Pittsburgh Steelers: The 7 Most Clutch Performers in Steelers History

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a history of clutch performers on both sides of the football.

These are special players. Their contributions go far beyond statistics. They are the players you want to have on the field in the most difficult scenarios, late in tight games, or whenever a big play needs to happen.

With that in mind, I have attempted to narrow down the long list of clutch performers to the best of the best.

Here are the seven most clutch performers in Steelers history. Make sure to comment with favorite memories of these seven stars and also to remind readers of anyone I missed or had to leave out.

7. John Stallworth, WR

Big Moments

Need a tough catch in a playoff game? Stallworth was the guy in the 1970s and early 1980s to go to in those situations.

He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in Super Bowl XIII against Dallas, a tight game in which big scoring plays counted for everything.

A year later in Super Bowl XIV, he caught a 73-yard scoring pass from Terry Bradshaw that put the Steelers in front for good in a game they won 31-19.

Stallworth at one point had a string of eight consecutive playoff games with a touchdown catch, an NFL record that still stands.

6. Rod Woodson, CB

Big Moments

While it isn't a single play, there is one event that defines the image of Rod Woodson in Pittsburgh. In 1995, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 and became the first player in NFL history to return to action in the same season, rejoining the team in Super Bowl XXX.

Part of being a clutch player is creating turnovers. Regardless of the game situation, turnovers often play a deciding role in a contest. Woodson recorded 71 interceptions and 32 fumble recoveries during his career. Of those 71 interceptions, he returned 12 for scores. That's an NFL record.

Woodson was always a player, especially in Pittsburgh, who could rise to the occasion. He was big in big games and was one of the players who, despite his injury and rustiness, stood out in the losing effort of Super Bowl XXX.

5. Jerome Bettis, RB

Big Moments

Bettis' best work often came in moments that weren't always apparent on the final stat sheets for the games in which he played. His clutch talent was the inane ability to grind out tough yards in big situations.

He also could make big plays in tight games. Most fans will never forget Bettis running over Brian Urlacher in a huge game against the Bears in his final season.

In the same season, with the defense uncharacteristically lax in the season finale against lowly Detroit, Bettis closed out his regular season career with a three touchdown game that helped ensure the Steelers wouldn't be left out of a close AFC playoff race.

Bettis also could be counted on to pass in some situations. He tossed three touchdowns in his career.

Known fondly as "The Bus" to Pittsburgh fans, Bill Cowher also dubbed Bettis "The Closer" because of his ability to run out the clock in close games by being tough to tackle, and also because Bettis almost never fumbled the ball.

4. Hines Ward, WR

Big Moments

When Ben Roethlisberger needs a big play, he often doesn't look to speedster Mike Wallace or young guns Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. He often looks for the veteran Hines Ward.

Ward is as gritty as they come. Always smiling, he rarely fails to make the big catch when it's needed. He was Super Bowl MVP in 2005 not only because of a huge touchdown catch from Antwaan Randle El, but also because of a huge third down catch that set up the team's first score.

Those are just two moments in a career full of them. Ward isn't just one of the best clutch receivers the team has ever employed, he's also versatile enough to be a tough blocker. His blocks have sprung several backs for big gains and key scores.

Ward is a gamer. One of the best things about him is that it doesn't need to be a big game or key moment. He is always at his best and most alert. If there is a play to be made in his area, Steelers fans and coaches have always been able to rely on it being taken care of by Ward.

3. Troy Polamalu, SS

Big Moments

How clutch is Troy Polamalu? He's so clutch that, without him, the Steelers vaunted defense goes from among the best in the NFL to merely pedestrian. He's the kind of player that makes everyone around him better.

Along the way, he's also made some huge plays.

Against San Diego, he made a key interception in a close game by diving and literally almost-scraping the ball from the turf with one hand.

Against the Ravens in 2010, he ended a lively Ravens drive with a key sack and forced fumble. That ended Baltimore's hopes for besting the Steelers in the division.

Polamalu has done some of his best work against his former college teammate, Carson Palmer. Twice he's returned a Palmer pass for a game-deciding score.

2. Franco Harris, RB

Big Moments

Harris, like Jerome Bettis after him, had a knack for getting the tough yards. He was often counted on late in games to grind out the clock and rarely fumbled the football.

In a defensive battle during Super Bowl IX, it was Harris who stood out with a clutch performance that included 158 yards and a score.

But it was on one play that Harris forever cemented his legacy as one of the most clutch players in Pittsburgh history.

In the playoffs against hated rival Oakland in 1972, the Steelers were trying to win a playoff game for the first time in the franchise's long history. Trailing 7-6 with the clock winding down, Terry Bradshaw dropped back to pass and, as he nearly fell down under pressure, threw a lame duck toward Frenchy Fuqua, another tailback. The ball caromed off of Jack Tatum of Oakland and seemed destined to fall incomplete.

Then Harris came out of nowhere to scoop the ball in mere inches from the turf. Harris took off with the ball and didn't stop until he'd scored the winning touchdown. With that play, he seemed to have helped redirect the fortunes of the once-forlorn franchise.

1. Ben Roethlisberger, QB

Big Moments

Are you surprised to find him here? Every season, his legacy as one of the most clutch players in the history of the NFL seems to grow.

In 2010 alone, he had some great highlights. With Big Ben, these plays almost seem routine.

He beat the Ravens in a key late-season contest with some mediocre statistics, but under some unbelievable circumstances. Roethlisberger was playing in the game with a broken foot that prevented him from operating from under center. Early in the game, an errant arm broke his nose. Bleeding everywhere, Roethlisberger stayed in the game and helped lead the team to victory.

There is nothing that Roethlisberger cannot do. He is nearly impossible to tackle, having stepped out of or ducked under some of the most tremendous pressure. He always can find a way to make a big play late in the game when his team needs it.

A lot of analysts knock his statistical achievements, but one stat that can't be argued (and shouldn't be ignored) is the one that shows he has engineered 19 comeback victories and 25 game-winning drives in his career.

That is a record-setting performance for a player in their first seven seasons and goes a long way toward showing just how clutch Roethlisberger has become in a still-young career.

If you need further proof, make sure to watch some of his game film. In my opinion, he shares with Tom Brady the distinction of being the most clutch quarterback in the NFL today.