Pittsburgh Steelers: 15 best running backs in franchise history

Greatest running backs in Pittsburgh Steelers history: #9. Frank Pollard

The Steelers have been relevant for as long as any team in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have a stretch of mediocrity. During the 1980s, the Steelers had some winning seasons, but just hit 10-wins once. Hanging out between 7-to-9 wins for most of the season wasn’t ideal and they went four-straight seasons without a playoff berth from 1985 through 1988.

During that span, one of their best players was Frank Pollard, but he’s not one of the more memorable players in team history due to their lack of sustained success during that season — although to be fair, this stretch only seemed bad because Pittsburgh was known as such a powerhouse throughout the 1970s.

Drafted in the 11th round of the 1980 NFL Draft out of Baylor, Pollard received just four offensive touches as a rookie, finishing with 16 yards on the ground. He did get a shot as a return man but wasn’t spectacular in this area, which ended up being the only season he was used in this role.

From there, Pollard was given the ball much more often, as he had 570 yards and two touchdowns the following season. His 1982 campaign was shortened by injury, but he returned in 1983 and played the best football of his career for the next three years.

Pollard had 608 yards followed by 851 (with six touchdowns) and 991. He declined following that season and finished his career as a fullback. Overall, Pollard recorded 3,989 yards and 20 touchdowns. He added another 872 yards off 104 receptions but never scored a receiving touchdown, despite playing for nine NFL seasons.