From the moment that Hall of Fame running back, Franco Harris walked on stage in Las Vegas and announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers would use their first round draft pick on University of Pittsburgh quarterback, Kenny Pickett, it became obvious that the Steelers had a succession plan in place.
No, I don’t necessarily mean an immediate replacement for future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, as it seems likely that the Steelers will start Mitch Trubisky at this position this fall. The Steelers had selected the next player to wear number eight on the team, the first quarterback to do so since Tommy Maddox.
While it doesn’t seem like a big deal, and really it isn’t, the Steelers have very rarely utilized the number on their roster. Since the team’s founding in 1933, only six players have worn number eight prior to Pickett. Only one player has done so for more than a single season. While there seemingly isn’t a concrete reason for this odd under utilization of the number, and the number isn’t considered to be unofficially retired such as Terry Bradshaw’s 12 or Jerome Bettis’ 36, it is odd nonetheless.
Today we’ll take a look at the six players to dawn number eight before Kenny Pickett’s arrival on the Steelers’ side of Heinz… er... Acrisure Field.
Steelers Who Wore Number Eight
Steelers.com | Melvin Ingram III (8) and TJ Watt (90) during their pregame routine vs the Buffalo Bills on September 12th, 2021 at Highmark Stadium, NY.
Melvin Ingram: 2021-2021
One of two players to dawn number eight in 2021, Melvin Ingram was signed during the 2021 off-season to be the team's third rotational pass rusher. The longtime San Diego/Los Angeles Charger seemed like an excellent fit for the team during the early weeks of the 2021 season, providing more than just depth at the position.
As a Steeler, Ingram had one pass deflection and one sack over the course of six games. Ingram was not destined to be a long-term member of the team, however, and was reportedly displeased to be behind Alex Highsmith on the depth chart.
Ingram let it be known during the Steelers bye week that he wanted out of the Steel City, and requested a trade. He furthered his public desire to be sent somewhere else by refusing to travel with his teammates to Cleveland to take on the Browns. Despite being injured, he was still expected to travel.
The Steelers ultimately traded Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2022 sixth round draft pick that was utilized to draft Michigan State tight end, Connor Heyward.
Sept. 26, 2015 - Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S - West Virginia Mountaineers safety KARL JOSEPH (8) leaps for an interception during a game played at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV. WVU beat Maryland 45-6 (Photo by Ken Inness/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire)
Karl Joseph: 2021-2022
Upon the Steelers trading Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs, Karl Joseph decided to claim number eight for himself, marking the first time in team history that the number had been utilized by two players in the same season.
Joseph, who wore number eight in college at WVU, was also a 2021 pickup by the team after he was cut by the Las Vegas Raiders. The former first round draft pick had productive stints with the Raiders and the Cleveland Browns before landing on the Steelers practice squad in 2021. As a Steeler, he has started zero games and has had a single pass deflection while on the field.
The safety was willing to give the number to Kenny Pickett when the Pitt QB was drafted and will now wear the number 38.
Josh Scobee attempts a kick during a 2015 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)
Josh Scobee: 2015-2015
Every year I get a Facebook Memory notification for a post I made in 2015 that states, “No threat looms larger to my health than Josh Scobee” and I feel as if that is a good summation of the beleaguered kicker’s time with the team.
The 12-year NFL kicker stepped in after the Steelers lost their starting place kicker, Shaun Suisham, and the kicker they signed to replace Suisham, Garrett Hartley, to injury. Scobee was only a Steeler for four weeks, a result of only making 6/10 field goal attempts and missing an extra point in his brief tenure. He was particularly inaccurate from 40+ yards, only making 3/7 attempts from that range.
After an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Scobee was cut in favor of another kicker, Chris Boswell, who would end the Steelers kicking woes and be a staple on the team for years to come.
Ben Roethlisberger (right) replaced Tommy Maddox as the Steelers starting quarterback after Maddox suffered an elbow injury two games into the 2004 season. (George Bridges / Getty Images)
Tommy Maddox: 2001-2005
There’s some historic irony perhaps that the quarterback who immediately preceded Ben Roethlisberger, and the one who is expected to eventually replace him, will both wear number eight. 8-7-8.
Tommy Maddox was brought to Pittsburgh in 2001 and by 2004 was the team’s starting quarterback. The 2002 Comeback Player of the Year, Maddox had a career revival to some degree in Pittsburgh and was reportedly incredibly displeased that the Steelers selected his replacement in the 2004 NFL Draft in Ben Roethlisberger.
Maddox threw for 7,139 yards and 42 touchdowns during his five-year career with the Steelers. Unfortunately, he also threw 40 interceptions in that same five-year window. Maddox led the team to a 15-16-1 record and helped lead the team to two playoff berths (2002, 2004) during his three seasons as a starter. Until the drafting of Pickett, was certainly the most notable number eight that the team has had.
Elmer Kolberg poses for a photo at Oregon State. (via oregonsportshall.org)
Elmer Kolberg: 1941-1941
Prior to Maddox in 2004, we have to go all the way back to the 1941 season to find another Steeler who wore number eight. Halfback Elmer Kolberg was with the team for the 1941 season after two previous seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Oregon State product was not a particularly effective member of the team, never rushing the ball during the season and only having a single reception for two yards. In fact, during his career in professional football, Kolberg’s most notable play was actually on defense, where he posted a single interception with a 15-yard return.
After the 1941 season, Kolberg was out of professional football, which would be disrupted greatly over the next four seasons as a result of World War II.
Ev Fisher: 1940-1940
Ev Fisher came to the Pittsburgh Steelers after two seasons with the Chicago Cardinals as a blocking back and had participated in 22 games with the team. Fisher attended Santa Clara College, which has not seen a player drafted to the NFL since the 1986 selection of tight end, Brent Jones, by the Steelers in the fifth round.
Similarly to Kolberg, Fisher did not put up much in the way of stats for the team, only having two receptions for 12 total yards in his single season with the Steelers.
Who's your favorite No. 8 so far for the organization all-time? Click to comment below!
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