Pittsburgh Steelers fans know they rarely change head coaches. With only their 3rd head coach since 1969, this is a feat that no other team has ever come close to. However, there is a position on the football field that the Steelers treat just about the same way, and that spot lives at the heart of the offensive line.
I have always considered centers a skill position. I know we usually reserve skill positions for running backs, receivers, and quarterbacks, but think about it. The center is the only player that touches the football on every play. The quarterback nearly takes all of the snaps, but not in the wildcat, or direct snaps to the RBs and receivers. Not only do they have to snap a football before they have to mark their man and block, they are also responsible for calling out the blocking assignments pre-snap. A commitment to a great center means you need someone who is smart, athletic, and tough, and the Steelers have put together a run at center that can also be the envy of the league.
The first great Steelers center of note was Ray Mansfield. He started out as a defensive tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1963. The Steelers picked him up in '64 and after two years, they moved him to center where he became the backbone of the offensive line for a decade. Chuck Noll told his new team that they weren’t good enough to play in this league and most of them wouldn’t be there for long, but Mansfield didn’t shy away and showed he belonged on his way to starting and winning two Super Bowls and earning two more 2nd Team All-Pro Awards. Mansfield was tough as nails, and missed only eight starts before giving way to a new young center in 1976.
In 1974 the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Mike Webster in the 5th round out of Wisconsin. For two years, Webster had the benefit of playing and learning behind Mansfield, starting one game each season for the old veteran before taking over for good in 1976. Webster only missed five starts in the 15 seasons he served as the starting center, and earned the nickname "Iron Mike" for his toughness and dependability. He was also the cream of the crop of his generation, earning nine Pro Bowls, seven 1st Team All-Pros, four Super Bowls, NFL All-Decade Team for the 70s and 80s, and NFL All Time Teams for the 75th and 100th Anniversaries. Webster was not only reliable, he was dominant. You could count on him to move the man in front of him on every play of every game. His excellence as a center is the gold standard and one the Steelers looked to repeat in future drafts.
Mike Webster left for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, but the Steelers had already drafted their heir apparent. In 1988 they selected center Dermontti Dawson from Kentucky in the 2nd round. Learning for a year behind Webster, Dawson became the starter in '89 and didn’t miss a game for the next 10 years. He racked up seven Pro Bowls, six 1st Team All-Pros, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 90s. Dawson’s athletic style was a revolution for the center position as his quick feet allowed him to pull and get to the second level of the defense with ease.
Dawson’s last two years were marked by injury, and the Steelers did not draft their next center. Instead, in 2001, they targeted a free agent right guard from the Detroit Lions by the name of Jeff Hartings. Hartings had never played center in the NFL and was a two-time All-American guard at Penn State University, but the Steelers saw something in his game that they thought would make him a perfect fit at center. Their scouting proved to be right because Hartings flourished in the middle of the line, earning two Pro Bowls, two All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl Championship ring in 2005. Hartings' time with the Steelers was short and sweet, but very memorable as he held down the middle of the offense for some excellent Pittsburgh Steelers teams. He retired in 2006 due to recurring knee problems, and his departure must have taken the Steelers a bit by surprise because they did not have a replacement plan.
The Steelers tried to plug the hole with a free agent center Sean Mahan. After a disastrous season and being traded only one year into a five-year contract, the Steelers picked up free agent center Justin Hartwig. Hartwig played two solid seasons in 2008 & 2009 winning a Super Bowl as the starting center.
The 2010 draft found the Steelers with a center prospect they could not ignore. The Steelers sights were set on college football’s Rimington Trophy winner for the top center in college football, and drafted Maurkice Pouncey in the first round, 18th overall. Pouncey started immediately and showed the league that he was both powerful and athletic both in the passing and running game. The athleticism for his size was unmatched and he earned nine Pro Bowls, five All-Pros, and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
With only seven starters in 45 years, the Steelers' commitment to center is unquestioned. Webster and Dawson already sit in the Hall of Fame, and will most likely be joined by Pouncey in five years or so. The Steelers had a center on the All-Decade Teams for the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 10s. With Pouncey announcing his retirement, there is some doubt over who the next center of the Pittsburgh Steelers will be. One thing you can count on is the Steelers will not take replacing the team's next great center lightly.
#SteelerNation
