They are the ones who set the standard. The legends other players still strive to be like. They are individuals who truly represented what being a Pittsburgh Steelers' player was all about.
And just think about this for a minute…you could own one of their game-worn jerseys.
And more importantly, it's all for an incredible cause.
The Steelers and Lelands have partnered to bring fans an opportunity to bid on 'The Pittsburgh Steelers Archive of Exceptional Jerseys.'
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research. The Foundation, which was launched last November by the Steelers with a $1 million contribution, will support "continued research and education regarding brain injuries and treatment of sport-related concussions."
While sports auctions like this are commonplace, doing it for a cause like the Chuck Noll Foundation is rare.
"There has never been anything that has been done like this," said Josh Evans, Chairman of Lelands. "This is the first team that has done anything quite like this. You have to give the management credit."
Envision your fan cave with the likes of a jersey worn by Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris or Hines Ward, just to name a few. The jerseys have all been photo matched, where you can see defects in the jersey that were captured on photographs from a particular game.
"This is the 'Holy Grail' of football memorabilia," said Evans. "There are no other jerseys that are as important as Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys. There are less Steelers jerseys on the market from the glory years of football than any other. The Steelers saved everything and kept it locked away. This is a special thing."
Bidding is still open for the first lot of jerseys and will run through Friday, March 17.
Among the incredible items up for bid are the jerseys below:
- Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw
- Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris
- Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount
- Hall of Fame cornerback Rod Woodson
- Center Ray Mansfield
- Defensive end L.C. Greenwood
- Defensive end Dwight White
- Running back Rocky Bleier
- Tight end Heath Miller
- Wide receiver Hines Ward
