The center of production

Hall of Famers Published on : 7/30/2012

Dermontti Dawson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 National Football League Draft to solidify their offensive line for the future. The team didn’t have to wait long for him to produce. He stepped in as a rookie and started five games at guard. The next season he took over the starting center position from Hall of Famer Mike Webster and the offense didn’t skip a beat.

By 1992 the Steelers ground attack, led by Dawson, produced the AFC’s leading rusher when Barry Foster set a franchise record with 1,690 rushing yards. Two seasons later, in 1994, Pittsburgh led the entire NFL in total rushing yards for the first of two times during Dawson’s tenure (1994, 1997). Eight times during Dermontti’s 13-year career the Steelers offense surpassed 2,000 total rushing yards and 11 times ended the season with double-digit team rushing touchdowns.

Year	Team Rushing Yardage	Team Rushing TDs	Top Rusher	Yds	TDs
1988	2,228	17	Merril Hoge	705	3
1989	1,818	17	Tim Worley	770	5
1990	1,880	11	Merril Hoge	772	7
1991	1,627	8	Merril Hoge	610	2
1992	2,156	13	Barry Foster	1,690	11
1993	2,003	13	Leroy Thompson	763	3
1994	2,180	15	Barry Foster	851	5
1995	1,852	17	Erric Pegram	813	5
1996	2,299	11	Jerome Bettis	1,431	11
1997	2,479	19	Jerome Bettis	1,665	7
1998	2,034	8	Jerome Bettis	1,185	3
1999	1,991	14	Jerome Bettis	1,091	7
2000	2,248	19	Jerome Bettis	1,341	8

Defensive disruption

Cortez Kennedy paid tribute to a friend by changing his uniform numbers in 1992. He also put up numbers that defied the position of defensive tackle.

Hands of steal

Class of 2012 enshrinee Jack Butler was one of the most prolific interceptors in NFL history. He retired as the game’s second all-time leading pick-off man.