Hall of Fame was worth the wait for 4-time Super Bowl champion Donnie Shell

Donnie Shell enjoyed a 14-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowls and picking off passes more frequently than any safety from his era.

He overcame the bias held against the star Steelers players from the 1970s and eventually was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January 2020.

While Shell looks forward to his enshrinement this weekend, he acknowledged recently that his first experience with the Steelers wasn’t a particularly positive one.

Nothing against the Steelers, mind you. Shell just happened to be in a foul mood when scout Bill Nunn called after the 1974 draft trying to coax him to sign a free-agent contract.

“He said, ‘Are you aware that you were not drafted?’ ” Shell said last month. “I said, ‘I’m keenly aware. You had 17 rounds, and I wasn’t picked in any of those rounds.’ ”

The undrafted safety from South Carolina State wasn’t going to sign with anybody until he talked with his coach, Willie Jeffries. The Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos also were showing interest.

Jeffries steered his star player toward the Steelers.

“He said you have to go to Pittsburgh,” Shell said. “He said they like motivated players that are hard working, and you’ll fit right in with them. And Bill Nunn said it doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as you can play.”

Shell arrived at training camp the same summer as Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert and John Stallworth, members of what would become the most celebrated draft class in NFL history. Shell will be the fifth member of that group and 10th player from the 1970s Steelers to slip on a gold jacket.

“I’m proud to be with my former teammates now,” Shell said.

Two of the Steelers’ championships in the 1970s came at the expense of the Dallas Cowboys, who also had an underrated safety who had to wait for the expanded 2020 Centennial Class to make it to Canton, Ohio.

Cliff Harris and Shell are among seven defensive backs, including six safeties, from the 2020-21 classes who will be enshrined this weekend.

“We appreciated each other’s style,” Harris said. “One thing most safeties talk to each other about is not just the hitting side, but the ability to win games strategically. I think Donnie was good at that. He kept quarterbacks off guard or did things that allowed a few moments for the defensive line to come in and get them.

“Even though he was a Steeler, I always respected him. It wasn’t like the same kind of relationship I had with, say, Lynn Swann. We understood each other.”

Playing in the era before free agency, Shell never donned another team’s uniform before he retired after the 1987 season. It took three decades for Shell to get his proper recognition, prompting someone to ask him whether he might have made the Hall of Fame sooner had he not played with so many other premier players.

Shell laughed.

“I preferred to play with my teammates,” he said. “I think I made the right decision.”

Donnie Shell file

Age: 68

Hometown: Whitmire, S.C.

Years with Steelers: 1974-87

Super Bowl titles: 4

Hall of Fame: 2020 Centennial Class, elected Jan. 8, 2020

Years as HOF finalist: 1 (2002)

Noteworthy: Played 14 seasons and 201 games for the Steelers after being signed as an undrafted free agent from South Carolina State. … Shell had 51 career interceptions, which are third-most in Steelers history, and he was the first NFL strong safety to surpass 50 in a career. … Had at least five interceptions in six consecutive seasons. … Voted to five consecutive Pro Bowls and was a three-time, first-team All-Pro selection. … Named Steelers MVP in 1980.

What he is saying: “I had no inkling I would ever play pro football. I went to school to be a high school football coach and a teacher. I wanted to give back and help other people and do what (our coach) did for us.”

What others are saying: “It’s very exciting going in with Donnie. When we got together in New York for the announcement, we gave each other a big hug. We went through the Black College Hall of Fame together, and we’re going to be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame together. He’s a great guy and great competitor, plus he’s a real good friend.” — Harold Carmichael, former Eagles wide receiver.