The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the list of those who have advanced in voting for the Class of 2026 in the Seniors category, and former Steelers defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood is one of 34 former players on the list.
Greenwood was drafted by the Steelers in the 10th round of the 1969 NFL Draft, the 238th overall pick out of Arkansas AM&N.
He went on to play 13 seasons for the Steelers, becoming a starter his third season, and was a key part of the Steelers four Super Bowl championships in the 1970s.
Greenwood was a member of the Steel Curtain defense, along with Joe Greene, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes, that dominated opposing offenses.
In Greenwood's first year as a starter in 1971 he had five fumble recoveries. He led the Steelers in sacks with 8.5 in 1973, following by a career-high 11 sacks in 1974, both which were 14-game seasons. He finished his career with 73.5 sacks.
He was a two-time first team Associated Press All-Pro selection (1974, 1975) and a six-time Pro Bowl selection (1973-76, 1978-79). He was also a member of the Steelers All-Time Team, the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team and was a member of the inaugural Steelers Hall of Honor Class of 2017.
From the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Members of the Hall of Fame's Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee produced the current list of Seniors from the 52 names they had received after a screening committee cast the initial ballots in the highly competitive selection process. Each of the 162 former players nominated for election and screened in the opening round of voting last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 2000 season.
In this step of the process, each committee member voted for 25 players. The top 25 and all other candidates who tied for the 25th position advanced to the third phase – the cutdown vote to nine (9) Semifinalists. Those ballots will be cast and results announced in about four weeks.
Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee voters then will meet to discuss the playing careers of the nine Semifinalists. From that group, three will advance to the full Selection Committee as Finalists for possible election to the Class of 2026.
Reduction voting in three other categories for the Hall of Fame – Modern-Era Players, Coach and Contributor – also is being conducted this month. Progress in the Coach category (cut to 12) and the Modern-Era Player category (cut to 52) were announced earlier this week. The candidates still under consideration in the Contributor category will be revealed Friday.
Voting this year will be completed with oversight from the firm Ernst & Young LLP, a Hall partner since 2019. EY's Agreed-Upon Procedures include validating the completeness of the ballots and tabulating the ballots in accordance with the bylaws established by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026, which can be composed of a minimum of 4 individuals to as many as eight, will be enshrined next August in Canton.
