The 100 Greatest Players in Pittsburgh Steelers History | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Daniel Cobb
Published Mar 24, 2026
Rod Woodson is by far the highest ranked Steeler on this list who didn’t win a championship in Pittsburgh. Perhaps he might have if he had remained with the Steelers for his entire 17-year career, but his accomplishments in his 10 years with the Steelers are enough to make him the sixth greatest Steeler of all time.
The 10th overall pick in the 1987 draft, Woodson became an elite cornerback and kick returner.
Woodson is the Steelers’ all-time career leader with five touchdowns on interception returns. His 38 interceptions as a Steeler are fourth on the franchise’s all-time list and his 779 interception return yards are second.
Nowadays, Woodson would be a guy who makes a lot of “splash” plays on defense. He forced 16 fumbles for the Steelers, fourth all-time and first among non-linebackers, and is tied for second among Steelers defenders with 21 recovered fumbles in his career.
As a returner, Woodson tops the Steelers’ career list with 2,362 punt return yards and 4,894 kickoff return yards.
Woodson’s last seven years with the Steelers all were Pro Bowl seasons, and he was named first-team All-Pro five times.
In 1992, the Steelers rose from more than a decade of mediocrity and made the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Part of the reason for that was Woodson’s career-high six sacks and 100 tackles.
The 1993 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Woodson had a career-high eight interceptions, two sacks, 28 passes defended, two forced fumbles and a blocked field-goal attempt, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.
The Steelers reached Super Bowl XXX in 1995, but Woodson missed the entire season with an injury. He recovered in 1996 and intercepted six passes, returning one for a touchdown. He also recovered three fumbles and returned one for a touchdown in his final year with the Steelers.
Woodson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Fifteen years earlier, he joined Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Reggie White and Ronnie Lott as the only active players on the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team.
