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Pittsburgh Steelers Greg Lloyd had a decorated Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference college football career at Fort Valley State, a HBCU from 1984 until 1987. He was named All-Conference three times, Defensive MVP three times, and as a senior was the SIAC Player of the Year. He also was named to the Division II Sheridan All-American team. Despite his resume however, Lloyd was excluded from the NFL Combine following the 1987 season. As part of Pittsburgh’s due diligence in preparation for the draft, they were watching film of the Sheridan All-Star Game and noticed that Lloyd seemed to make every tackle.
Lloyd was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 6th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. The 1987 draft was a gold mine for the Steelers and set up the Steelers success of the 1990’s when Dick Haley and Chuck Noll reached into their arsenal for one more great draft. They selected Rod Woodson, a Hall of Famer in the first round. In consecutive rounds, the Steelers brought in Thomas Everett, a future Pro Bowler in the 4th round, Hardy Nickerson a future All-Pro in the 5th round, and Lloyd in the 6th. Cult Hero and future film analyst guru Merril Hoge was the final selection for the Steelers in the 7th round. Lloyd hurt his knee in training camp during his rookie year and missed the entire 1987 season and half of the 1988 season before he would see the field.
Lloyd became a full-time starter in the complex Steelers defense for Rod Rust and Noll in 1989. He spent the next three years as a key piece of Noll’s Steelers, but outside of Pittsburgh developing his craft and in Chuck Noll’s final season of 1991, he made his first Pro Bowl and was gaining some national recognition. After an exhaustive search, in 1992 the Steelers hired Bill Cowher as the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They also brought in Dom Capers, Marvin Lewis, and the father of the zone blitz, Dick LeBeau.
If you played defense in Pittsburgh during LeBeau’s coaching career, the players loved Dick LeBeau. He was not effusive with praise, and when he gave it publicly, it meant something. He was a longtime fan of Lloyd and near the end of his 33-year coaching career, he was asked what player he would start a defense with and without hesitation he said, ‘Greg Lloyd’.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau talks to linebacker Greg Lloyd (95) and safeties Rod Woodson (26) and Carnell Lake (37) during the AFC Divisional Playoff, a 29-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns on January 7, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Allen Kee / Getty Images)
Starting in 1992, Lloyd would make four straight Pro Bowls and have three First Team All-Pro selections. He finished in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting in both 1994 and 1995. At the beginning of the 1996 season, he suffered another knee injury that would cost him a season and while he willed himself back to a starter with the Steelers in 1997, he was clearly not the player he was, and he limped to the finish in 1998 with the Carolina Panthers.
Greg Lloyd during his playing days was one of the most hated figures in the NFL. Looking back, I can understand why other fanbases did not like him. He was flagged often and was brash with the press, but a lot of his style was not unprecedented. Jack Lambert, one of my all-time favorite Steelers was famously unhinged on the field. As a personal observation, I watched both and I thought from an intensity and leadership perspective, they were mirrors of each other. Distinctly different skill sets but had they played together, I think they would have been close friends. Tony Boselli, who I view as a deserving Hall of Famer, was held out for years because of an injury-shortened career. Lloyd recovered from a devastating knee injury in the late 1980’s when ACL surgery was not as advanced and became the most feared player in the NFL until he tore his other ACL eight years later. Despite his injuries, Lloyd played nine full seasons and parts of two others. He was dominant for half his career and has never even been a finalist for the Hall of Fame.
Lloyd was not a diva. He was beloved by coaches and teammates, but hated by other fanbases and some members of the press. During his peak, they voiced hate and respect for Lloyd because if he showed up on your team’s schedule, you did not want to give that man bulletin board material.
After his retirement outside of Pittsburgh, it seemed like his name disappeared and he was erased from the all-time NFL greats conversation. In 2018, almost 30 years after his final collegiate game, he was named to the 2018 Black College Football Hall of Fame. In 2020, he made it to the Ring of Honor in Pittsburgh, which was great, but long overdue. Lloyd belongs in the NCAA Hall of Fame in Atlanta and in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton. He at least deserves to be one of the 15 finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame so they can start necessary conversations that kept Boselli on the ballot for years.
