L.C. Greenwood

College

Arkansas AM&N University

Pro team(s)

Pittsburgh Steelers

L.C. Greenwood was born on September 8, 1946, in Canton, Mississippi (Madison County), and went on to Arkansas AM&N University (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the 10th round of the 1969 NFL Draft. What appeared to be a modest investment became one of the greatest personnel decisions in franchise history. Greenwood became a cornerstone of the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defensive line — alongside Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, and Dwight White — that formed the most dominant defensive front four of the 1970s and one of the most dominant defensive units in NFL history. He won four Super Bowl championships with the Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV) and was selected to six Pro Bowls. Known for his gold-painted cleats — a personal trademark that the NFL eventually forced him to discontinue — Greenwood had length, explosiveness, and relentless motor that made him one of the era's most feared pass rushers, consistently pressuring quarterbacks from the defensive end position at a time when that role was not yet recognized with the statistics we now use to measure it. His exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite four Super Bowl titles and six Pro Bowls is widely regarded by football historians as one of the most significant omissions in the Hall's history. Born in Canton, Mississippi.