Bleier, Faneca get their due in Ring of Honor

Long before there was Antonio Brown, the Steelers had another Pro Bowl receiver who wore No. 84: Buddy Dial.

Fifty-two years after his playing career ended and a decade after his death, Dial is not likely to be posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But his legacy will now live on at the FedEx Great Hall at Heinz Field.

Dial was one of three former players and two scouts announced Saturday as part of the Steelers Hall of Honor Class of 2018. This is the second class to be honored after 27 members were part of last year's inaugural class.

Dial is joined in the class of '18 by running back Rocky Bleier, guard Alan Faneca, legendary scout Bill Nunn and former personnel director Art Rooney Jr.

Alan Faneca on Hall of Honor #steelers #dkps pic.twitter.com/sZ0lBSil8a

— Chris Bradford (@PghBradford) July 28, 2018

Rocky Bleier on Hall of Honor #steelers #dkps pic.twitter.com/stwcsMjoWe

— Chris Bradford (@PghBradford) July 28, 2018

Most anyone with a knowledge of the Steelers and the team's rich history is well aware of the accomplishments of Bleier, Faneca, Nunn and Rooney Jr., all instrumental in Super Bowl-winning teams.

There have been movies and plays made about the remarkable story of Bleier, the wounded Vietnam War hero, who later plowed the way for Franco Harris. Faneca was a large part of the Steelers' Super Bowl XL win and will almost certainly be inducted in Canton.

Here, Faneca tells me about his Hall of Fame possibilities:

Nunn was the former Pittsburgh newspaper columnist who later became a scout, unearthing many star players, including Mel Blount and John Stallworth, from smaller, traditional black schools. Rooney Jr. is the team's current vice president and is the son of The Chief, the team's founder.

Less is known about Dial, who played for the Steelers from 1959-63, long before the team's glory days.

Steelers president Art Rooney II, one of six members of the selection committee, said on Saturday that it was important that the organization -- which entered the NFL in 1933 -- recognize all of its past.

"That's one of the fun parts about this, to be able to talk about names like Buddy Dial and other names that came up from that era," he said. "We were lucky to have a long list like that. It's nice to be able to talk about guys like that to fans today who wouldn't remember Buddy Dial or have seen him play."

In 66 games with the Steelers, Dial had 219 receptions for 4,723 yards and 42 touchdowns in what was then primarily a running league. He was twice named to the Pro Bowl (1961, '63) and twice led the league in yards per reception.  His career average of 21.6 yards per catch, far exceeds even Brown who has averaged 15.2 in his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

After the infamous "Dial-for-nothing" trade, where defensive tackle Scott Appleton signed with the AFL's Houston Oilers after the Steelers traded Dial to the Cowboys for his rights, the receiver played his final three seasons with Dallas before retiring after the 1966 season. He died Feb. 29, 2008, at age 71.

With six Super Bowl winning teams, the most in league history, the Steelers already have 28 members inducted in Canton, 27 of whom were part of last year's Hall of Honor class. The purpose of the Hall of Honor is that it allows the team to recognize star players who will fall short of the Hall of Fame.

“It’s open to anybody who made a significant contribution to Steelers football," Rooney II said. "We had a tough selection process again this year."

Faneca says he knows of a few former teammates who will one day be part of the Steelers' Hall.

"Right off the bat, I think of Hines (Ward) and Joey (Porter), Troy (Polamalu), there's so many," Faneca was telling me. "There's so many who will get their honors and get rewarded and they'll all be in there eventually."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY