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A look at the City of Champions' recent honors with Hall of Fame enshrinements and retired numbers.
Franco Harris to be Honored at Immaculate Celebration
Franco Harris, Steelers hall of fame running back and hero of the Immaculate Reception, will take center stage at the Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022 Steelers game. Terrible Towels will be waving and Franco's Italian Army singing as his iconic No. 32 is retired at halftime in the week 16 game against, who else, but the Raiders.
Five members of the Pittsburgh Steelers were enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Pittsburgh legends Bill Cowher, Donnie Shell and Troy Polamalu were honored with the Centennial Class of 2020. Alan Faneca and Bill Nunn were honored with the 2021 class. The celebrations took place at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
2021 Class:
Alan Faneca joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998 and enjoyed a 206-game career in the three rivers city. Faneca started 14 playoff games, including four AFC championship games and a Steelers victory in Super Bowl XL. One of the best offensive linemen in franchise history, Faneca was a six-time, first-team All-Pro during his years with the Steelers; he was voted to nine Pro Bowls overall.
Legendary journalist and Steelers scout Bill Nunn will be recognized with a video tribute as the first Black Contributor in the 100-year history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he was officially enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in April. Nunn served 18 years as Pittsburgh’s assistant personnel director, then 23 years as a semiretired scout. Nunn also was inducted into the Black College Hall of Fame in 2010.
2020 Class:
Pittsburgh native Bill Cowher was the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons from 1992 to 2006. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team ever to win nine road games and the first sixth-seeded team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL.
Donnie Shell joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974 as a free agent. Shell capped his career with 51 interceptions, becoming the first strong safety in the history of the National Football League to surpass the 50-interception mark. His 51 career interceptions rank him third in Steelers history behind Hall of Famer Mel Blount (57) and Jack Butler (52).
Troy Polamalu spent his entire 12-year professional football career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Polamalu was a defensive leader who guided the Steelers to seven playoff appearances, five division titles and helped them win two of their three most-recent Super Bowl appearances – XL and XLIII.
Celebrate these Pro Football Hall of Famers and other Pittsburgh Steelers in the City of Champions all year long. The Steelers have also recently commissioned their own Hall of Honor to recognize all the great contributors to this historic franchise.
Ben Roethlisberger: Kind of obvious, right? He was the Steelers starting QB, and the face of a historic franchise, for 18 years. He’s thrown for over 63,000 yards and 417 touchdowns. His overall record is 164-81-1 and he’s been in six Pro Bowls. Steelers fans’ favorite Ben stat? He won two Super Bowls. He will be eligible for the HOF in 2027 and has a shot at getting in on his first try. Fun fact: only four quarterbacks have been HOF selections since 2006.
Hines Ward: Hines has been knocking on the door for a few years now. He is eligible and has made the semi-finals of voting for several years running. Although he doesn’t have many individual accolades, he does have two Super Bowl rings and a Super Bowl MVP to his name.
James Harrison: The fan-favorite OLB was the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the year. He is also a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and of course, has two Super Bowl Rings.
Maurkice Pouncey: Big Ben’s right-hand man, Center Maurkice Pouncey made the 2010s All-Decade Team. He is a 9x Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro selection.
Mike Tomlin: Tomlin has built up a coaching resume that is as impressive as his predecessors Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. Going into the 2022 season, he is the second longest tenured head coach in the NFL, and amazingly still doesn’t have a losing season. He is a Super Bowl champion and has a great overall record of 162-94-2. Although he is probably far from retirement, he already has a Hall of Fame coaching resume at the age of 50.
Art Rooney Jr. and Buddy Parker: They are both among the 12 finalists for the Coach/Contributor Category of the 2023 class. Rooney Jr has been with the Steelers from 1965 to this day. He was the Steelers Personnel Director until 1985 and played a pivotal rule in crafting the Steelers 70s Super Bowl winning teams. Parker coached the Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Cardinals from 1949-1964. His career record was 104-75-9.
