10 NFL records held by seven Pittsburgh Steelers

Most Career Interceptions returned for a touchdown: 12

Not surprisingly, This record belongs to none other than Rod Woodson. Probably the greatest Steeler since Mel Blount. He fits the Steelers mold perfectly. Oddly enough, Woodson came close to never playing football, or at least not for the Steelers.

Initially, the Steelers wanted to Draft Woodson; however, Chuk Noll issued instructions to his Defensive Coordinator, Tony Dungy, to not bother with the scouting reports. They had given up hope he would be on the board at number 10. Until fate intervened, when Cleveland traded the Chargers for the fifth pick to select Mike Junkin, linebacker. Then the next four teams passed on Woodson making other selections. So the Steelers choose Woodson as their first-round pick in the 10th slot in the 1987 draft.

Not only an All American defensive back at Purdue, but he also had a stellar career as well. Even having the fourth fastest 110 meter hurdles time in the world. Then the unthinkable occurred. Woodson decided to hold out of training camp as the Steelers could not come to terms with his contract. The holdout lasted 95 days; at one point, he threatened to skip the season to participate in the 1988 Olympics.

Finally, they reached an agreement, and Woodson made his Steeler debut on November 8, 1987. The rest they say is history. He played ten seasons with Pittsburgh while finishing his career with San Francisco, Baltimore, and Oakland. Despite returning 12 picks for a touchdown, only five of them came with the Steelers. Five more came as a Baltimore Raven, and two as an Oakland Raider. On top of his touchdowns, he also had 71 career interceptions, 38 with Pittsburgh, not to mention 23 forced fumbles. Plus, he is the only player in NFL history to tear his ACL, undergo surgery, rehab, and still come back to play in the same season. It’s no surprise he has a spot in the Hall of Fame.