Steelers countdown to kickoff — No. 71: a history of the number and who wore it best
Current Steelers No. 71 wearer: OG Aiden Williams
Following the 2025 NFL Draft, Williams signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He played six seasons for Minnesota-Duluth (2019–2024) and appeared in 40 games — starting all 40. According to the Steelers' official team website, Williams was named a 2024 AFCA First Team All-American, a 2024 Don Hansen NCAA DII Honorable Mention All-American, and a 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl invitee. Pittsburgh has found hidden gems at guard before — but for Williams to fit this trend, he'll have to compete with backup guards Max Scharping and Spencer Anderson for a roster spot.
Last five Steelers to wear No. 71:
Best No. 71 in Steelers history: OT Charlie Bradshaw
Bradshaw is without a doubt the best Steeler to wear the No. 71 — earning two Pro Bowl selections during his time in Pittsburgh from 1961 to 1966. Bradshaw was the anchor at the offensive tackle position, playing in 82 games for Pittsburgh — 80 of which came as starts. He was ultimately named to the Pittsburgh Steelers Legends — a selection of the franchise's best players before the 1970s.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mike Tomlin confirms he knew Packers legend Aaron Rodgers was signing with Steelers pre-NFL Draft
Mike Tomlin confirms he knew Packers legend Aaron Rodgers was signing with Steelers pre-NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News The Pittsburgh Steelers have built their roster to make a serious run at the Super Bowl in what is widely believed to be Aaron Rodgers' final NFL season. Rodgers has been putting in work at training camp, and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark believes the veteran is starting to look like his former Super Bowl-winning self. 'I can confirm it AaronRodgers can still really throw the football… it's crazy in person! 2010-11 Super Bowl Flashbacks,' Clark posted. The Steelers' decision to wait until the offseason to sign Rodgers may have actually benefited the franchise, as it resulted in a lighter primetime schedule than if he had signed earlier. 'The Steelers not having a QB yet — and the uncertainty around Aaron Rodgers — may have worked in their favor. They got just 4 primetime games. If Rodgers had signed, they likely would've had 6+ and some holiday slots like the Jets had the last two years, which would've made for a much more unbalanced schedule,' Ari Meirov said. Pittsburgh showed notable patience throughout the process, and it's believed Rodgers gave them some kind of verbal commitment. 'I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he's told [the Steelers], 'Listen, I'm gonna play for you. I just don't want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,'' Ian O'Connor said. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp On The Pivot Podcast, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that he knew Rodgers was coming, which is why the team didn't aggressively pursue a quarterback in the draft. 'Everything that we talked about through our conversations in the spring, I'm watching him live out right now in this training camp setting. I believed him when he said it, but it's fun to watch play out,' Tomlin said. 'And you're right I knew something.' Clark had asked him if he knew something was going to happen as to why they waited so long in the draft, to which Tomlin admitted he knew. This inside knowledge explains the team's calm demeanor throughout the lengthy negotiation process. It also sheds light on why the Steelers waited until later in the draft to select Will Howard. While fans and analysts were panicking, the organization knew something big was in the works.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Destined for stardom, Megha Ganne a fitting U.S. Women's Amateur champion at Bandon Dunes
BANDON, Ore. — Megha Ganne has done hundreds of pretend victory speeches into Gatorade bottles over the years. The 21-year-old from New Jersey has done plenty of winning in her golf career. She has won over and over as a junior and amateur golfer. She has been destined for stardom since the first time her coach, Katie Rudolph, saw her swing a club on the range at Galloping Hills in New Jersey, where Ganne was in the crowd at a girls golf clinic. The world got its first introduction to Ganne on the big stage at Olympic Club in the 2021 U.S. Women's Open, where she played in the final group on Sunday and became a fan favorite with her bright smile and infectious aura. Ganne has always dreamed of succeeding on the big stages, and she normally does, but Sunday's stage was her grandest achievement yet. Ganne claimed the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur title at Bandon Dunes, beating 22-year-old Brooke Biermann 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final. Bandon Dunes has become an icon of American golf, where the ocean speaks with crashing waves and the wind lashes those who walks the links-style layout on Oregon's coast. It's a course that demands excellence and brings out the absolute best a player has to offer. It's fitting Ganne won her first USGA title at the iconic venue, where her stardom was able to shine off the reflection of the ocean as her championship backdrop. "She's always been a superstar," Rudolph said. "The same Megha you see right now is the same Megha you've seen when she was 7, 8, 9, 10, all the way up. She's always believed in herself. There was never doubt." Throughout the week, Rudolph took photos of the ocean from above the cliffs and envisioned being able to take a picture with Megha holding the trophy. It's fitting, then, that Ganne ended the match on the par-3 15th hole, which sits perched above the screaming ocean waves beneath it. The rising senior at Stanford earned the 11 