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Asked and Answered

The best of Asked and Answered: June 29

With Bob Labriola enjoying a summer break, we've gone through recent editions of Asked & Answered and selected a few memorable questions…and answers.

Bob returns to his normal schedule on Tuesday, July 11th.

Let's get to it:

MARTY HEICK FROM DECATUR, IL: We are planning a trip through Pittsburgh during the first week in October. Which tour of the stadium would you recommend not associated with tickets to a game?
ANSWER: I don't know your specific schedule, but if you have time for only one tour, I will highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to visit the Hall of Honor Museum. Information on booking a tour can be accessed by visiting Steelers.com/Museum. You won't be disappointed.

JOHN KNOX FROM NASHVILLE, TN: Vintage Steelers question: Not including Rod Woodson or Dermontti Dawson (because they're already in), which 1980s Steelers player would you put in the Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: When it comes to players who joined the team during the 1980s – with the exceptions of Rod Woodson and Dermontti Dawson – I believe Greg Lloyd (sixth-round pick in 1987 from Fort Valley State) was on the path to putting together the kind of career that would have gotten him into the discussion of being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But injuries in 1996 and 1997 derailed that.

The best photos of Greg Lloyd throughout his career.

WILLIAM H. KUKLAR FROM GULFPORT, MI: I'm a pre-Joe Greene Steelers fan and would like you to elaborate on the 1969 draft question in the May 9 Asked and Answered. How long did Jon Kolb, Joe Greene, and L.C. Greenwood play together? Also list their Pro Bowl, MVP, and other awards. Are they all in the Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: The careers of Joe Greene, Jon Kolb, and L.C. Greenwood perfectly coincided, with each player's final season with the Steelers coming in 1981. Greene was voted to 11 Pro Bowls, was first-team All-Pro 4 times, was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Kolb was never voted to the Pro Bowl. Greenwood was voted to the Pro Bowl 6 times and was first-team All-Pro twice. All three players have four Super Bowl rings, and all have been inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor – Greene and Greenwood in 2017 and Kolb in 2021.

WILLIAM MOORE FROM FISHERS, IN: Where can I get a list of the current Hall of Honor members?
ANSWER: Click here or you can go to Steelers.com, and across the top of the homepage is a navbar. On the navbar, to the right of "Fans" you will see an ellipsis (…). Click on that. That will give you more links, and one of them will be "History." Click on that, and you will be directed to a page where you'll see a Hall of Honor portal on the right. Click on "Learn More," and you'll be taken to a page that contains a lot of information on the Hall of Honor, including a list of all members.

JAVIER MORI FROM LAS VEGAS, NV: Donnie Shell was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020, but you don't hear much about his cohort at safety on those teams – Mike Wagner. Do you think he is a bit unheralded and a forgotten member of that defense?
ANSWER: Those who were involved with those Steelers defenses of the 1970s understand the contributions Mike Wagner made to the successes of those units, and by extension, the successes of those teams. Wagner contributed 36 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries (48 total takeaways) in 116 starts; he tied for the NFL lead in 1973 in interceptions with 8; and he added five more interceptions during the playoff runs in 1974-75-76. Wagner is underrated in some quarters, but he was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor as a member of the Class of 2020, and he was deserving.

Take a look at some photos of former Steelers S Mike Wagner.

TODD MULLEN FROM DES MOINES, IA: We plan on visiting Pittsburgh for the first time ever this year to take in a preseason game. When is the best time to go to the Hall of Honor Museum?
ANSWER: The dates, or at the very least, the weekends for the preseason home schedule will be announced when the NFL allows the Steelers to release their 2023 regular season schedule – last year that was May 12, just as a reference point for you. To schedule a tour of the Hall of Honor Museum, simply go to Steelers.com/Museum, and it'll take you to a page that will walk you through the process of booking your tour of the Museum.

KEVIN MCDEVITT FROM WHITEHALL, PA: Regarding the Steelers Hall of Honor, when will the next "class" be announced?
ANSWER: Typically, Steelers President Art Rooney II announces the newest class to be inducted into the Hall of Honor at the end of the first week of training camp.

PATRICK CHARLES FROM GILLETTE, WY: First I should ask, do you get a Hall of Fame vote? If so, why haven't the Pittsburgh writers pushed to get L.C. Greenwood into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: I do not have a Hall of Fame vote, and your suggestion that "Pittsburgh writers push to get L.C. Greenwood into the Pro Football Hall of Fame" is not the way it works. All voting is done by the Selection Committee, and according to the Hall of Fame's website: "The Pro Football Hall of Fame's 49-person Selection Committee consists of one media representative from each pro football city — with two from New York and two from Los Angeles, as those cities each have two teams in the National Football League. There are 17 at-large Selectors, who are active members of the media or persons intricately involved in professional football, including one representative of the Pro Football Writers of America. All appointments are open-ended and approved annually by a majority vote of the Hall of Fame's Board of Trustees."

I happen to share your opinion that L.C. Greenwood belongs in the Hall of Fame, and I am just as convinced that there are fans of every other NFL franchise with just as strong a belief that one of their favorite team's players is being suitably overlooked. And because a player must receive 80 percent of the vote of the Committee, it is no simple process to be elected, or to get someone elected, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And I firmly believe that a certain "Steelers fatigue" has set in among the Committee, because if you look at the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021, 5 Steelers were inducted in those two years. Five is a lot. Bill Cowher, Troy Polamalu, Bill Nunn, Alan Faneca, and Donnie Shell. Three players, a coach, and a scout representing the contributor category. Every wing of the organization. The voters are human, too, and susceptible to human reactions. That doesn't make it fair to L.C. Greenwood and Andy Russell – and I'm sure there are at least two snubbed individuals for every other team – but it's the reality.

Take a look at some of the best photos from the career of Steelers DE L.C. Greenwood.

ADAM NAKANEZKY FROM REGINA, ALBERTA, CANADA: I know you don't have a say in Hall of Fame voting, but I would love your insight. It seems there is a log jam of wide receivers waiting to get voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Why does it seem harder for them to get inducted?
ANSWER: Because I am not privy to discussions had by the members of the Board of Selectors, I only can surmise that statistics compiled by today's receivers have been watered down by the current rules of the game and how those rules are enforced, and there are just a lot of guys with a lot of stats. During the election process, I suspect that glut of wide receivers ends up cannibalizing each other's support.

MURRAY SHERMAN FROM CHICAGO, IL: Do you believe Cameron Heyward will make the Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: Election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a career achievement, and Cam Heyward's career is not over. It's possible for Heyward to retire with the second-most sacks in franchise history and maybe with more first-team All-Pro selections than any defensive lineman in franchise history not named Joe Greene. And maybe there still is a Super Bowl ring in Heyward's future. All of those accomplishments would look really nice on his resume.

KENT HERBST FROM LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO: With J.J. Watt and T.J. both having great careers, with T.J.'s career still in progress, that might put them on a path to enshrinement in Canton. Are there any brothers enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: There are some examples of fathers and sons being enshrined in Canton – Art Rooney Sr. and Dan Rooney being included in that group – but as yet there are no sets of brothers who have been inducted as players in the Hall of Fame.

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