Who wore ’24’ best for the Steelers?
Steel City Underground takes fans back in time to feature events, special moments, and historical times and players in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers Nation. Join us as we revisit these moments in our “Steelers Throwback Thursday” series.
While we hope you’re having a great Thursday, we look back at the players in Pittsburgh Steelers history that wore jersey number ’24’ and ask, who wore it the best? We’ll be including our picks (based on statistics as well), but encourage fans to let us know their picks in the comments field below. Here we go!
Joey Porter, Jr.
Porter, who was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, hasn’t been with the team long enough to claim the title, yet, in our opinion. He’s certainly going to be a future candidate.
In his rookie season, Porter had 10 games with at least one pass defense. He recorded an interception against the Baltimore Ravens in October. Porter, a finalist for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team and also won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, given by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America to the team’s rookie of the year.
So, who do we put at the top of our list?
Ike Taylor
Taylor, a fourth-round selection by the Steelers in the 2003 NFL Draft wore the ’24’ jersey with swagger. The two-time Super Bowl champion played in 174 games, all with Pittsburgh, before retirement in 2014.
Primarily utilized as a cornerback, Taylor had 14 career interceptions for 151 return yards and one touchdown. He was scrappy in the defensive backfield. He also recorded 134 pass defenses, 518 solo tackles, and eight tackles for a loss. Taylor also handled kick returns for four seasons (2003-2006), returning 55 kick-offs for 1,146 yards. Taylor was also active in the NFL playoffs six seasons (stats not included above).
Number ’24’
Numerous Steelers have worn the number on their jerseys, but most did not wear it in black and gold for long.
While Byron “Whizzer” White is a name many Steelers fans recognize, he was only with the team for a single season. White became more well known for his service as a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Jim Bradshaw (seen in photo above) wore both ’21’ and ’24’ in his five seasons in Pittsburgh. Bradshaw, mainly a safety, played in 62 games and had 11 interceptions for two touchdowns. In 1964, he recorded two fumble recovery touchdowns.
J.T. Thomas (seen in above photo) was a three-time Super Bowl champion. He was selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Steelers. It could be argued that Thomas was a silent member of the ‘Steel Curtain’ defense (meaning, he’s not often mentioned with other more notable members). In eight seasons in Pittsburgh, Thomas played in 116 regular season games and recorded 19 interceptions, had two defensive touchdowns off of fumbles, and was a Pro Bowler in 1976.
Benny Snell, Jr. is the best-known running back to wear the number. In four seasons with Pittsburgh, Snell played in 63 regular season games and rushed for 982 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The complete list
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Cooper | 1933 | 1933 |
| John Turley | 1935 | 1936 |
| Jeep Brett | 1936 | 1937 |
| Whizzer White | 1938 | 1938 |
| Bernie Scherer | 1939 | 1939 |
| Joe Coomer | 1941 | 1941 |
| Claude Hipps | 1952 | 1953 |
| Russ Craft | 1954 | 1954 |
| Richie McCabe | 1955 | 1958 |
| Henry Ford | 1956 | 1956 |
| Billy Wells | 1957 | 1957 |
| Dick Hughes | 1957 | 1957 |
| Bobby Luna | 1959 | 1959 |
| Johnny Sample | 1961 | 1962 |
| Jim Bradshaw | 1963 | 1967 |
| Jon Henderson | 1968 | 1969 |
| Kenny Graham | 1970 | 1970 |
| J.T. Thomas | 1973 | 1981 |
| Rich Erenberg | 1984 | 1986 |
| Rodney Carter | 1988 | 1989 |
| Richard Shelton | 1990 | 1993 |
| Tim McKyer | 1994 | 1994 |
| Chris Oldham (shown in photo) | 1995 | 1999 |
| Nakia Codie | 2000 | 2000 |
| Ike Taylor | 2003 | 2014 |
| Doran Grant | 2015 | 2015 |
| Justin Gilbert | 2016 | 2016 |
| Coty Sensabaugh | 2017 | 2018 |
| Benny Snell Jr. | 2019 | 2022 |
| Damontae Kazee | 2022 | 2022 |
| Joey Porter Jr. | 2023 | 2023 |
Who do you think wore ’24’ best? Let us know.
