'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 70: Ernie Stautner brought toughness to Steelers in lean years

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. 70: Ernie Stautner

It took 33 years after Joe Greene’s final snap for the Pittsburgh Steelers to retire his No. 75 jersey in 2014.

It took less than one for fellow defensive lineman and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ernie Stautner to have his number taken out of circulation.

In October 1964, mere months after Stautner hung up his cleats following 14 seasons manning the Steelers defensive line, his No. 70 became the first jersey retired by the franchise.

It would take 50 years until Greene became the second Steelers player to be similarly honored.

At 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, Stautner was vastly undersized as a defensive tackle, but the Steelers used a second-round pick in the 1950 NFL Draft to select him out of Boston College.

On the field, Stautner was bigger than advertised. In 14 seasons, he appeared in nine Pro Bowls and was named NFL’s top lineman in 1957. He was so tough that despite multiple cracked ribs, nose fractures, broken fingers and two broken shoulders, he missed just six games in his career. He moved to defensive end later in his career and wasn’t afraid to play guard on offense in a pinch.

“I gotta be mean,” Stautner said, according to the Hall of Fame’s website. “At my size, I can’t afford to play any other way. Unless I’m meaner than these big guys, unless I can intimidate them, I’d have no chance in the world against them.”

Stautner had 23 fumble recoveries, which ranked third in the NFL, and three safeties, which remains a league high, during his career. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969, his first year of eligibility.

While Stautner found individual success with the Steelers, he was perhaps born two decades too soon to enjoy the fruits of playing on championship teams.

Stautner had the misfortune of playing for Steelers teams that finished a combined 81-86-7 under coaches John Michelosen, Joe Bach, Walt Kiesling and Buddy Parker. It wasn’t until Stautner’s ninth season that he played on a team that won more games than it lost, and he played on just four teams out of 14 that finished with a winning record.

It wasn’t until Stautner got into coaching that he won a world championship. In fact, he earned two Super Bowl rings as a defensive assistant for the Dallas Cowboys.

Stautner was named to Steelers’ all-time teams in 1982 and 2007, one year after his death. He was among the Steelers’ inaugural Hall of Honor class in 2017.

Another notable Pittsburgh athlete to wear No. 70 was former Pitt defensive lineman Randy Holloway of Sharon.

Holloway was part of the 1976 national championship team, and he became an All-American a year later as a senior. Holloway finished his Pitt career with 176 tackles, 92 assists and 33½ sacks that are third in school history.

The Minnesota Vikings used the No. 21 overall pick in the 1978 draft to take Holloway, who spent seven seasons in the NFL.

In 1984, Holloway set a Vikings record with five sacks in a game against the Atlanta Falcons. He was traded to St. Louis later in the season and finished his final season playing for the Cardinals.

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