Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the first time he's been a finalist in 40 years of eligibility.
Greenwood is one of three finalists put forward by the Hall of Fame's seniors committee. Those three finalists, along with one contributor and one coach finalist, will be voted on by the full selection committee.
The other seniors finalists are former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Steelers quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson and San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig. The coach finalist is former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the contributor finalist is Patriots owner Robert Kraft. A maximum of three of those five can be voted into the Hall of Fame.
The Seniors Committee considers players whose final season was played before 2000. There were a total of 162 players nominated, which was whittled down by the seniors screening committee over the last few weeks.
Greenwood did not even make the semifinalist list last year. He was eliminated when the list was reduced from 60 to 31.
Greenwood is the most-decorated member of the 1970s Steelers who has not yet been enshrined in Canton, Ohio. A 10th-round draft pick out of Arkansas Pine-Bluff in 1969, Greenwood became a starter in his third season and then spent another 10 as the team's stalwart at left defensive end alongside Joe Greene, Dwight White and Earl Holmes on the famous Steel Curtain defensive line.
NORFOLK, Va. — L.C. Greenwood, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, and Luis Tiant, a former Boston Red Sox player, stand on the brow of USS Albany (SSN 753) with Chief of the Boat, Michael Nichols, before going below decks to tour Albany June 13. The tour was part of Summerfest 2007, hosted by Naval Station Norfolk's Morale Welfare and Recreation. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christina M. Shaw (RELEASED)
He was a four-time Super Bowl champion, a six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro. Greenwood was a member of the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, and is already a member of the Steelers Hall of Honor.
Though sacks were not official NFL statistics until 1983, research by Pro Football Reference credits Greenwood with 78 in his career, the fourth-most in franchise history.
A native of Canton, Mississippi, Greenwood retired in 1981 and died from kidney failure in 2013 at the age of 67.
Former Steelers scout and personnel executive Art Rooney Jr. and former Steelers head coach Buddy Parker did not advance in the voting in the contributor and coaching pools.
The modern era players are still at the semifinalist stage for the Class of 2026. Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward remains active in the voting process.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : For the First Time, Steelers Legend L.C. Greenwood Is a Hall of Fame Finalist
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