L. C. Henderson Greenwood (September 8, 1946 – September 29, 2013) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive end for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theArkansas AM&N Golden Lions.
 Greenwood in 2007, aboard the USSAlbany (SSN-753) | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1946-09-08)September 8, 1946 Canton, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | September 29, 2013(2013-09-29) (aged 67) Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Rogers (Canton) | ||||||||
| College: | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1969:10th round, 238th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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College career
editGreenwood was born and raised inCanton, Mississippi. He graduated from Arkansas AM&N (nowUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), where he became a member of the Beta Theta chapter ofPhi Beta Sigma fraternity. He was also named the 1968EbonyAll-American defensive lineman in theSouthwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Professional career
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Greenwood was selected in thetenth round of the1969 NFL/AFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers, who had finished at 2–11–1 theprevious season, and replaced head coachBill Austin withChuck Noll. In 1971, he became thestarting left defensive end. One of the four members of Pittsburgh's famousSteel Curtain, he remained there until retirement in1981. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and 245 pounds (111 kg), Greenwood was a six-timePro Bowl player and was named to NFLAll-Pro teams in1974 and1975, and was All-AFC five times. He also led the Steelers six times insacks with a career total of 78 (an unofficial stat at the time).[1] According to records kept by the Steelers, Greenwood's highest single-season sack total was 11, which he attained in1974.[2] He further had 14 fumble recoveries in his career, including five in1971, which tied for the NFL lead.
InSuper Bowl IX against theMinnesota Vikings inNew Orleans, Greenwood batted down two passes fromFran Tarkenton.[3] Thenext year against theDallas Cowboys inMiami, he sackedRoger Staubach four times.[4] Greenwood played in all four of the Steelers'Super Bowl victories (IX,X,XIII,XIV) in the 1970s. Unofficially, he had five sacks in those four title games.
Greenwood was known for wearing gold-colored shoes on the football field,[5] to help announcers distinguish him from the higher-profileJoe Greene.[6] Greenwood was called "Hollywood Bags" because of his desire to become an actor after retiring from football.[7] He has been a finalist six times for thePro Football Hall of Fame but has yet to be elected. Greenwood has stated that while he would be honored if he were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he would not be upset if he were not elected, feeling that the Steelers already in the Hall (in particular, "Mean Joe" Greene) represent the entire team's accomplishments.
In 1991, Greenwood was named to the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team and in 2007 he was named to theSteelers All-Time team. In 2012, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Greenwood to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2012.[8]
Death
editGreenwood died of kidney failure on September 29, 2013, atUPMC Presbyterian. He was 67 years old.[9]
He was buried at the Priestley Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery inCanton, Mississippi.
References
edit- ^"Hall of Famers: L. C. Greenwood".Akron, Ohio:Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived fromthe original on February 16, 2008. RetrievedAugust 3, 2009.
- ^"Steelers Records"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 25, 2009. RetrievedAugust 3, 2009.
- ^"Super Bowl IX play-by-play".USA TODAY. January 11, 2002.Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. RetrievedApril 5, 2013.
- ^"Super Bowl X play-by-play".USA TODAY. January 11, 2002.Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. RetrievedApril 5, 2013.
- ^"L.A., you're next".Sports Illustrated. (cover). January 14, 1980.Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. RetrievedNovember 13, 2020.
- ^"Greene: L. C. Greenwood 'being cheated' out of Hall". Pittsburgh Tribune Review.Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2015.
- ^Yardley, William (September 30, 2013)."L. C. Greenwood, Member of Steel Curtain, Dies at 67".New York Times.Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2015.
- ^"Hall of Very Good Class of 2012".Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. RetrievedOctober 21, 2019.
- ^Ray Fittipaldo (September 29, 2013)."Former Steeler L. C. Greenwood dies at 67".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2013.
External links
edit- Official website
- Biography as a finalist for thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2006
- Career statistics fromNFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- L. C. Greenwood atFind a Grave