Craig Heyward: A Man Called "Ironhead"

Writer’s Note: Craig Heyward would have been 43 on Sept. 26, 2009.

The name “Ironhead” Heyward used to invoke fear into the hearts of NFL defenders. Hell, Heyward used to invoke fear into the hearts of anyone who crossed his path, or him. This is how Len Pasquarelli from ESPN.com described Heyward:

“He was one of the toughest, nastiest SOBs that I have encountered in 28 years of covering the NFL, a man whose menacing scowl could seemingly strip paint from a wall, and who reveled in his own brute physicality and took glee from imposing his strength on others.”

But is that really all Craig “Ironhead” Heyward was about?

There is no doubt that Heyward relished the moniker he had been given at New Jersey’s Passaic High School (the same high school, incidentally, whose halls had been previously haunted by Jack “Call Me Assassin” Tatum).

Whether it was because of his eight-and-three-quarter-inch hat size or his propensity for using his head as a battering ram, it cannot be disputed that Heyward loved to spread the gospel of his "Ironhead."

The 5'11" Heyward played at anywhere from 265-280 pounds, using his girth, power, and agility to overpower defenders while playing for the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt).

Heyward was deceptively fast and once challenged one of the Panthers' wide receivers to a race in the 100-yard dash. Heyward accumulated such a lead that he turned around and ran the last five yards backwards!

For a big man, he could bust a move. One of his less famous nicknames was "The Fred Astaire of Football."

In Pitt’s 1987 opener against BYU, Ironhead rushed for 133 yards, had two receptions for 66 yards, and threw a pass for a 17-yard touchdown, leading the Panthers to a 27-17 victory.

Once, on a screen pass, Heyward sprinted 40 yards down the sideline and leaped over a defensive back in the process. He later said he learned that move from Michael Jordan and labeled himself, "Air Iron."

That first game was an early indicator of what kind of season Heyward would have. He rushed for 1,655 yards, had over 100 yards rushing in every regular season game, earned first-team AP All-America honors, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

For his three-year career at Pitt, Heyward amassed 3,086 yards, good for third on Pitt’s all-time rushing list. He trails only Tony Dorsett (6,082) and Curvin Richards (3,192).

Then in a move which was deemed risky at the time and frowned upon by the NCAA, the NFL, and Pitt head football coach Mike Gottfried, Heyward announced he would not be returning for his senior year and would be declaring, as a junior, for the NFL draft.

At the time, the NFL had an arrangement with the NCAA that stated if a player still had eligibility left (Heyward had red-shirted as a sophomore), the player could not enter the NFL draft.

Gottried sent letters to Tex Schramm, Paul Brown, and Bill Walsh—all members of the competition committee—imploring them to keep Heyward out of the draft.

In the end, the NFL recanted, and both Heyward and Trevor Molini, the former Brigham Young University tight end, were granted eligibility for the NFL.

Letting his weight balloon to well over 300 pounds, Heyward was predicted to be drafted somewhere around the third round in the 1988 draft.

In one of many battles with his weight, Heyward hired a trainer and whipped himself into the best shape of his life and slimmed down to a svelte 250 pounds.

The New Orleans Saints subsequently drafted him as the 24th selection in the first round of the 1988 draft, embarking him on an eleven-year journey in the NFL.

Heyward would spend the first part of his career with the Saints, and then make stops with the Bears, Falcons, Rams, and Colts.

Although he was a decent running back, Heyward would not realize the same success in the NFL as he had in college as a rusher. He did, however, become known as a fierce blocker.

Saints’ president and general manager, Jim Finks, called Heyward the best blocking back in the league.

During an ESPN interview with Pasquarelli, Bobby Herbert, the Saints' quarterback at the time, recalls a game in which Ironhead was used as a lead blocker against Seattle’s Brian Bosworth on six straight plays:

"After about the third time," Hebert said, "Bosworth was crying. Honest. Tears were rolling down his face, because he didn't want Ironhead to hit him anymore. He cried 'Uncle!' for real. Ironhead, he just laughed at him."

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