The Steelers have any number of players from their 1970s dynasty not in the Hall of Fame, such as Dwight White, Mike Wagner, Ernie Holmes, Rocky Bleier, Andy Russell, John Banaszak Loren Toews, Jon Kolb, Moon Mullins, Larry Anderson, and L.C. Greenwood. Honestly, many of them, despite their greatness, will never make it into the Hall of Fame.
That said, on the 100th anniversary of the NFL, Donnie Shell finally made it in with his selection to the special 100th anniversary class. Many thought his late addition would open the door to L.C. Greenwood, one of those remaining members believed to be every bit as good as 'Mean' Joe Greene, but he never received all the accolades.
However, on Twitter today, we learned that L.C. Greenwood would need to wait at least one more year for the honor he rightfully deserves. According to a post from Alan Saunders, L.C., Greenwood was left off the senior committee and the cut list to 31 players.
Unbelievably, #Steelers DE L.C. Greenwood was left out as the Pro Football Hall of Fame seniors committee cut their list for the Class of 2025 to 31 players.
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) October 22, 2024
Why L.C. Greenwood deserves to be enshrined in Canton
L.C. Greenwood was drafted behind Joe Greene in the 10th round of the 1969 NFL draft. Despite that, he quickly proved to be one of the better college players and quickly morphed into one of the unsung heroes of the Steelers' defensive front four that originally included 'Mean' Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, who some say hit every bit as hard as Joe, Dwight White, and L.C. Greenwood.
By 1981, Greenwood had played in six pro bowls and was a two-time all-pro. He finished his career with 78 sacks, 14 fumble recoveries, and one safety. Stats such as tackles, forced fumbles, and even sacks were not stats like they are today. If available, his stat line would look more impressive.
Nevertheless, it seems people underrate how good he was because he played alongside so many great players. In the span of one decade, Greene, Greenwood, White, and Holmes had an approximate combined total of 250 sacks, and that does not factor in sack contributions from Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount, Donnie Shell, Steve Furness, or John Banaszak.
The point is that L.C. Greenwood would be in the Hall of Fame if any other team had drafted him. However, because the Steelers had a glut of talent from the 1970s, his accomplishments are assumed to be less important than those of Joe Greene.
Which is the underlying problem with the NFL Hall of Fame. In baseball, the Baseball Writers Association votes for Hall of Fame members. The criteria are that they must have played for 10 years, retired for five years, and passed a screening committee. Then, they need to get 75% of the votes.
The NFL chooses to do things differently. They have a committee that reviews nominees, including any player, coach, contributor, or fan connected with pro football in any way, or fan. Yes, that's right. Fans can at least send letters to the NFL Hall of Fame requesting that a specific player be nominated. They make cut-downs to get to about 15 or so, and then, unlike baseball, they have a 50-member selection committee votes.
Greenwood may have been elected to the Hall of Fame decades ago under baseball's procedures, as he deserved it. In contrast, in the NFL, those who deserve to be in, like L.C. Greenwood and Hines Ward, must ride the bench while more fan favorites enter the Hall of Fame.
Keep in mind that with Big Ben set to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, perhaps if fans write enough letters to the Hall, L.C. might get the honor he deserves in 2026 alongside Ben Roethlisberger.