The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best 100 players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.
No. 98: Casey Hampton
“Big Snack” rarely bit off more than he could chew. As the big man at the literal forefront of some of the NFL’s best defenses in recent decades, Casey Hampton ate up space and occupied blockers to free his Blitzburgh teammates to feast on opponents.
Out of respect for his 12-year career as a Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle, Hampton was selected by the Tribune-Review sports staff as the best to ever wear No. 98 in Pittsburgh. Hampton was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster four times and played in three Super Bowls. Charitably listed at 325 pounds (his playing weight was much higher), Hampton started for Super Bowl-winning teams after the 2005 and ’08 seasons. During the 2005 season, he was named co-MVP of the Steelers.
What a defense. Gotta love "Big Snack" Casey Hampton in the middle of it all pic.twitter.com/2H6PEgyMMu
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 24, 2020
When Hampton retired after the 2012 campaign, just 17 Steelers had played more seasons for the franchise. His 173 games played likewise rank among the top 20 in team history.
Remarkably, during none of his 12 seasons did the Steelers rank lower than ninth in the NFL in total defense. The Steelers led the NFL in total defense five times with Hampton. Four times while Hampton played, the Steelers allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
Hampton’s primary competition as the best to wear No. 98 for a Pittsburgh-based team is another defensive tackle whose body is as outsized as his personality. Tony Siragusa played on Pitt’s defensive line in the late ’80s before embarking on a 12-year pro career that included a Super Bowl ring as a 350-pound starter for one of the best defenses in NFL history, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. He later worked as a commentator for Fox.
Inside linebacker Vince Williams succeeded Hampton as the Steelers’ No. 98, and he is about to embark on his eighth season as a heart-and-soul type in the middle of their defenses.
But neither Siragusa nor Williams left the enduring impact of the Hampton, whom teammates affectionately called “Big Snack.”
