When you think of what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, there are several names that come to mind. But for those who were in the building, one name seems to stand above all else: WR Hines Ward. He was a legend to his coaches and teammates.
And on Tuesday, Ward took a step toward becoming a permanent legend in the annals of football history. He was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the only one of four former Steelers to make the list. It’s a great honor for someone who devoted himself to the Steelers with his full heart and body.
So, it should be no surprise that a reporter asked Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to make a pitch for Ward’s Hall of Fame candidacy during his Tuesday press conference. And Tomlin broke out in a grin before waxing poetic about his former wide receiver.
“Numbers do not tell his story, although his numbers are special,” Tomlin said, via the team’s YouTube channel. “They are. I think that’s the guy with a thousand or so career catches. But man, if you were around him, if you were in stadiums with him, if you were a member of his team or an opposing player, you understood what playing with and against Hines Ward was about. He was a football player first, a wide receiver second. To be quite honest with you, he was an offensive perimeter bully. And I say that in a complimentary way.
“To me, he’s a legendary player in his generation because of the way that he played, the amount of respect that he carried when he didn’t have the ball in his hands, when it wasn’t even a pass, is stuff of legend.”
Hines Ward caught 1,000 passes in his career, the most in franchise history. He also had 12,083 receiving yards and 85 receiving touchdowns, both franchise bests. Those are special numbers, as Tomlin said. But Ward is remembered more for being that “offensive perimeter bully,” as Tomlin so eloquently praised him.
Nine years ago, the NFL ranked the top wide receivers of the 2000s. Hines Ward was the fifth best. His physicality, not just as a blocker but also as a receiver willing to go over the middle, was his calling card. Ward played the game as hard as he could, whether he was running a route or blocking for a running back. That’s the effort that the NFL should highlight, including in the Hall of Fame.
And to this day, Tomlin still uses Hines Ward as an example for his young players. Someone who gave his all in every phase of the game, who maximized his talent through sheer effort. Defenses feared him because he could catch a touchdown pass or decleat a linebacker.
After all, how many wide receivers’ highlight reels include clips of them laying out defenders? Hines Ward certainly has plenty of hits in his reel. And Tomlin believes that Ward’s approach to the game means he deserves a bust in Canton, Ohio.
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