UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall of Honor Class of 2024 features nose tackle Casey Hampton, outside linebacker Jason Gildon, running back Willie Parker, and defensive mastermind of the Steelers’ two Super Bowl titles in the 2000s Dick LeBeau.
The announcement was made on Saturday afternoon during a ceremony at Saint Vincent College. The Steelers will honor their 2024 Hall of Honor Class on Dec. 7 when they host the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium.
“Congratulations to the incredible group of Steelers Legends who make up this year’s Hall of Honor class. You can’t go wrong with a group that includes Casey Hampton, Jason Gildon, Dick LeBeau and Willie Parker. Fantastic men who more than deserve this honor,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wrote on X.
Nose tackle Casey Hampton anchored the Steelers’ defense in the 2000s, appearing in five Pro Bowls. He was the catalyst for several No. 1 ranked run defenses, and was a part of two Super Bowl championship teams.
Hampton, who was called “Big Snack” by teammates, started 164 of the 173 games in his 12 seasons with the Black and Gold. He finished with 403 tackles, 272 of them solo stops, and nine and a half sacks. He added five forced fumbles, four pass defended, and two fumble recoveries.
Outside linebacker Jason Gildon’s 77 career sacks ranks fourth overall in Steelers history, ahead of Steelers greats L.C. Greenwood (73.5 sacks) and Joe Greene (66 sacks). Only T.J. Watt, James Harrison and Cam Heyward have more career sacks. Gildon was the Steelers’ all-time sack leader until James Harrison surpassed him in 2016. His 58 tackles for a loss and 18 forced fumbles also rank among the franchise’s best. Gildon, a third-round selection by the Steelers in the 1994 NFL Draft, played in Pittsburgh for 10 seasons.
Running back Willie Parker, who signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina in 2004, went on to be a two-time Super Bowl champion with the team. His 75-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl XL is still a Super Bowl record.
Parker 5,378 yards rushing ranks third all-time in franchise history. He had a 4.3-yard average and 24 touchdowns. He had three straight 1,000 plus yard seasons from 2005-2007. Rushing for 1,202 yards in 2005, a career-high 1,494 yards in 2006, and 1,316 yards in 2007. Parker made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.
LeBeau, who’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his legendary career as a defensive back with the Detroit Lions, is the creator of the zone blitz. In his 13 years as defensive coordinator over two stints, the Steelers finished in the top-10 in total defense 11 times, five of those times the team had the top overall ranked defense.
LeBeau is one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history. He’s also a coach that Steelers players loved playing for. He was a mentor for many. Players often referred to him as “Coach Dad.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Unity Twp.