Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood just got an unexpected boost to his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Greenwood is one of five individuals that are up for three potential slots in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, along with former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Steelers quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson, former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The voting process has already taken place, with the announcement of the class expected to take place at NFL Honors on Feb. 5, 2026, the week of Super Bowl LX.
Those five individuals were put forward by the seniors committee, contributors committee and coaches committee, respectively. The full voting panel of 50 members all vote yes or no on those five candidates. The top vote-getter automatically gets in, along with up two more that receive at least 80% of the votes.
But we now know that one of those five did not make the cut. Word got out on Tuesday that Belichick did not break the 80% threshold , that at least one other candidate did, and thus will not be included in the Class of 2026.
The announcement on Tuesday created an uproar on social media that Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots and two more as an assistant coach for the New York Giants . He was a three-time NFL Coach of the Year, and is third in league history and second in the Super Bowl era with 302 wins, behind only Don Shula and George Halas. No coach with more than 200 wins has not made it to the Hall of Fame.
It's been speculated that Belichick failing to get the votes could have been caused by his pair of cheating scandals, his legendarily grumpy disposition with the media, his post-career rift with Kraft and Kraft campaigning against him, and also voters frustrated by the reduced waiting period to induct coaches that may still coach in the NFL again one day. Belichick is set to enter his second season at North Carolina since stepping down from the Patriots in 2026.
Whatever the reason, Belichick's loss is the gain for Greenwood's case, as instead of one of five vying for three slots, the former Steelers defensive end is now one of just four.
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)
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.
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. This is the first season that Greenwood has been a finalist in 50 years of eligibility.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers DE L.C. Greenwood Gets Unexpected Hall of Fame Boost
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