Yeah, Yeah, I know ‘you can’t put all of the Steelers in the Hall of Fame.’ My response, “How about just the ones who earned it?” Greg Lloyd earned it.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Please comment below or follow me on Twitter @thebubbasq.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Steelers find gem in Lloyd
Lloyd was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 6th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. The 1987 draft was a gold mine for the Steelers and set up the Steelers success of the 1990’s when Dick Haley and Chuck Noll reached into their arsenal for one more great draft. They selected Rod Woodson, a Hall of Famer in the first round. In consecutive rounds, the Steelers brought in Thomas Everett, a future Pro Bowler in the 4th round, Hardy Nickerson a future All-Pro in the 5th round, and Lloyd in the 6th. Cult Hero and future film analyst guru Merril Hoge was the final selection for the Steelers in the 7th round. Lloyd hurt his knee in training camp during his rookie year and missed the entire 1987 season and half of the 1988 season before he would see the field.
Lloyd became a full-time starter in the complex Steelers defense for Rod Rust and Noll in 1989. He spent the next three years as a key piece of Noll’s Steelers, but outside of Pittsburgh developing his craft and in Chuck Noll’s final season of 1991, he made his first Pro Bowl and was gaining some national recognition. After an exhaustive search, in 1992 the Steelers hired Bill Cowher as the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They also brought in Dom Capers, Marvin Lewis, and the father of the zone blitz, Dick LeBeau.
If you played defense in Pittsburgh during LeBeau’s coaching career, the players loved Dick LeBeau. He was not effusive with praise, and when he gave it publicly, it meant something. He was a longtime fan of Lloyd and near the end of his 33-year coaching career, he was asked what player he would start a defense with and without hesitation he said, ‘Greg Lloyd’.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau talks to linebacker Greg Lloyd (95) and safeties Rod Woodson (26) and Carnell Lake (37) during the AFC Divisional Playoff, a 29-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns on January 7, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Allen Kee / Getty Images)
Starting in 1992, Lloyd would make four straight Pro Bowls and have three First Team All-Pro selections. He finished in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting in both 1994 and 1995. At the beginning of the 1996 season, he suffered another knee injury that would cost him a season and while he willed himself back to a starter with the Steelers in 1997, he was clearly not the player he was, and he limped to the finish in 1998 with the Carolina Panthers.
Greg Lloyd during his playing days was one of the most hated figures in the NFL. Looking back, I can understand why other fanbases did not like him. He was flagged often and was brash with the press, but a lot of his style was not unprecedented. Jack Lambert, one of my all-time favorite Steelers was famously unhinged on the field. As a personal observation, I watched both and I thought from an intensity and leadership perspective, they were mirrors of each other. Distinctly different skill sets but had they played together, I think they would have been close friends. Tony Boselli, who I view as a deserving Hall of Famer, was held out for years because of an injury-shortened career. Lloyd recovered from a devastating knee injury in the late 1980’s when ACL surgery was not as advanced and became the most feared player in the NFL until he tore his other ACL eight years later. Despite his injuries, Lloyd played nine full seasons and parts of two others. He was dominant for half his career and has never even been a finalist for the Hall of Fame.
Lloyd was not a diva. He was beloved by coaches and teammates, but hated by other fanbases and some members of the press. During his peak, they voiced hate and respect for Lloyd because if he showed up on your team’s schedule, you did not want to give that man bulletin board material.
After his retirement outside of Pittsburgh, it seemed like his name disappeared and he was erased from the all-time NFL greats conversation. In 2018, almost 30 years after his final collegiate game, he was named to the 2018 Black College Football Hall of Fame. In 2020, he made it to the Ring of Honor in Pittsburgh, which was great, but long overdue. Lloyd belongs in the NCAA Hall of Fame in Atlanta and in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton. He at least deserves to be one of the 15 finalists for the NFL Hall of Fame so they can start necessary conversations that kept Boselli on the ballot for years.
Yeah, Yeah, I know ‘you can’t put all of the Steelers in the Hall of Fame.’ My response, “How about just the ones who earned it?” Greg Lloyd earned it.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Please comment below or follow me on Twitter @thebubbasq.
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
