Craig Wolfley to join Steelers radio booth, Max Starks to serve as sideline analyst
Two-time Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman Max Starks was added to the Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcast team, and Craig Wolfley will move to the booth alongside longtime play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove.
iHeartMedia made the announcement in a release Tuesday, two days before the Steelers’ 2021 preseason opener in the Hall of Fame Game. Wolfley worked from the sidelines over the past 19 seasons while his good friend and longtime Steelers teammate Tunch Ilkin was in the booth. Ilkin, who is battling ALS, announced his retirement this spring.
Starks joins veteran Steelers reporter Missi Matthews on the sideline during radio broadcasts.
Starks, 39, joined the Steelers as part of the same 2004 draft class as Ben Roethlisberger. He played nine seasons for the team and appeared in two games for the St. Louis Rams in 2013 before his playing career ended.
Starks made 96 starts and played in 123 regular-season games for the Steelers. He started at right tackle for the Super Bowl XL win against the Seattle Seahawks after the 2005 season, then started at left tackle three years later when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl.
“I am honored to be back on the Steelers sideline once again,” Starks said in a statement. “I’ve traded in my helmet for a headset, and I’m excited to join the Steelers Radio Network and keep the lineman tradition alive on the broadcasts.”
Wolfley and Ilkin also were offensive linemen.
Wolfley’s brother, Ron, is the analyst for Cardinals games. The 63-year-old Wolfley was a fifth-round pick of the Steelers in 1980 and played 10 seasons for the team plus two more for the Minnesota Vikings. He’s been involved in Pittsburgh radio for decades.
“This is an incredible honor knowing the people who preceded me in this seat and a lineage I hope I do justice to,” Wolfley said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working with an incredible team on Steelers broadcasts.”
The Steelers play the Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio, at 8 p.m. Thursday. The regular season begins Sept. 13.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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