5 greatest Steelers offensive lineman of the modern era

The Steelers drafted a center in 1974 who would set the standard by which all other Steelers lineman are judged

When the Steelers selected Mike Webster, center out of Wisconsin, in the 5th round of the 1974 NFL draft, I wonder if we knew that we had just drafted 4 future Hall of Fame players?  I would suspect that the Steelers were hoping Webster and the other draftees would contribute to the success of the team at some point.

Full the purpose of being completely transparent, my favorite player of all-time is Mike Webster.  When I was 16 years old, I got an official Mike Webster jersey for a holiday present.  I still wear it on game day; it’s a little snug these days, but I don’t care.

When I became a Steelers fan in 1978, I instantly gravitated toward the ‘O’-line and Webster became my favorite player.  That year, Webster earned the first of 8 consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and the first of 4 consecutive All-Pro nominations. He was also a four-time Super Bowl champ.

For his career, Webster was named to the Pro-Bowl 9 times and was named All-Pro 5 times.  He played in 225 games in the Black and Gold, starting 194 of them.  Webster started every game in which he played 14 years in a row.  He was truly the ‘iron man’ in the middle of the ‘O’-line.

What some fans may not realize is that Webster played both guard and center early in his career because we still had Ray Mansfield ‘holding the fort down’ until his inevitable retirement.  Once Webster took over at center, he held that position for 13 seasons.

Although Webster played his final two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, he will always be remembered as the player who set the standard for all other ‘O’-lineman to uphold.  So far, Dawson is the only other Steeler offensive lineman of the modern era who has been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Let’s wrap up this particular discussion.