Steelers add Troy Polamalu, Dwight White, Greg Lloyd, James Farrior, Mike Wagner to Hall of Honor

The Pittsburgh Steelers got defensive about the makeup of their 2020 Hall of Honor Class.

Five players were announced as members of the franchise’s fourth class Friday night, and all five played defense.

Selected were defensive lineman Dwight White, linebackers Greg Lloyd and James Farrior and safeties Mike Wagner and Troy Polamalu.

It is the first of the four classes to comprise exclusively players. Others included former coaches and/or contributors.

“Their contributions were on the field, and I think that is great,” team president Art Rooney II said. “It recognizes what a great number of players we have.”

The quintet represents three eras of Steelers defensive prominence. White and Wagner were Steel Curtain members of the four-time Super Bowl champions from the 1970s. Lloyd was a member of the Blitzburgh defense that appeared in Super Bowl XXX after the 1995 season. Polamalu and Farrior were members of two Super Bowl championship teams in the 2000s.

“Over the years, we’ve become known as a franchise that always has put a strong defense on the field,” Rooney II said. “Certainly, some of our most significant players in our history have been defensive players, and that’s as it should be as Steelers football has evolved.”

Lloyd and Farrior participated in the announcement via a video link.

Lloyd said he was confused when he heard Rooney II’s name on the other end of the phone.

“I thought I was in trouble,” he said. “Then, I was really tickled.”

Farrior shared a similar experience.

“I knew who it was right away,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh, no, what is going on?’ ”

The Hall of Honor now consists of 41 members. Previous classes were inducted during a weekend home game. This year’s date of celebration remains unknown because of the coronavirus pandemic that has kept fans from attending games at Heinz Field.

“We would like to have the ceremony when we can have our fans present,” Rooney II said. “Right now, that is unknown when that will happen. Hopefully, we’ll get to introduce them before the season is over.”

Polamalu was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January, but that induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, was pushed back until 2021 because of he pandemic.

To be eligible for the Hall of Honor, former players must be retired for three seasons and have spent at least three years of their career with the Steelers.

White, Wagner and Polamalu spent their entire careers with the Steelers. Lloyd spent the first 10 of his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh, and Farrior spent the final 10 years of his career with the Steelers after a five-year stint with the New York Jets.

White joined the Steelers in 1971 and became a two-time Pro Bowl pick early in his career. He is known for scoring the first points in franchise Super Bowl history with a safety in the first half of Super Bowl IX. White played in the game after spending much of the week in a New Orleans hospital with pneumonia.

Wagner, who also was taken in the1971 draft, also appeared in two Pro Bowls, and he had 36 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

Lloyd was drafted in 1988, and, although he didn’t win a championship, he appeared in the team’s fifth Super Bowl. He was named to the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons and was an All-Pro pick three years in a row.

Farrior appeared in two Pro Bowls and led the Steelers in tackles five times in his 10 seasons. Polamalu won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2010 and was a four-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection.