Former Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker Levon Kirkland is remembered for one big reason. Literally. Kirkland is one of the largest linebackers in recent NFL history, a clear juxtaposition to today’s game where the league takes a collection of former safeties, makes them 215 pound “linebackers” and calls it a day.
I spoke with Kirkland, a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro who spent nine years in Pittsburgh, to reflect on his career. While Kirkland became one of the league’s largest linebackers, he wasn’t always that way.
“When I came into Clemson, I was undersized,” he tells me in a Saturday interview.