A 1968 consensus All-America at North Texas State, Joe Greene was Pittsburgh's No. 1 pick in the 1969 National Football League Draft. Almost from his first game, the 6-4, 275-pounder showed the super-star talents that established him as the defensive foundation in Coach Chuck Noll's program that produced four AFC titles and four Super Bowl victories in the 1970s. Playing left tackle, Greene was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969 when he received the first of his 10 Pro Bowl invitations. He was named All-NFL five times, and earned all-conference recognition 11 straight years from 1969 to 1979. In both 1972 and 1974, when Greene was selected as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Joe played a major role in his team's success. He had career-high 11 sacks in 1972 when Pittsburgh reached the playoffs for the first time ever. In a must-win game against Houston, Greene recorded five sacks and a fumble recovery that assured victory for the injury-riddled Steelers. In 1974, Pittsburgh won its first AFC championship and Super Bowl IX. That year, Greene developed the new tactic of lining up at a sharp angle between the guard and center to disrupt the opposition's blocking assignments. Against both Oakland in the AFC title game and Minnesota in Super Bowl IX, Greene was virtually unstoppable. Joe's pass interception and a critical fumble recovery at the Pittsburgh 5-yard-line were major factors in the demise of the Vikings. Greene was armed with speed, quickness, strength and great determination and, at the peak of his career, could dominate a game almost single-handedly. A natural leader, he captained the Steelers' defensive unit beginning in 1977. Greene opened his career with a 91-game streak that was interrupted by injury in 1975. Durable, he played in 181 of a possible 190 regular-season games. Jack Lambert was a two-year All-Mid America Conference linebacker at Kent State and a second-round draft selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974. The 6-4, 220-pound Lambert immediately took charge of his destiny by winning the starting middle linebacker assignment as a rookie and keeping it throughout his 11-year career in Pittsburgh that ended after the 1984 season. He was soon recognized as the premier linebacker of his era. Lambert had all the necessary ingredients -- intelligence, intensity, speed, quickness, range, durability -- and he used them all to his best advantage. Even though he was the youngest starter on the Pittsburgh defensive unit, many felt that Lambert's presence was the final ingredient needed to turn that unit into a dominant one. Intimidating, he helped to shape and reinforce Pittsburgh's famed "Steel Curtain." Lambert was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974. He was All-Pro eight times in a nine-year span between 1975 and 1983, and played in nine straight Pro Bowls. His impressive résumé also includes the fact that he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1976. The team defensive captain for eight years, Lambert played in six AFC championship games and four Super Bowls. His interception late in the fourth quarter preserved Pittsburgh's fourth NFL title victory in Super Bowl XIV. During his career, he had 28 interceptions, which he returned 243 yards. In 1976, he recorded eight opponents' fumble recoveries and wound up with 17 during his 11-year tenure. Lambert missed only six games because of injuries his first 10 years in the NFL but, in 1984, he suffered a severe toe injury, which limited his playing time to just eight games. He eventually was forced to retire at the end of the season.

• published: 06 Nov 2013
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