On this day in Steelers history, Hall of Famers John Stallworth and Donnie Shell retired

January 18, 1988
John Stallworth and Donnie Shell retired

John Stallworth and Donnie Shell were teammates for 14 seasons, coming in the same year and fittingly they retired on the same day in 1988.

Stallworth was the Steelers fourth-round selection in the historic Steelers 1974 NFL Draft Class, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2002 and an inaugural member of the Steelers Hall of Honor.

During his career he caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns. He played in six AFC Championship games, was a part of the Steelers four Super Bowl Championships and was named team MVP twice.

Stallworth was named All-Pro in 1979, All-AFC in 1979 and 1984 and played in four Pro Bowls. He had 12 postseason touchdown catches and 17-consecutive postseason games with a reception.

Shell came in as undrafted rookie free agent in 1974 and went on to be selected to five Pro Bowls and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. He also was an inaugural member of the Steelers Hall of Honor.

Shell was named All-Pro four times and was the Steelers MVP in 1980. Shell, who became one of the team's hardest-hitting defenders, also was a member of the Steelers four Super Bowl championship teams of the 1970s.

Shell finished his career with 51 career interceptions, still the most in NFL history for a strong safety and had 19 fumble recoveries. He had at least one interception in each of his 14 seasons.