'Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 26: Rod Woodson brought athleticism to Steelers secondary

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 26: Rod Woodson

If a list of the best pure athletes to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever was compiled, former cornerback Rod Woodson would be running at the front of the pack.

Literally.

Not only was Woodson a Hall of Fame talent on the football field, he was an Olympic-caliber hurdler at Purdue before he turned his attention full time to football.

Twice named an All-American in each sport, Woodson set an NCAA 60-meter hurdles record that stood for 10 years.

Once the Steelers got him under contract in 1987 after a holdout, Woodson emerged as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks. In 10 seasons wearing black and gold, Woodson was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and earned first-team All-Pro honors on five occasions. He also was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.

Woodson was an easy choice by the Tribune-Review sports staff as the best Pittsburgh athlete to wear No. 26.

Woodson’s 38 interceptions with the Steelers rank fourth on the franchise’s all-time list. He is second in career interception return yardage and tied for first with five interceptions returned for a touchdown. (He holds the NFL record with 12 such TD returns).

In 1995, Woodson tore an ACL in the season opener and convinced the Steelers not to put him on season-ending injured reserve. Woodson returned to play in Super Bowl XXX, becoming the first player in NFL history to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the same season.

Woodson also extended his playing career to 17 seasons after leaving the Steelers. After playing cornerback for two more seasons — one with San Francisco, one with Baltimore — Woodson switched to free safety with the Ravens and later the Oakland Raiders. He played five more seasons at the position, adding four more Pro Bowl selections and another first-team All-Pro designation.

In 2009, Woodson was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Other Steelers players to wear No. 26 with distinction after Woodson left were cornerback Deshea Townsend, who played in 183 games with the team from 1998-2009, and running back Le’Veon Bell, perhaps the franchise’s best all-around back. Bell is fourth in Steelers history in career rushing, sixth in yards from scrimmage and eighth in career receptions. Bell also holds regular-season and postseason single-game rushing records.

Players to wear No. 26 before Woodson’s arrival include running back Preston Pearson, 1966 Pro Bowl cornerback Brady Keys and 1956 No. 1 overall draft pick Gary Glick.

Another cornerback to wear No. 26 was Pitt’s Tim Lewis, a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1983, the No. 11 overall player chosen. Lewis spent four seasons with the Packers and totaled 16 career interceptions. He also served as defensive backs coach at his alma mater and was the Steelers defensive coordinator for four seasons under Bill Cowher.

Zeke Gadson wore No. 26 while compiling one of the best seasons by a Pitt linebacker. In 1987, his only season as a starter, Gadson had 24.5 sacks, an unofficial NCAA record since sacks weren’t counted as an official statistic at the time. Gadson finished with 137 tackles, including 32.5 for loss, that season.

For the Pirates, Elroy Face became the first modern closer and was baseball’s top reliever in the 1960s. Face went 18-1 in 1959 and saved 24 games for the 1960 World Series championship team. Face led the National League in saves three times and holds the Pirates’ all-time record with 186. Face spent 15 seasons with the team.

Jim Bibby went 50-32 in five seasons with the Pirates. A member of the 1979 World Series champions, Bibby went 19-6 the next year.

Center Syl Apps was one of the top goal scorers on the 1970s Penguins. He spent eight seasons with the organization and recorded 151 goals and 500 points. He had a career-high 32 goals and 99 points in the 1975-76 season.

Julius Pegues, the first Black basketball player in Pitt history, sported No. 26 for the Panthers from 1955-58 when he averaged 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 77 games. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.2 rebounds as a senior.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.