A year after selection, Louis Lipps embraces chance to join Steelers' Hall of Honor

Louis Lipps is grateful for the second chance to have his NFL career recognized by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The former Pro Bowl wide receiver was supposed to be feted a year ago as a member of the 2021 Hall of Honor Class. Then, about a week before the ceremony, he was arrested for driving under the influence after his pickup truck hit a parked trailer on his street on Mt. Washington.

Not wanting his presence to be a distraction, the Steelers and Lipps decided to postpone his Hall of Honor induction.

The 60-year-old Lipps was recognized Sunday at halftime of the Steelers’ game against the New Orleans Saints, joining Heath Miller and the families of posthumous inductees Myron Cope, Sam Davis and Ray Mathews.

“This is like my Super Bowl,” Lipps said. “I didn’t get a chance to bring one home while I played, but this is my Super Bowl. I’m in awe. I’m thankful, I’m proud, I’m humbled. For me, this is huge.”

The Steelers’ first-round pick in 1984, Lipps made an immediate impact when he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after catching 45 passes for 860 yards — a 19.1 average — and nine touchdowns. He also scored on a punt return and rushing touchdown.

A two-time team MVP, Lipps played with the Steelers through 1991 before spending his final season with his hometown Saints. In 1985, Lipps enjoyed his most productive season when he topped 1,000 yards for the only time in his career (1,134), averaged 19.2 yards per catch and totaled 12 receiving touchdowns and two more on punt returns.

He ended his career with the Steelers leading the team in receptions in each of his final three seasons. His decorated run, however, came after the 1970s when the Steelers won four titles in a six-year span and before the 1990s when the Steelers returned to prominence as annual contenders.

Lipps doesn’t feel like his career was shortchanged despite the absence of Super Bowl hardware.

“I think I came in at the right time because I got to play right away,” Lipps said. “There aren’t too many rookies that can say that. (I missed) all that big stuff before and after, but I came in and played right away. That’s why I say I came in at the right time.”

Like Lipps, Miller was a first-round pick who appeared in two Pro Bowls and wore No. 83 during his 11 seasons with the Steelers from 2005-15. While earning a pair of Super Bowl rings, Miller became the most prolific tight end in franchise history.

“It’s pretty special and means a lot,” Miller said. “I know the history of the Steelers organization. To be thought of in that regard and to join the other great players that played here before is pretty special.”

Cope, who died in 2008 at age 79, was represented by daughter Elizabeth and son Danny, whose autism led the decorated color analyst to donate proceeds from the Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School.

“That is such a major part of his legacy,” Elizabeth Cope said. “So many people have come up to me and said that it’s so wonderful what your dad did giving it to charity.”

Elizabeth Cope jokingly said she was the inspiration for the Terrible Towel name. Tasked with coming up with a way to get fans enthused about the 1975 playoffs, Myron Cope was searching for the proper gimmick.

“He toyed around with some ideas, and I said this was terrible, that was terrible,” she said. “He said, yeah, it’s the Terrible Towel.”

Five decades later, the towel remains the quintessential symbol of the franchise’s legacy.

“It’s touching that he made a difference in the lives of so many people that didn’t even know him as well as everyone that did know him,” Elizabeth Cope said. “I wish he were here to accept this. I feel honored to stand in for him.”