Steelers Throwback Thursday: L.C. Greenwood’s career
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One member of the “Steel Curtain” defense that fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers agree has been given something of a snub by the committee that determines who gets enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is L.C. Greenwood. Greenwood was an integral part of the success the Steelers in a historic four Super Bowl championships (IX, X, XIII, XIV), and over the course of 13 seasons in Pittsburgh. This week, we look back at his outstanding career.
Greenwood (a Canton, Mississippi native) played at Arkansas AM&N (now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). Named the 1968 Ebony All-American defensive lineman in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, it may have been easy to overlook his potential in pro football for scouts due to the fact that he played at a smaller school and was considered to be undersized for converting to an NFL defensive end.
Defensive line coach Dan Radakovich and head coach Chuck Noll of the Steelers saw the athleticism and determined Greenwood was a guy they could develop even more and selected him in the 10th round (238th overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft. Their decision paid off when Greenwood not only became a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, but also helped Pittsburgh achieve championships in four Super Bowls.
When Greenwood joined the team, the Steelers had completed a 2-11-1 season in 1968. Coach Bill Austin was let go and Noll was hired to lead the team that was in the NFL Century Division that included the Steelers, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Giants.
Lloyd Voss was the Steelers’ starting left defensive end. Ben McGee was the guy at the right defensive end position. Joe Greene and Chuck Hinton were the starters at defensive tackle. It was a line that could use a boost. Greenwood was given time to work his way into the starting defense, and in 1971 he became the starter in Voss’ former position. In the “Super Bowl” years, Greenwood was paired with Greene (left DT), Ernie Holmes (right DT), and Dwight White (right DE).
That year, Greenwood made himself known to NFL opponents. He went from 6.5 sacks in very limited playing time his first two seasons to 11.0 in his first season as the starter next to Greene on the defensive line.
Greenwood went on to lead Pittsburgh in sacks a surprising six times with a career total of 78 (an unofficial statistic at the time). Greenwood was disruptive and able to get out of his stance quickly to leverage opposing offensive linemen and helped create a stout defensive front that challenged other teams, especially in the run game. He was also very effective at shedding blocks to get into the offensive backfield and get to quarterbacks.
In 170 games, Greenwood recorded 14 fumble recoveries and one safety. One thing that isn’t easy to add to his resume is the number of tackles he was involved in (those statistics were not kept, per Pro Football Reference, at that time). As a part of the Steel Curtain, Greenwood became All-AFC five times.
Greenwood’s NFL playoff and Super Bowl numbers are also impressive. In Super Bowl IX, he recorded multiple batted passes than Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings tried to complete. In Super Bowl X, he memorably sacked Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys three times.
When Greenwood retired in 1981, he was ranked second on the Steelers for total sacks. Because that stat was not official at that time, Greenwood isn’t listed on The Football Database in that position. Per the same site, however, Greenwood’s 78.0 is listed behind T.J. Watt (leader at 96.5), James Harrison (80.5), and Cameron Heyward (80.5).
Greenwood, nicknamed “Hollywood Bags” due to his expression of wanting to become an actor after retirement from football (he actually became a successful businessman), was known for his golden-colored shoes. Reportedly, the shoes were worn so that announcers would be able to distinguish him from Greene. Trainer, Tony Parisi, proposed he wear black or white high-top cleats following an ankle injury in 1973, but Greenwood proposed having his shoes painted gold before he began wearing the signature color after his ankle healed.
Greenwood did eventually join the Screen Actors Guild, among other organizations, and appeared mainly in commercials. His most notable commercial was one in 1984 which showcased Greenwood offering to buy Miller Lite beers for quarterbacks, reading aloud a letter saying, “I apologize for the way I treated you,” while wearing a big smile.
In 2005, Greenwood was a finalist in the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting but was not selected. Again, in 2006, Greenwood was a finalist and did not make it into the hall.
In 2013, Greenwood passed away at the age of 67 due to kidney failure according to reports at that time. With his passing, and that of Holmes and White (both in 2008), only Greene remained of the Steel Curtain defensive line. Greene turned 77 in 2023.
