The Steelers Hall of Honor recognizes those who made immense contributions to the organization, whether it be on the field, or off the field.

The newest additions to the group were welcomed into the fold when the Hall of Honor Class of 2026 was announced during a ceremony at Saint Vincent College as a part of the Steelers Back Together Weekend celebration.

The Hall of Honor Class of 2026 includes three individuals who gave their heart and soul to the organization, providing lasting memories and contributions felt way beyond the playing field.

Former General Manager Kevin Colbert, cornerback J.T. Thomas and guard Craig Wolfley make up the Class of 2026.

"It's very humbling, shocking," said Colbert, who was on hand for the announcement at Saint Vincent College. "It was very shocking, humbling just to get that call from Art Rooney and to hear that. It's very touching and I'm appreciative. You don't expect something like that.

"It's hard to comprehend it. I've thought about all the great men that have gone in to the Hall of Honor, administrators, media, and of course our great alumni players and coaches. And you don't feel like you belong among that group. It's just hard to understand that you've been selected to be part of that group. Never do you, while you're working, place yourself thinking about anything like that. And then when it happens, it's all the more unbelievable."

The team introduced the Hall of Honor in 2017, an idea that came from Steelers President Art Rooney II, along with late Chairman Dan Rooney. The Hall of Honor was established to recognize former players, coaches, and front office personnel who played an integral role in the success of the franchise, from the beginning in 1933 until now. To be considered, a player must be retired at least three years and played a minimum of three seasons for the Steelers. Former coaches and contributors had to make significant contributions to the team and community.

The Steelers will welcome the 2026 Hall of Honor Class when the team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m., which includes an on-field presentation during the game. The Hall of Honor Dinner will be held on Friday, Sept. 25, when the team officially inducts this year's Hall of Honor class during a special ceremony at Acrisure Stadium. A limited number of tickets for the dinner are available for purchase here.  -- Buy game tickets

The Hall of Honor display is part of the Steelers Hall of Honor Museum, which is located at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers Hall of Honor Museum is located near Gate B above the team's Pro Shop. Fans can visit the Steelers Hall of Honor Museum and tours can be secured by clicking here.

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The Steelers Hall of Honor recognizes those who made immense contributions to the organization, whether it be on the field, or off the field.

The newest additions to the group were welcomed into the fold when the Hall of Honor Class of 2026 was announced during a ceremony at Saint Vincent College as a part of the Steelers Back Together Weekend celebration.

The Hall of Honor Class of 2026 includes three individuals who gave their heart and soul to the organization, providing lasting memories and contributions felt way beyond the playing field.

Former General Manager Kevin Colbert, cornerback J.T. Thomas and guard Craig Wolfley make up the Class of 2026.

"It's very humbling, shocking," said Colbert, who was on hand for the announcement at Saint Vincent College. "It was very shocking, humbling just to get that call from Art Rooney and to hear that. It's very touching and I'm appreciative. You don't expect something like that.

"It's hard to comprehend it. I've thought about all the great men that have gone in to the Hall of Honor, administrators, media, and of course our great alumni players and coaches. And you don't feel like you belong among that group. It's just hard to understand that you've been selected to be part of that group. Never do you, while you're working, place yourself thinking about anything like that. And then when it happens, it's all the more unbelievable."

The team introduced the Hall of Honor in 2017, an idea that came from Steelers President Art Rooney II, along with late Chairman Dan Rooney. The Hall of Honor was established to recognize former players, coaches, and front office personnel who played an integral role in the success of the franchise, from the beginning in 1933 until now. To be considered, a player must be retired at least three years and played a minimum of three seasons for the Steelers. Former coaches and contributors had to make significant contributions to the team and community.

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Kevin Colbert
General Manager
2000-2022

Kevin Colbert never played in an NFL game, but his impact was found all over the football field for the Steelers for more than 20 years.

Colbert, who joined the Steelers in 2000, served in a variety of roles for the team during his tenure, starting as director of football operations (2000-10), before he was named the organization's first-ever General Manager in 2010. He was named Vice President and General Manager in 2016, a position he held until he retired in 2022.

