Steelers great L.C. Greenwood, a standout defensive end, faces even longer odds to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame now that the Hall of Fame has changed some of its rules.
Steelers great L.C. Greenwood, a standout defensive end, faces even longer odds to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame now that the Hall of Fame has changed some of its rules.
Some of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history — the ones with catchy nicknames — have multiple players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Los Angeles Rams have two members of their “Fearsome Foursome” in the Hall of Fame. The “Purple People Eaters” of the Minnesota Vikings also have two. And the renowned “46” defense of the 1985 Chicago Bears has three.
But the “Steel Curtain,” which has been recognized as the greatest defensive line in history, has only one.
And due to the latest changes implemented by the Hall of Fame, that probably is never going to change.
[Mike Callan, a Steelers fan who recently retired after working 30 years for FDNY, smiles with wife, Stacy, and daughters, Madison and Avery, at a Steelers game.
Mike Callan, a Steelers fan who recently retired after working 30 years for FDNY, smiles with wife, Stacy, and daughters, Madison and Avery, at a Steelers game.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/09/25/mike-callan-fdny-retirement-911-cleanup/stories/202609220036)
The recent decision by the Hall of Fame to eliminate the seniors category, which was a pathway for players who have been gone from the game for more than 25 years, means Joe Greene will likely stand by himself as the only member of the Steelers defensive line that terrorized the league in the 1970s to be inducted.
L.C. Greenwood, who has been waiting for nearly 40 years, is unlikely to receive the gold jacket — to match his gold shoes — he so richly deserves.
The former Steelers defensive end was named to six Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro teams and the NFL 1970s All-Decade team. Yet he didn’t get inducted when there was a seniors committee. Now, he and every other player who has been retired since before 2001 has a minuscule chance of getting in.
And that’s too bad.
Despite having 29 members of their franchise in the Hall of Fame, the Steelers have always thought Greenwood’s omission to be a great injustice.
Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II echoed those sentiments the other day when he said, “L.C. deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Greenwood’s best chance to get in came last year, when he was one of three finalists in the seniors category, along with San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson.
[Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson (26) celebrates with defensive and Kenny Davidson (64) after the Steelers recovered a Miami Dolphins fumble on the 2-yard line, Dec. 13, 1993 in Miami.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson (26) celebrates with defensive and Kenny Davidson (64) after the Steelers recovered a Miami Dolphins fumble on the 2-yard line, Dec. 13, 1993 in Miami.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/09/25/joey-porter-contract-talks-rod-woodson-darren-perry/stories/202609240003)
They were in the same voting category as former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who were finalists in the coach and contributors category, respectively.
The only person to receive at least 80% of the votes for induction was Craig.
Belichick’s unexpected snub caused a national uproar and is no doubt responsible for the changes implemented recently by the Hall of Fame, including cutting its selection committee — of which I was a member — from 50 to 25.
Under the new system, there is no special committee to nominate senior candidates. They are to be placed in one category, along with modern-day players, making it even more difficult — if not unlikely — for any to ever make the cut.
In the past seven years, 19 seniors have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Going forward, that number could conceivably be zero.
For example, if Anderson didn’t get in after being one of five players in history to win at least four NFL passing titles and just one of two to win back-to-back passing titles in two different decades, how will he with Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers waiting to be enshrined?
Some former members of the selection committee believe the senior category was eliminated so there is no emotional bias to select a player in his final year as a modern-era candidate — right before he disappears into the senior category black hole, never to be heard from again.
But is that why 19 seniors have been selected to the Hall of Fame in the past seven years? And if it is, this is one way to make sure few, if any, ever get in again.
There are 200 seniors nominated for the Class of 2027. Conversely, there are 14 coaches and 37 contributors. One of the candidates from each of the coaches and contributors categories will be nominated by a special subcommittee to be voted on for enshrinement. There is no such subcommittee for seniors.
Each of those subcommittees will be comprised of 14 members. That means 28 members will comb through 51 prospects to find two nominees, many of whom have no reasonable chance to be inducted.
Seniors? None.
With no direct lifeline for the league’s foundational players to get into the Hall of Fame, Greenwood will now have to compete against every modern-era player who becomes eligible for induction.
And that’s too bad.
Since 1968, the Hall of Fame always had a separate lane for seniors to be enshrined.
Previously, Hall of Fame bylaws required “up to two old-timers” to be voted upon separately and be included among the seven inductees. In 2003, two seniors could be included among the finalists. When the Hall of Fame wanted to be sure more seniors weren’t forgotten, they allowed as many as three to advance as finalists.
Not anymore.
Under the new system, Greenwood wouldn’t even have the luxury of knowing he might have some geographical support from the selection committee.
After the committee was cut in half, Baltimore is the only team from the AFC North with a representative on the committee. (There is a certain amount of irony in that Ohio, the state in which the Hall of Fame resides, does not have a member on the selection committee.)
Meanwhile, the NFC East and NFC North have a representative from the city of each of those eight teams.
It’s all too bad.
First Published: September 25, 2026, 8:00 a.m.