Former Steeler L.C. Greenwood dies at 67

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Former Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood, a member of the Steeler Curtain defense, died this afternoon. He was 67.

Greenwood, who lived in Point Breeze, had been in the hospital for the past couple of days.

Greenwood played for the Steelers from 1969-81 and earned four Super Bowl rings. He was six-time Pro Bowl selection and registered 73 1/2 sacks during his career, which ranks second in franchise history behind Jason Gildon.

Greenwood's sacks are unofficial because the NFL did not officially begin keeping track of sacks until 1982.

Greenwood teamed up with Hall of Fame defensive lineman Joe Greene, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes to become the dominant defensive front four in the NFL in the early 1970s. 

He was often at his best in the biggest games. In the Super Bowl X victory against Dallas, Greenwood sacked Roger Staubach four times.

Greenwood was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2006 but was not elected either year. There had been a movement in recent years to get Greenwood into the Hall of Fame via the veteran's committee.

Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.

First Published September 29, 2013 2:46 pm