63), and Hines Ward (86).
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