Steelers countdown to kickoff — No. 35: a history of the number and who wore it best
Current Steelers No. 35 wearers: DB Quindell Johnson, RB Lew Nichols
Both Johnson and Nichols wear No. 35 on the Steelers roster and signed with Pittsburgh in 2025. Nichols has yet to make his professional debut, while Johnson played in nine games for the Bears in 2023. The No. 35 duo face an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster — but they will undoubtedly leave it all on the line during training camp and preseason.
Last five Steelers to wear No. 35:
Best No. 35 in Steelers history: FB John Henry Johnson
Despite a delayed Steel City arrival — FB John Henry Johnson is the best Steeler to ever wear No. 35. Selected with the 18th overall pick in the second round of the 1953 NFL Draft, Johnson actually chose to play for the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Interprovincial Football Union — a move Steelers owner Art Rooney joked was to avoid the cold.
Johnson signed with the 49ers in 1954 and earned a Pro Bowl in his first season in San Francisco, but was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1957 — where he would remain until the Steelers came calling once again. The Lions traded Johnson back to the team that drafted him in 1960 — with Pittsburgh finally getting some usage out of their second-round draft pick, seven years later.
He experienced a career resurgence during his six-year Steelers tenure, as he produced 5,195 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns — earning three more Pro Bowls and a Second-Team All-Pro selection. Johnson was named to the Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team, the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor, and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 — a legacy befitting of being considered the greatest Steeler to wear No. 35.
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