Pittsburgh Steelers: 15 best running backs in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
55. . RB. (2008-13). Rashard Mendenhall. 7. player
Greatest running backs in Pittsburgh Steelers history: #7. Rashard Mendenhall
A first-round pick out of Illinois in 2008, Rashard Mendenhall spent five seasons with the Steelers and had a three-year stretch where he was one of the better backs in the NFL — although his career didn’t start great.
After fumbling often in the preseason as a rookie, veteran receiver Hines Ward and Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker forced the rookie to walk around holding a ball with the following note:
"“If a teammate knocks the ball out of his hands, Mendenhall has to pay them $100. If they knock it out, get the ball and return it to the running backs meeting room then its $500 Mendenhall has to pay out.” — Teresa Varley, Steelers.com"
Mendenhall went along with this and it helped him be more conscious about ball security. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to prove it much as a rookie, as a fractured shoulder ended his season prematurely. He still received a Super Bowl ring that year and then took off in 2009.
As a sophomore, Mendenhall went for 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed that up with his best season ever in 2010, going for 1,273 yards and 13 scores. That was also the year Pittsburgh went back to the Super Bowl and Mendenhall had 63 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a losing effort.
He played just two more seasons in the Steel City before heading to the Arizona Cardinals for one final year. In his five-year Pittsburgh career, he recorded 3,549 yards and 29 touchdowns as a runner and added 661 yards and two touchdowns receiving the ball.