Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 86: Hines Ward came up all smiles for Steelers in best game
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. 86: Hines Ward
Whether for his joyful jump into the end zone in Super Bowl XL or one of the vicious crackbacks that earned him the reputation as the NFL’s best blocking wide receiver, Hines Ward always had the same reaction.
He came up smiling.
It wasn’t just his infectious smile, even if often delivered with devious delight, that makes Ward so memorable. He was an integral member of the team that finally got One for the Thumb for the Pittsburgh Steelers, not to mention being the most prolific pass catcher in team history.
So, with apologies to Steelers two-time Pro Bowl tight end Eric Green and Pitt defensive tackle Greg Meisner, No. 86 belongs to Ward. They are as inseparable as Ward and the image of his Lombardi Trophy-clinching touchdown.
A third-round draft pick who became a four-time Pro Bowl player, Ward owns all-time team records for receptions (1,000), receiving yards (12,083) and receiving touchdowns (85). Ward had six 1,000-yard seasons and two others with 975 yards. His best statistical season came in 2002, when he had 112 catches for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns, all career highs. He had three other seasons with at least 94 catches and also had 88 receptions for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns in 18 career playoff games — a season in itself.
Ward was at his best in the biggest game of his career, when the Steelers faced the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit. He caught five passes for 123 yards, with the biggest coming not from Ben Roethlisberger but on a trick play.
Clinging to a 14-10 lead, Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor intercepted a Matt Hasselbeck pass at the 5-yard line and returned it 24 yards to preserve the lead. Three plays later, the Steelers had a first-and-10 at the Seattle 43 when they ran a wide receiver reverse only for Antwaan Randle El to throw deep to a wide-open Ward with 8 minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the Steelers’ 21-10 victory and fifth Lombardi.
For Steelers fans, it’s a memory that evokes a Hines Ward-like reaction: all smiles.
Check out the entire ‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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