L.C. Greenwood Misses Hall of Fame Nod Again, Despite Storied Steelers Legacy
Another Hall of Fame class has been announced, and once again, L.C. Greenwood’s name was left off the list. The former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end-one of the most iconic figures from the Steel Curtain era-was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite this being his first time as a finalist in four decades of eligibility.
Only one of the five candidates nominated by the seniors, coaches, and contributors committees made it through this year: former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig. He joins quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, and kicker Adam Vinatieri in the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Greenwood’s omission is hard to ignore, especially when you look at his résumé. A 10th-round pick in 1969 out of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Greenwood became a starter by his third season and went on to anchor the left side of one of the most dominant defensive lines in NFL history. Alongside Joe Greene, Dwight White, and Ernie Holmes, Greenwood helped build the foundation of the Steel Curtain-a unit that defined the Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s.
He was a four-time Super Bowl champion. A six-time Pro Bowler.
A two-time All-Pro. And a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1970s.
He’s already in the Steelers Hall of Honor, but the call from Canton still hasn’t come.
And while sacks weren’t an official stat until 1983, Pro Football Reference credits Greenwood with 78 career sacks-good for fourth-most in franchise history. That’s no small feat, especially considering the era he played in and the talent he shared the field with.
Greenwood, a native of Canton, Mississippi, retired in 1981 and passed away in 2013 at age 67 due to kidney failure. His legacy lives on in Pittsburgh, where he’s remembered not only for his play but for his personality, leadership, and presence in the locker room.
The Steelers of the '70s are well represented in Canton-10 players from that era have bronze busts, evenly split between offense and defense. Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell are all in.
Head coach Chuck Noll is there too. But Greenwood remains on the outside looking in.
There’s a growing sentiment that Hall of Fame voters may feel the '70s Steelers already have enough representation, and that may be working against Greenwood. But many in the football community believe that logic doesn’t hold up-especially when you look at what Greenwood brought to the table.
Tony Dungy, a former Steelers player and Hall of Fame coach, is one of two voters with Pittsburgh ties on the selection committee. He’s been vocal about his frustration with the current voting process, which he believes limits the number of deserving candidates who can be recognized each year.
“I don’t like the process the way it is now,” Dungy said ahead of Super Bowl LX in San Francisco. “We changed the process last year and went to this 80% deal… If you don’t have a full class, we’ve got so many people who are worthy of being in the Hall of Fame, and if we don’t put a full class in, to me, that’s wrong.”
Dungy didn’t comment directly on this year’s vote, but he made it clear where he stands on Greenwood’s case.
“L.C. Greenwood was a special player and a special man,” Dungy said.
“He did things at the left-end position in our defense that no other left ends did. He won four Super Bowl rings.
He was an outstanding player.”
Dungy, who played with Greenwood in Pittsburgh, acknowledged how tough it is to remain impartial when voting on someone who meant so much to him personally. Still, he believes Greenwood’s career speaks for itself.
That belief is echoed by Greenwood’s former teammates. In Super Bowl IX, Greenwood batted down three of Fran Tarkenton’s passes, one of which led to a Joe Greene interception. In Super Bowl X, he unofficially racked up four sacks on Roger Staubach-still the only player credited with more than three sacks in a Super Bowl.
“He gets less credit than he deserves playing next to Joe,” said Hall of Famer Jack Ham. “No question Joe deserves all the accolades he has received. But L.C. deserves them too.”
Joe Greene himself added, “When L.C. was playing, he was easily in the top three or four defensive ends during that time. He was a partner of mine on the line for 13 years, and he was a wonderful teammate. With L.C. beside me, and us working together, we accomplished some pretty good things together.”
There’s no denying Greenwood’s impact on one of the NFL’s most legendary defenses. And yet, his name remains absent from the Hall of Fame roster.
Whether it’s a numbers game, a flaw in the process, or just bad timing, one thing’s clear: L.C. Greenwood’s legacy is already cemented in Pittsburgh.
It’s time Canton caught up.