A night to honor three Steelers legends

Dec 14, 2025 at 08:03 PM

Teresa Varley

Steelers.com

They are among the names you think of when you talk about Steelers football.

They are legends who were part of Steelers Super Bowl seasons, with two of them part of the same championship team.

And now, they are members of the Steelers Hall of Honor Class of 2025.

Linebacker Joey Porter Sr., center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger all made a huge impact on the organization and complete a class that brought plenty of glory to the black and gold.

The Class of 2025 was officially enshrined during a dinner on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium, and will be honored during Monday night's game against the Miami Dolphins.

It was an opportunity for old friends to gather together and share stories of their playing days and catch up on how they are doing.

"I don't get to see these guys all of the time," said Porter. "So, it's great to have teammates come back out, celebrating something that's so huge. It's great to have all the guys that I did these things with around. The people that I shared all this with, the reason why they remember me is because I played with these guys.

"These are my guys that helped make all this possible. These are guys I played with, that I shared my football life with the most.

"So, to have some of them come and be a part of this is a nice chapter in the ride."

There were plenty of hugs, laughs and a whole lot of stories shared that brought back memories that seemed like they just happened yesterday.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate the 2025 Hall of Honor Class during the Hall of Honor Dinner Ceremony presented by U.S. Steel on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate the 2025 Hall of Honor Class during the Hall of Honor Dinner Ceremony presented by U.S. Steel on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)

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"I really loved spending time with them on and off the field," said Porter. "After practice, we would all just hang out. That true brotherhood that we had was strong. It was something that we built our Super Bowl run off. How close we were is what made it all possible. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that everybody we played with was willing to do what was needed for each other, so the sacrifices that we would make for each other were unreal. I played on some other teams, but it wasn't even close to the brotherhood that I had there at Pittsburgh.

"That was my football family. It doesn't get any closer than the football team we were. These are lifetime bonds that started in football, and we all get to come together at these events."

There were some teammates who came to the event who played with multiple members of this year's class as they were all part of teams so close together.

"It's exciting," said Pouncey. "It brings back some of the old memories that we had, but just to talk about what we got going on in life now.

"Sometimes you're so busy. We felt like when we retired, we'd have a lot more time to do things in life. I feel like I'm a lot busier now in life than I was playing football. But it's good to catch up with some of them, to see where they're at in life now and how their kids and families are doing. It's always special. It feels like we're kids again.

"So much of this was about my teammates, the great guys I got to play with, and how cool it was on a day-to-day basis, not just going to work, feeling like it was work or a business. It just felt more like a family vibe, us out there still being kids in an adult body.

"So, it was a cool little format that we had out there at the Pittsburgh Steelers. And I'm forever grateful for the way they ran the organization there."

Pouncey and Roethlisberger were tied together for the majority of their careers, and it's only natural to have them both in the same Hall of Honor Class.

"The Super Bowls were special," said Roethlisberger, who led the team to wins in Super Bowl XL and XLIII. "But I think just the friendships and the bonds and the teammates that I had were what was so special.

"Obviously, I remember Mr. (Dan) Rooney walking through the locker room, shaking hands after games. The lasting friendships I have from coaches to players. And one of those guys I'm going in the Hall of Honor with, Pouncey being my center that I'm just so close with. I'll never forget the locker room and the fun we had there with those guys and especially my offensive line.

"It's very special to be elected for the Hall of Honor, but it's even more special to go in with him. I couldn't think of a better, more fitting person I would want to go with. It makes it that much more special.

"Pounce was a special guy. First and foremost, it was his heart. He had so much heart and passion for the game, for protecting his quarterback, for being the greatest. He just took pride in his work, and he worked his butt off both on and off the field. In the classroom, he studied, he knew it, so he wasn't just physically gifted, which we all know he was. He was mentally sharp on the football field. He just didn't make mistakes, and it just meant so much, and so there was so much trust when he was out there compared to when he wasn't.

"Even if it was a practice, if he was taking a day off of practice, it ruined my day because I knew that my comfort blanket wasn't out there."

It's a mutual respect between the two, as Pouncey couldn't be happier sharing the Hall of Honor spotlight with Roethlisberger.

"It just feels right," said Pouncey. "We played so long together, for me and him to be in the opposite spectrum of growing up in life and then being best friends and still talking on a usual basis now, it just feels right. We had so much success together.

"Ben was an older guy there that took me under his wing, had me follow his footsteps. I had a great leader there to help me through some things. The relationship we built there is forever unbreakable. It all comes together now when you sit back and think about it.

"When you're playing, you don't appreciate it enough. You're just living in the moment. But when you sit back and have a little bit of time to digest things and think about it, you realize it was a cool time and period in our lives.

"And the things Ben did. He's one of a kind. He made football on such a big scale seem simple. Everyone used to say he is kind of a backyard player. As kids growing up, that's what you want. The guy that can go out there and just make anything happen at any point.

"It was just something that he had. Something that wasn't coachable or teachable. It was something he was born with.

"And it's great to be back together."

A night to honor three Steelers legends

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