The Pittsburgh Steelers started honoring players of their past prior to the 2017 season, which also was the 85th anniversary of the team. It honors former players, coaches, and contributors who have made exceptional contributions to the Steelers’ successes, both on and off the field, particularly those with significant ties to the organization’s storied history. The very first class in 2017 honored all of the Steelers players who had already been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Since then, the team has continued to honor many Steelers greats including last year's class that included Casey Hampton, Willie Parker, Jason Gildon, and long-time coach Dick LeBeau.
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On Saturday, the Steelers announced that they will welcome five more worthy recipients, starting with future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger was in his first year of eligibly to be considered and was a slam dunk. He led the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles during his prestigious 18-year NFL career.
He currently holds 52 franchise regular season team records and 18 more franchise records for postseason play. Roethlisberger started 247 of his 249 games during his time with the Steelers. One of those games was the game against the Baltimore Ravens back in 2004 when Tommy Maddox got injured, and that meant the Roethlisberger era would begin.
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Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger runs with the football while wearing a throwback jersey.
In 2021, Roethlisberger eclipsed the 3,000 yard passing plateau for the 15th time. He's one of only six quarterbacks to do that in a career. Also joining Roethlisberger will be center Maurkice Pouncey, and linebacker Joey Porter Sr.
Porter helped lead the Steelers on one of the most improbable playoff runs in team history. With a young Roethlisberger under center and facing elimination from post-season contention late in the 2005 season, Porter helped put the team on his back.
His trash talk throughout the 2005 playoffs won't soon be forgotten. The Steelers Defense led by Porter shut down multiple prolific offenses throughout the playoffs before eventually putting the clamps down on Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks.
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Joey Porter celebrates a victory in Super Bowl XL with his two sons.
Speaking with the Steelers' official website, Porter called his election into the Hall of Honor an amazing accomplishment.
"It's called the Hall of Honor for a reason," Porter said. "It's an honor to be in it. To be mentioned with all the guys that played before that are in the Hall of Honor is special. Being in Pittsburgh, you know the tradition of what it means to play for the Steelers. So just to be always mentioned amongst the greats, that's what makes it amazing. It's an honor."
Pouncey was one of the greatest centers in team history, following in the team's illustrious history at the position. Pouncey made nine Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times during his career. Steelers President Art Rooney II had this to say about Pouncey when the center retired after the 2020 season.
"I want to thank Maurkice for his outstanding efforts both on and off the field over the past 11 years," Rooney said. "He was an amazing teammate and leader that so many looked up to throughout his playing career."
Pouncey becomes the fourth center to be honored by the Steelers joining Mike Webster, Ray Mansfield, and Dermontti Dawson. Pouncey was the first center in NFL history to be elected to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons in the NFL. He was also elected to the NFL's All Decade team of the 2010s.
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