"Having grown up in the Pittsburgh area and watching these great players, coaches, administrators as we're all coming up through our careers, you never imagine yourself being part of it," said Colbert. "And then even when we were there with the team, it was a little unreal that we're actually part of this. And oh, by the way, we have to carry the great standard that the ones before us set.

"When you're working toward keeping up the tradition and meeting the obligation to do that, you don't really think about everything else. Until it's over, you never really reflect on that because there was so much to do at a given moment. Afterwards you reflect on it and you think about all the great people you had the opportunity to encounter, to work with, to learn from. It's always going to be special, but with an honor like this, it's just brought to the forefront."

During his time at the helm, the Steelers had only one losing season, with a 226-124-3 (.644) in the regular season and 15-12 (.556) in the playoffs. The team won three AFC Championship games and two Super Bowl Championships during Colbert's years.

Colbert oversaw the makeup of the Steelers roster that won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII, as well as playing in Super Bowl XLV.

The Steelers Super Bowl XL team, which defeated the Seattle Seahawks for the organization's fifth Super Bowl championship, was comprised of 17 starters who Colbert either drafted or signed.

In addition, only two starters from the Super Bowl XLIII team, Hines Ward and Aaron Smith, were not drafted or signed by Colbert.

His track record for the NFL Draft includes the first ever trade up in Round 1 in team history when the Steelers moved up 11 spots in 2003 to select future Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.

Colbert also engineered a trade in the 2006 NFL Draft, moving from the 31st spot to the 25th slot to select receiver Santonio Holmes, who would become the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII. Colbert later traded Holmes in 2010 for draft picks that led to the team selecting receiver Antonio Brown in the sixth round.

Among the players drafted or signed by Colbert were three Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year recipients in James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and T.J. Watt, one Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in Kendrell Bell and one Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in Ben Roethlisberger.

Colbert also had players that he drafted or signed selected Associated Press First-Team All-Pro 25 times.

When Colbert retired, he spoke about the pride of adding to the Steelers Super Bowl legacy, going from four Lombardi Trophies before he arrived to six at the time of his retirement.

"There were four when we got here and you knew the task," said Colbert during the press conference following his final NFL Draft. "You think about DMR (late Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney). And being able to add to that room means a lot. It doesn't mean it's over. The next step, I mean, we've got to get more. We'll never lose that. But it means a lot."

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J.T. Thomas
Corrnerback
1973-81

When Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene once said of the Steelers defense, 'It takes all 11,' he was referencing the impact every player on the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s had on the team.

And one of those key players was cornerback J.T. Thomas.

"This means a whole lot to me," said Thomas of his selection to the Hall of Honor. "If I look at my life and the number of deposits that were made on my life by the Rooneys, by Mr. Art Rooney Sr. on down, it's just been amazing. What makes your life significant is all the people that make deposits in your life. Coming here from Macon, Georgia, I didn't know if I wanted to come here because they hadn't won much.

"But there were so many people that made an impact on my life, the people responsible for a lot of my life, coaches and teammates. It was the people in Pittsburgh I got to know, the relationships I formed. It's something you can't put a value on. That is something I treasure more than the Super Bowls. They were great and unique. But when you look at your life you don't do this by yourself. There were so many people that played a role. I give credit to so many people for who I am.

"This is a great honor. When I talked to Art Rooney II, I was excited about it. I thought about it over the years, but I've got to the point where I thought I'm not going to get in. I didn't know what the criteria is. But this is special."

Thomas was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft, the 24th overall selection, out of Florida State, where he was the first African American football player to play in a varsity game and earn a varsity letter at Florida State, as well as the first Black football player to graduate from the school.

He spent nine seasons with the Steelers (1973-81) and still lives in the Pittsburgh area.

"It really changed my life," said Thomas of his time with the Steelers.  "The people that I met at the Steelers organization, it was growing in the sense that we just started winning. More so, the people of Pittsburgh really embraced us, they almost owned us.

"At the time, the city was going through some transformation. I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers were the catalyst that gave the city momentum, gave the city identity, because they had a great football team. In that environment you built Steelers Nation. Even the people that left because of the exodus of the steel mills, I think those people today are still loyal.

