Back to the Pittsburgh Pirates Newsfeed

Lessons of the father: How Cam Heyward carries on Ironhead's legacy

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cam Heyward arrived at Heinz Field on Sunday wearing a No. 34 Pitt jersey to honor his late father on what would have been his 55th birthday.

From the time he was a boy growing up in Monroeville, the Steelers’ defensive lineman heard all the Bunyanesque tales about Craig “Ironhead” Heyward’s seasons with the Panthers in the mid-1980s. With his SpongeBob SquarePants physique, he could punish defenders with his size and surprise them with his agility.

There are so many great stories about the prodigious character who was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1987 and a bruising NFL running back for 11 seasons.