The Pittsburgh Steelers have an incredible amount of legends currently with a bronze bust residing in Canton, Ohio in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There's still a few Steelers that arguably should be in by now, but aren't for whatever reason. There's always one name that seems to come up when this topic arises, and that's former Steelers' great WR Hines Ward.
Ward was the epitome of what Steelers' football is all about; he's the hard-nosed grind it out type of player that you want in the huddle with you. Ward has been a semi-finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the past six years and he's heard why he hasn't gotten in yet. Ward talks HoF and his new goal he's working on!
Credit: D. Jay Talbott/Icon SMI
Ward and LB James Harrison are finalists in this year's class, but will they both get in? Ward has heard that the reasoning for his HoF absence is because of the lack of All-Pro Honor he received in his career.
"To me, I don't know what all goes into All-Pro," Ward stated via CBS Sports. "One, when you're not in an offense that's catered to help you be an All-Pro receiver. And two, when you've got Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, year in and year out, putting up outstanding stats. But that shouldn't rain on my parade. I look at the guys that are on that list, and I feel like I should be in the mix with all those guys. ... For people to sit there and say, 'Well, he doesn't have All-Pro,' I just laugh and I chuckle because to me, that makes no sense."
Ward, however, did receive All-Pro honors three times in his career from 2002-2004. Ward made a big impact while playing as a member of the black and gold and is surprised he's still the Steelers' receiving leader 11 years after he played his last game. He's just honored to be mentioned among some of the greats!
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
"A lot of talent that's gone through that organization" Ward stated. "So to sit on top, I'm thankful, but all records are made to be broken. Now, you have the 17 games in a passing league, so who knows if it holds up. But at the end of the day, I think me being on top speaks on longevity and having productivity year in and year out and playing my whole entire career for a great organization like Pittsburgh. ... Even though I'm not in the Hall, just being mentioned amongst one of the greatest to ever put on the black and gold uniform is a blessing for me. I'm very thankful for that."
Ward is now working on a new goal! He's working with some of his old teammates and more NFL alumni to try to improve his lifestyle to become healthier, while trying to inspire others to lead a healthier lifestyle as well! Ward is an ambassador for the NFL Alumni Association's Huddle Up: Let's Talk Obesity campaign.
The Associated Press
"I tried to be active as a player," Ward said. "I then did 'Dancing With the Stars' and I did an Ironman. It wasn't until I got into coaching, you're sitting at the desk all day, eating and watching film. And then you hit COVID, when you're not coaching, sitting around watching a lot of TV. ... As a retired player, you get older, your metabolism starts to go, you can't sit around and just eat everything that you want to eat."I've still got a ways to go, but it's trying to figure out my habits and lifestyle. Getting sleep, not eating a whole bag of Cheetos (laughs). ... For me, it was a lifestyle decision. I wanted to live longer and I wanted to be healthier. ... Just to spread the word, talking about my past history, if I can impact one person to help get off the couch and help go to the doctor, do a checkup, to help invest in their time, that's the whole premise of why I wanted to be a part of this whole campaign, because I think it's important."
Ward mentioned that he and a few of his old Steelers' teammates have a friendly wager on who can lose the most weight as a part of the initiative.
"I've got a great group of teammates. No matter what we do in life, we're just competitors," Ward continued. "It just gives me extra motivation to stay on top of my game when I'm competing with my teammates when it comes to losing weight and getting back in shape."
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