CANTON, Ohio — It was a Steelers-centric night at the Pro Football Hall of Fame with three Steelers among the 20 members of the 2020 class. And they saved the best for last.
Troy Polamalu and Bill Cowher were two of the final three speeches on a Saturday night that delighted the many members of Steelers Nation that made the short drive from Pittsburgh to witness the ceremony in-person.
Decked out in Steelers jerseys and waving their Terrible Towels, the fans were treated to two memorable speeches that weaved together what football meant to them and how they ultimately achieved the game's highest honor.
The biggest ovation of the night came when Polamalu took the stage, presented by his Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. When the weekend began, there was some doubt Polamalu could be here, but he made it to Canton eight days after announcing he had COVID-19.
Polamalu gave a poignant speech that touched all the right notes. Before stepping to the microphone, he turned his bronze bust around and unveiled the signature flowing locks to the crowd. Then, after acknowledging his Samoan heritage during his speech, he let down his real locks.
“I love football,” Polamalu said. “It was my entire life for as long as I can remember. I fostered an obsession with the game early on that I modeled after the regimens of some of the greatest artists of the past — Dickens, Beethoven — these great men were known to have a beast-like work ethic coupled with an unwavering ability to create until perfection, beyond what most believe the human body will allow. To me, that’s what it takes to go from ordinary to extraordinary.”
Polamalu also took time during his speech to mention several members of the Steelers organization, including Cowher, Mike Tomlin, Hines Ward, Joe Greene, Jerome Bettis and Mike Logan.
“It was my first padded practice when Hines Ward and I hit,” Polamalu said. “It was my legs that buckled. He held me up. I look forward to sharing the stage with you one day.”
Ward, who has been a semifinalist for induction the past several years, will be the presenter for Alan Faneca when he is enshrined Sunday night.
Cowher, the Steelers’ head coach from 1992-2006, touched on his Crafton roots and gave special mentions to two of his biggest mentors — former Browns and Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer and the late Dan Rooney.
Schottenheimer, a native of McDonald who passed away earlier this year, coached Cowher and hired him to his coaching staff after his playing career ended.
“He taught me how to coach,” Cowher said. “He gave man an opportunity to be a defensive coordinator when I had never done it before. He was a master motivator and a stickler to detail. One day you will be in the Hall of Fame.”
Cowher concluded his speech by telling the story of how Rooney gave him rosary beads before the Steelers’ historic playoff run of 2005 that culminated with a victory in Super Bowl XL.
“He gave me these rosary beads,” Cowher said as he pulled them from his pocket. “I said, ‘Dan, I’m not Catholic.’ He said, ‘Coach it doesn’t matter. Every little bit helps.’ Well, Dan, I still have them today.”
Cowher and Polamalu represented the Steelers of the 1990s and 2000s. Donnie Shell represented the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s.
Five years ago, Shell took the stage at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium as the presenter for his friend and former teammate Tony Dungy. On Saturday night, it was finally Shell’s turn to make an enshrinement speech of his own.
Shell had to wait longer than any of his teammates from the vaunted Steel Curtain defense, but better late than never. Thirty three years after his final game with the Steelers, Shell joined Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Joe Greene from those defenses that helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in a six-year span from 1974-79.
“It’s been a long journey, but a good one,” Shell said during his enshrinement speech. “I arrived in Pittsburgh in 1974 as an undrafted free agent. And now I’m in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only God can do that.”
Fighting for respect is nothing new for Shell having entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State. He made the Steelers’ roster as a special-teams demon, which is how he got his nickname “The Torpedo.” Later, he fit right in among the greatest rookie class in NFL history as he developed into one of the top strong safeties in the league.
In 1974, the Steelers drafted Lambert, Mike Webster, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, all of whom previously were elected to the Hall of Fame. Shell is the 10th Steelers player from the 1970s Steelers dynasty to be enshrined.
During his speech, Shell relayed a story from his rookie season when a reporter asked to interview him and informed him of his odds of making the team.
“He began the interview with the statement: ‘Don’t you know you’re a long shot to make the team because you’re an undrafted free agent?’” Shell said. “Obviously, he’s not familiar with coach Willie Jeffries from South Carolina State University and the South Carolina State Bulldog mentality. However, factually, he was correct. When the facts get in the way of your goal you must go against the grain to achieve your goal. I looked him square in the eye and I said, ‘I’m from South Carolina State. Coach Willie Jeffries said I can do whatever I want to do when I get to training camp, and I had a good chance to make the team.’”
Shell also mentioned Noll for giving him a chance and to scout Bill Nunn, who will be enshrined posthumously Sunday night along with the rest of the 2021 Hall of Fame class.
“Praise God for Bill Nunn, who advocated for players and to foresee to see my ability to go from linebacker to strong safety,” he said.
One other Hall of Famer with Western Pennsylvania ties was enshrined on Saturday night.
Former Chicago Bears great Jimbo Covert, a 1978 graduate of Freedom High School, like Cowher and Shell is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s centennial class. He played four years at Pitt and earned All-American honors as a senior before he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1983 draft, which was 21 picks before Dan Marino, his college teammate at Pitt and a member of the 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
“I grew up Conway, Pa. It’s still home,” Covert said. “Right down Route 65 is Freedom High School. Go Bulldogs.”
Covert also mentioned many of his Pitt teammates and specifically former Pitt coach Jackie Sherrill, who was in attendance, and the late Joe Moore, the legendary offensive line coach who tutored him.
“After I was switched from defense to offensive line, the first practice he said, ‘You’re going to be an All-American someday,’” Covert said. “I would have run through a wall for him after he said that.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: August 8, 2021, 1:07 a.m.
Updated: August 8, 2021, 2:16 a.m.
