From roughly the early ’70s through 2000, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fortunate to have elite-level talent at the center position.
Ray Mansfield started things for the Steelers with two second-team All-Pros in 1972 and 1975, and then Mike Webster took the torch and ran with it through the 1988 season.
After that, it became the Dermontti Dawson show through the 2000 season for the Steelers. In that span, the Steelers never had to worry about the center position because of the talent on hand. While the transition from Webster to Dawson after the 1988 season that saw Webster play two more years with the Kansas City Chiefs was difficult due to what Webster meant to the franchise, his departure created a new era with Dawson as the game’s best — and most athletic — center.