Four-time Super Bowl champion L.C. Greenwood was again denied a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The late Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman was among three senior finalists, but only running back Roger Craig received enough votes from the 50-person hall of fame committee for induction, the NFL revealed Thursday night. Longtime Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson also fell short.
Craig joined four modern-era players, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, quarterback Drew Brees, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri in a class announced at the NFL Honors award show in San Francisco.
The induction ceremony is Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio.
Greenwood, who died in 2013 at age 67, was part of the Steelers’ famed “Steel Curtain” defense. He played 13 seasons in Pittsburgh, was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, twice was named All-Pro and earned a spot on the 1970s all-decade team.
He was a starter on Steelers teams that won Super Bowls after the 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons.
Ten players from that era already are enshrined in the hall, including five members of the defense: Mel Blount, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Donnie Shell. Offensive players Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and Mike Webster and coach Chuck Noll also are enshrined in Canton.
Sacks didn’t become an official NFL statistic until after Greenwood retired, but Pro-Football-Reference.com credits him with 78. Twice he unofficially had 11 sacks in a season, and he ranks behind only T.J. Watt (115), Cam Heyward (92) and James Harrison (80½) among Steelers.
In 2017, the franchise showed its respect for Greenwood by including him in the inaugural Steelers Hall of Honor class. Of the 27 members in that first group, 24 are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This wasn’t the first time Greenwood fell short. He also was a finalist in 1991, ’95, ’96, 2002, ’05 and ’06.
This time, Greenwood advanced through the Senior Blue-Ribbon Committee process, which evaluates players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago. Greenwood retired after the 1981 season.
The committee started with 52 senior nominees before narrowing its list to 34. They later cut to nine semifinalists before ultimately choosing Greenwood, Craig and Anderson as the three finalists.
A three-time Super Bowl champion, Craig played from 1983-93 for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. He was named the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year in 1988, chosen for the Pro Bowl six times and earned All-Pro honors once.
In 1985, the versatile running back became the first player to gain 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same NFL season. He was a member of the all-decade team of the 1980s.
Craig was twice previously a hall of fame finalist in 2010 and ‘20. Anderson was a finalist in 1996 and ’98.