"It's just amazing, Steelers Nation. I don't understand it, but I love it. It's probably one of the most awesome organizations, the Pittsburgh Steelers and this fan base, that I have ever seen."

He played in 125 career games, starting 89, with 20 interceptions and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1976. He played in three Super Bowls, missing Super Bowl XIII after he was sidelined for the season with sarcoidosis (inflammation of lungs and lymph nodes).

It was the ride to Super Bowl IX, the Steelers first one, that provided the most memorable moment in Thomas' career.

"In terms of the sporting aspect it would be the 1974 AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders that took us to our first Super Bowl," said Thomas. "We were young and underdogs. In the closing seconds I had an interception against Ken Stabler that kind of sealed the game.

"To me that was a high point, although at the time reality didn't set in because we had a tough time believing we were going to the Super Bowl."

Another thing that has always stood out to Thomas, and still does to this day, is the camaraderie the team had.

"It was fun because we had this common unity," said Thomas. "The union and bond that was created that you don't get in most organizations, where players come together in harmony. That feeling is hard to describe."

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Craig Wolfley
Guard/Tackle
1980-89

Craig Wolfley came to the Steelers as a fifth-round pick in the 1980 NFL Draft out of Syracuse, the 138th overall pick in in that draft class.

When he retired, he was one of the most respected and revered at the position, a player who was a natural at left guard but could slide over to left tackle when needed.

He played the game with a no-nonsense approach, making 102 starts in his 10 seasons with the team.

After playing the majority of his career at guard, he started at left tackle in 1988 due to the retirement of Ray Pinney, and rookie John Jackson not ready to step into the role.

Wolfley's strength on the offensive line was just that … his strength. He placed fifth in the World's Strongest Man Competition in 1981. He was also a boxer and a black belt in jiu jitsu and lost a four-round fight vs. heavyweight Eric 'Butterbean' Esch.

"I remember our first encounter in camp was a fight," said Edmund Nelson, a defensive tackle who came to the Steelers as a seventh-round pick from Auburn in the 1982 NFL Draft. "He was the first guy that I went up against in the Oklahoma drills Chuck Noll used to have. Me and him went at it the first day that the veterans reported up to camp. He body-slammed me on the first play, and then I body-slammed him on the second play. Then we just went at it.

"Craig and I told this story all the time, that by the time the end of practice came, we were so tired and so beat, we grabbed each other and helped each other up the hill to the locker room. That was Craig Wolfley in a nutshell. We would go at each other in camp, and then we were buddies at the end of the day."

Wolfley also served as a mentor for younger players, helping the next generation of Steelers to achieve the success he had.

While he made a name for himself on the field during his playing days, his contribution to the organization didn't stop there.

Wolfley spent 23 seasons as a broadcaster and writer, including completing the manuscript for his memoir, "If These Walls Could Talk," shortly before he died of liver cancer in 2025.

Wolfley joined the Steelers Radio Network in 2002 as a sideline reporter, before moving to the booth as a color analyst in 2021 following the death of his best friend and former teammate, Tunch Ilkin. Wolfley and Ilkin combined their efforts not just on the playing field during their time, but also in a daily talk show, 'In the Locker Room,' that aired on the Steelers digital and radio channels.

"Just the energy and the passion that he brought to life," said former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch. "Not just from a Steelers perspective, but he genuinely cared about people. The older I got in my playing career, knowing that I wanted to transition into that media side, he would give me tips and little things that he may have done that helped him get to that transition point."

At the time of his passing in 2025, Steelers President Art Rooney II said the following about Wolfley.

"Craig was an outstanding player who brought both toughness and heart to the field during his 10 seasons with the Steelers," said Rooney. "As an offensive lineman, his grit and dedication were essential to our success, contributing to the solid foundation of the Steelers' offensive line in the 1980s and 1990s. His work ethic and commitment to excellence were felt both in the locker room and on the field, and his leadership was always evident.

"Following his retirement from playing, Craig seamlessly transitioned into a broadcaster, providing insightful commentary and analysis as part of the Steelers Radio Network. His passionate voice and deep understanding of the game made him a trusted figure for Steelers fans, and his humor, warmth, and enthusiasm left a lasting impact on our community."