seed before match play, and one by one she took down some of the world's top-ranked amateurs, who proved no match for Ganne's march to victory. Ganne, ranked 11th in the world, beat No. 14 Anna Davis in the Round of 32, No. 20 Kary Hollenbaugh in the Round of 16 and No. 6 Eila Galitsky in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Ganne was 4 down with seven holes to play. When she stepped on the 18th tee, the match was tied. She won it in 19 holes. In Sunday's championship match, she took control from the start. A birdie on the first gave her a lead. The match was tied through 11 holes, but she won three consecutive on Nos. 12-14 to go 3 up, the lead she held at lunch. To begin the afternoon, Ganne again birdied the first. She and Biermann, the recent Michigan State grad who made match play for the first time this week at a USGA championship, each won three holes on the front nine while tying the other three, and Ganne's lead was 3 with nine to play. The turning point came on the par-4 11th, when Biermann's 3-wood drifted about 30 yards left of the green. It took her two shots to get on the putting surface, and she still wasn't inside Ganne's approach, which she said was her best shot of the afternoon, and Biermann conceded the hole. "Five iron, just a knockdown," Ganne said. "It was really windy. Think those back nine holes are more for a ball striker." Images of holding the Robert Cox Trophy danced in Ganne's head, but the job was not done. Biermann responded quickly, curling in a birdie putt on the par-5 13th after Ganne missed her look to get within 3. Then on the par-4 14th, Biermann had about 20 feet for birdie while Ganne was beyond the hole and had a downhill 25 footer. Ganne's attempt missed low and left a 4 footer. Biermann's birdie putt, which would've gotten her 2 down with 4 to play, never had a chance, stopping 6 feet short. Then on the par putt, she missed again. Outside of her appearance in the final group of the U.S. Women's Open, the spotlight had never been brighter for Ganne. She stepped up, buried the 4 footer, and she could finally put one hand on the trophy. "I love playing any sort of tournament, but I really do love being in the spotlight and I like performing under pressure," Ganne said. "I think it brings out the best in my game." On the closing hole, Ganne fired an iron to the back left portion of the green, settling about 20 feet from the flag. Biermann found the surface but gave herself a 40 footer she needed to can to have hopes of extending the match. When she didn't, Ganne finally had the moment she had dreamed of for years and years and years. It was time to close. Two putts later, and she was a U.S. Women's Amateur champion. "You really need to show up to win one of these trophies," Rudolph said. "And she showed up this week, from Monday until that very last putt." Ganne is no stranger to winning. Last year, she won a NCAA team title with Stanford. She was on the victorious U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2022 at Merion. But this one was different. "Winning with team is so special," Ganne said. "There's nothing like it, but this is something that has been an individual goal of mine ever since I was a little kid. I've hit so many putts in my basement pretending that it was to win a U.S. Open or a U.S. Amateur or a U.S. Junior. "To actually have that putt is surreal." Instead of a Gatorade bottle, a television microphone was waiting to interview the newest USGA champion on the 15th green in a quick ceremony. After it was over, Ganne set down her trophy and walked over to her parents, Sudha and Hari Ganne, and Rudolph, who were reminiscing about the little girl hitting golf balls on the range that was destined for stardom, now in the record books forever. "I don't know what to do," Ganne said to them while laughing. With star power and skill like hers, Megha Ganne better get used to those winning moments.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jaguars' Liam Coen on what led to Cam Little's 70 yard field goal attempt
Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker Cam Little knocked through a whopping 70-yard field goal in the team's preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. So what went into that decision and the play leading up to it? As head coach Liam Coen described after the game, the Jaguars were trying to get the ball past midfield, but that was a difficult task with how Pittsburgh was defending the play. As a result, Nick Mullens ended up just checking the ball down to Bhayshul Tuten, who picked up three yards and moved the Jaguars to their own 48-yard line. Jacksonville then called a timeout with one second left. "There was five seconds, we tried to run all slants to get a down timeout situation," Coen said. "Try to get it past the 50 if you could. They played 3-deep soft zone. There wasn't an easy completion right now, so we checked it down and just banged it. Cam looked at me and was like, 'I want it.' And so gave it a go. That was pretty cool to see." The NFL regular season record for a field goal is 66 yards. With Little's attempt coming in the preseason, he doesn't hold the longest field goal made record, but he can now claim the unofficial title. According to ESPN, there have been eight unsuccessful field goal attempts of 70-plus yards in the Super Bowl era prior to Little's kick. "We attempted a lot of long field goals in training camp," Little said after the game. "I had the opportunity a couple times to hit some probably 65-pluses before and so I really wanted to go out there and see. Kind of in range, I guess you could say, so wanted to go out there and see what we could do and it ended up going over the uprights. So it was pretty cool." This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Cam Little's 70 yard field goal: Jaguars Liam Coen on how it transpired
