SCU panel picks “Steelers Mount Rushmore”
If Pittsburgh landmark Mount Washington suddenly became a Steelers version of Mount Rushmore (the famous U.S. site with four presidents carved into it) who would be on it?
That’s what we discussed here at Steel City Underground. Everyone has their favorites and some of us wanted to defend our decisions. Everyone put their minds together and chose the four players they felt would best fit on a Steelers version of Mount Rushmore.
Note: I did say “players” because it would’ve been far too easy to put one or two of the Rooneys up there with a coach or two (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, or yes, even Mike Tomlin).
Here’s what our staff came up with for their choices.
Brian Roach
“Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Franco Harris, and Hines Ward
To get on “Mt. Rushmore” you need to define the franchise. The drafting of Joe Greene was a defining moment for the Steelers and changed them from afterthoughts to perennial contenders. As a player, his identity and personality were stamped on the 70’s franchise, and he remains today the most iconic personage from the 70’s dynasty.
Jack Lambert not only helped define and personify the 70’s Steelers, but he redefined the linebacker position as well. Lambert did things in coverage that no middle linebacker had ever done. Between that and the iconic visage of “Drac”, he was as much the face of the Steelers as anyone.
Franco Harris earned his spot on the Steelers Mt. Rushmore on December 23rd, 1972. The Immaculate Reception remains one of the greatest, if not the greatest, plays in the history of the NFL.
Hines Ward earns his spot here because he personified the toughness and attitude of a Steelers linebacker, as a receiver. For a new generation of fans, his smiling face and joy for the game became the face of the franchise.
Arguments can be made for others, and if there was ever a Mt. Rushmore that needs more than four heads on it, it’s a Steelers Mt. Rushmore.
Terry Bradshaw was considered, but his alienation from the team and the city means he has taken himself out of the conversation. Jerome Bettis, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Green, Troy Polamalu – all could have arguments made for their inclusion.
But the arguments for Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Franco Harris and Hines Ward outweigh the others, even if only marginally.
Terry Fletcher
Terry Bradshaw, Troy Polamalu, Jerome Bettis, and Heath Miller
This won’t be popular, but I wanted to be different.
Despite Brian’s reasoning, leaving Terry Bradshaw off of a Steelers Mount Rushmore would be like leaving Terrell Owens out of the Hall of Fame… oh wait… Terry won four Super Bowls. That cannot be ignored, so he’s in.
Troy is arguably the greatest safety to play the game. I believe he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Bettis makes the cut due to his longevity as a big, bruising running back, a Super Bowl ring, his entry into the Hall of Fame, and his genuine love for the city of Pittsburgh.
Since I’m not an old school Steelers fan and didn’t have the ability to grow up watching those 70’s Super Bowl teams, I went with a modern era guy as my last one. (I know I picked Bradshaw earlier, but who doesn’t know Terry or his accomplishments?)
My last face on the mountain is Heath Miller. His quiet demeanor and locker room presence are likely still missed. “Heaaaath!!!” is still heard at Heinz Field even after his retirement.
Agree to disagree, but if that’s not a lasting impression worthy of legendary inclusion, I’m not sure what is!
Joe Kuzma
“Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jerome Bettis, and Ben Roethlisberger
Talk about a tough decision!
I’m sure a few of you are looking at this list and disagreeing as you might with those above too. As mentioned, Joe Greene is “Mr. Steeler”. He transcends the entire face of the franchise as a player (and beyond too!)
Jack Lambert is another no-brainer for the mountain. Could you seriously picture it without that famous gap-toothed stare? (Me neither!)
Let’s talk the two who haven’t been mentioned. Both play offense, which I felt was important for balance. Greene and Lambert were fixtures of the Steel Curtain and the 70’s Super Bowl teams. If I were building this monument, I would need two defensive players and two from the offense. I would also want someone from the other two “eras” which I break down into the “Cowher” and “Tomlin” eras. Roethlisberger transcends both. Due to Terry Bradshaw’s recent comments and his constant besmirching of the franchise, he’s an easy person to leave off.
Even easier if you consider what Ben has done.
Bettis ran people over. Period. Ward could’ve been considered too, but Jerome had that same attitude, plus his bust in Canton. Bettis also finished with some of the best numbers at his position, and retired on top, helping Big Ben to his first ring and Cowher to his only Lombardi trophy. He was an inspirational leader who sparked the most recent set of Super Bowl appearances.
The toughest name to leave off? Troy Polamalu. But due to the balance I was seeking, Troy fell short of Jack and Joe for the two defensive spots. (Though his lovely mane would’ve fit quite nicely with the sculpture!)
Megan Mackenstein
“Mean” Joe Greene, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Lynn Swann
I chose these four based on many of the same reasons above. But if there’s no Lynn Swann, there’s no Terry Bradshaw (in my opinion). Swann gets the nod here, and so does Ben, who holds almost all of the significant franchise passing records.
Jim Racalto
“Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Ben Roethlisberger, and Antonio Brown
I agree with Joe, except AB could be the greatest of all time when it’s all said and done. In fact, he already could be. His smile deserves to be on the mountain.
Zac Celedonia
“Mean” Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Ben Roethlisberger, and Troy Polamalu
I wanted to split it with the older and newer generations too. I have a slight favoritism for Blount over Lambert, with Blount being a cornerback. I almost want to put Hines Ward on over Ben, but I have to go with Ben because I’m not going with Bradshaw!
And Troy is the G.O.A.T., so…
Christina Rivers
“Mean” Joe Greene, Troy Polamalu, Mel Blount, and Jerome Bettis
Most of what needs to be said about these players has already been said above. I also felt Blount had to be included. He was such a force the league had to change the rules! (And they named the new rules after the Hall of Famer too.)
Josh Fitzer
“Mean” Joe Greene, Troy Polamalu, Jerome Bettis, and Jack Lambert
I’m also a younger fan, but ever since I’ve read and watched documentaries on the Steelers of the 70’s, Joe Greene has always been one of my favorites.
Putting Troy on this list is common sense. And no player shows the 90’s Steelers better than Bettis. He was the backbone of the Steelers for a long time.
Lambert is a no-brainer for me.
Who’s on the mountain?
Here are the results!
| Brian | Terry | Joe | Megan | Jim | Zac | Tina | Josh | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 7 | |
| Bettis | x | x | x | x | 4 | ||||
| Lambert | x | x | x | x | 4 | ||||
| Polamalu | x | x | x | x | 4 | ||||
| Roethlisberger | x | x | x | x | 4 | ||||
| Blount | x | x | 2 | ||||||
| Ward | x | x | 2 | ||||||
| Bradshaw | x | 1 | |||||||
| Brown | x | 1 | |||||||
| Harris | x | 1 | |||||||
| Miller | x | 1 | |||||||
| Swann | x | 1 |
Pittsburgh, we have a problem! Twelve players were mentioned in this article for four total spots. “Mean” Joe Greene makes our Mount Rushmore with all but one of our panel members voting for him. (You got some ‘splaining to do Terry!)
The final three spots end in a four-way tie between Jerome Bettis, Jack Lambert, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.
We’ll leave it to the confines of your imagination to decide who to leave off… or if we should add one more spot so all five of the top vote-getters go on the mountain!
