LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers added four names to their Hall of Honor Saturday, as tight end Elbie Nickel, offensive tackle/tight end Larry Brown, former head coach Bill Cowher and receiver Hines Ward were honored in an announcement at Saint Vincent College.
Cowher and Ward won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005, with Ward winning again in 2008. Brown is one of 22 players who was part the team's four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s.
Cowher was the Steelers head coach from 1992 through 2006, replacing Chuck Noll. He led the team to victory in Super Bowl XL. In 15 seasons, he guided the team to eight division titles and his teams played in six AFC Championship games and two Super Bowls, losing in Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys. He finished his coaching career with a 161-99-1 record.
Ward was a third-round selection of the Steelers in 1998 and played 14 seasons with the team. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XL. He had 1,000 career receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns, all of which are Steelers records for a receiver.
Brown was originally a tight end when the Steelers selected him in the fifth round of the 1971 draft. He caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl IX, then switched to offensive tackle and helped pave the way for three more Super Bowl victories.
Nickel was drafted in 1947 in the 17th round and played 11 seasons. The former tight end had 329 career receptions and was named a member of the Steelers 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Nickel, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, served in the Army during World War II. He died in 2007 at the age of 84.
The class joins the 32 previous members the team inducted in its first two seasons.
The Hall of Honor’s committee members, Team President Art Rooney II, former team executives Joe Gordon and Tony Quatrini, Bob Labriola of Steelers.com and local media personalities Stan Savran and Andrew Stockey, selected the Class of 2019.
The Steelers’ Hall of Honor was established in 2017. The Hall of Honor comprises former players, coaches, and front office personnel who were integral in creating and sustaining the franchise’s success dating back to its founding in 1933.
Each Hall of Honor inductee receives a replica of a solid steel football, which will replicate the original that was given to Steelers’ founder Arthur J. Rooney Sr. by the United States Steel Corporation and United Steel Workers in 1982 on the occasion of the team’s 50th Season.
