The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 37: Carnell Lake

How many college linebackers can say they made an NFL Pro Bowl … during a season in which he was a cornerback?

Carnell Lake’s 1995 season — excellent as it was — might not have necessarily been his best among the 12 seasons he played in the NFL. But it probably was the most impressive in regards to showing off Lake’s versatility and willingness and ability to help his team in myriad ways.

An NFL strong safety by trade, Lake moved to cornerback early during a 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers season in which future Hall of Fame cornerback Rod Woodson suffered a torn ACL during the opener. Weighing more than 200 pounds and after playing six seasons as an in-the-box type player, Lake’s play blanketing opposing wide receivers was good enough that the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl that season.

His play in 1995 was just one of 10 seasons in which Lake was a reliable, playmaking defensive back for some strong Steelers defenses. It is for that play Lake was judged to be the best in Pittsburgh sports history to wear No. 37, as determined by the Tribune-Review sports staff.

Lake missed just six of 173 games (including playoffs) for the Steelers spanning from when he was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 1989 until he left via free agency following the 1998 season.

Lake tallied 17 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries, 23½ sacks, one safety and five touchdowns scored on returns over his time with the Steelers (including playoffs). He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and was a 1997 All-Pro. The Steelers’ 1989 rookie of the year, Lake was named part of the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1990s.

Lake finished his NFL career playing a season each for two of the Steelers’ biggest rivals at the time — the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens. But he returned to the organization as a coach — first in 2009 as an intern and then on a full-time basis as the defensive backs coach from 2011-17.

The most prominent Penguins player to wear No. 37 was a goalie who started only 31 meaningful games for them, winning 17. It was the final of those victories, though, that earned him a permanent spot in Pittsburgh sports lore.

Jeff Zatkoff became “Mr. Game 1” after he backstopped the Penguins to a victory against the New York Rangers in their 2016 postseason opener. Two months — and two starting goaltenders — later, the Penguins claimed the Stanley Cup for the third time. Zatkoff, the No. 3 goalie in the organization, played only because of injuries to Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray.

One of the Pirates’ best pitchers of their great teams of the 1970s also wore No. 37 — but only briefly. Bruce Kison pitched during each of the triumphant 1971 and ’79 World Series for the Pirates. But the lone of his nine seasons in Pittsburgh during which he wore No. 37 was as a 21-year-old rookie in 1971.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.

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