Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team
Offense
Table:
Position
Jersey No.
Player
Years on Team
# of Pro Bowls
Hall of Fame
Honors
Ref.

1Quarterback
22
Layne, BobbyBobby Layne
1958–1962
6
Yes
1950s All-Decade Team
[4]

2Running back
44
Hoak, DickDick Hoak
1961–1971
1
No

[5]

2Running back
35
Johnson, John HenryJohn Henry Johnson
1960–1965
4
Yes

[6]

3Wide receiver
87
Jefferson, RoyRoy Jefferson
1965–1969
3
No
1969 Steelers MVP
[7]

3Wide receiver
25
Mathews, RayRay Mathews
1951–1959
2
No

[8]

4Tight end
81
Nickel, ElbieElbie Nickel
1947–1957
3
No

[9]

5Center
21
Cherundolo, ChuckChuck Cherundolo
1941–1942, 1945–1948
2
No

[10]

6Guard
62
Sandusky, MikeMike Sandusky
1957–1965
1
No

[11]

6Guard
66
Van Dyke, BruceBruce Van Dyke
1967–1973
1
No

[12]

7Tackle
71
Bradshaw, CharlieCharlie Bradshaw
1961–1966
2
No

[13]

7Tackle
74
Varrichione, FrankFrank Varrichione
1955–1960
5
No

[14]

Leveraging the tabular data and the supporting text listed.

Give the answer to the question: How many pro bowls did the player that died December 22 , 2012 play in ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

The Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League ( NFL ) . From the merger with the rival American Football League ( AFL ) in 1970 up through 2013 and since 2017 , it is officially called the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl , matching the top players in the American Football Conference ( AFC ) against those in the National Football Conference ( NFC ) . From 2014 through 2016 , the NFL experimented with an unconferenced format , where the teams were selected by two honorary team captains ( who are each in the Hall of Fame ) , instead of selecting players from each conference . The players were picked in a televised schoolyard pick prior to the game . Unlike most major sports leagues , which hold their all-star games roughly midway through their regular seasons , the Pro Bowl is played around the end of the NFL season . The first official Pro Bowl was played in January 1951 , three weeks after the 1950 NFL Championship Game ( between 1939 and 1942 , the NFL experimented with all-star games pitting the league 's champion against a team of all-stars ) . Between 1970 and 2009 , the Pro Bowl was usually held the weekend after the Super Bowl . Since 2010 , it has been played the weekend before the Super Bowl . Players from the two teams competing in the Super Bowl do not participate . For years , the game has suffered from lack of interest due to perceived low quality , with observers and commentators expressing their disfavor with it in its current state . It draws lower TV ratings than regular season NFL games , although the game draws similar ratings to other major all-star games , such as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game . However , the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players .
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football , located in Canton , Ohio . Opened in 1963 , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football , including players , coaches , franchise owners , and front-office personnel , almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League ( NFL ) ; the Hall inducts between four and eight new enshrinees each year . The Hall of Fame 's Mission is to Honor the Heroes of the Game , Preserve its History , Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE . As of 2020 [ update ] , there are a total of 346 members of the Hall of Fame , 189 of whom are living . Members are referred to as Gold Jackets due to the distinctive gold jackets they receive during the induction ceremony . Between four and eight new inductees are normally enshrined every year . In 2020 , an additional 15 members , known as the Centennial Slate , were inducted into the Hall of Fame to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NFL .
Robert Lawrence Layne ( December 19 , 1926 - December 1 , 1986 ) was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League . He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948 , the New York Bulldogs in 1949 , the Detroit Lions from 1950-1958 , and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958-1962 . Layne was selected by the Bears with the third overall pick of the 1948 NFL draft . He played college football at the University of Texas . Layne was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968 . His number , 22 , has been retired by the University of Texas Longhorns and Detroit Lions .
The 1958 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 26th in the National Football League . After the second game of the season , Steelers coach Buddy Parker , formerly in Detroit , arranged a trade on October 6 that sent quarterback Earl Morrall and two draft picks to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Bobby Layne , a future hall of famer .
The 1962 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 30th in the National Football League .
Richard John Hoak ( born December 8 , 1939 ) is an American former football player and coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college for Penn State , and was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft . He was a running back for the Steelers from 1961 to 1970 , and then became the longest tenured coach in the team 's history , from 1972 to 2007 .
The 1961 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 29th in the National Football League .
The 1971 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 39th in the National Football League . The Steelers showed improvement finishing in second Place with a 6-8 record . But Terry Bradshaw struggled with turnovers in his second season throwing 22 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes . The Steelers that year drafted wide receiver Frank Lewis , Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham , guard Gerry Mullins , defensive end Dwight White , tight end/tackle Larry Brown , defensive tackle Ernie Holmes , and safety Mike Wagner , all key contributors during the Steelers Super Bowl teams of the 1970s .
John Henry Johnson ( November 24 , 1929 - June 3 , 2011 ) was a gridiron football running back known for his excellence at the fullback position as both a runner and a blocker . His first professional stint was in Canada in the Western Interprovincial Football Union ( WIFU , a forerunner league to today 's Canadian Football League ) for one season with the Calgary Stampeders . He then played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the San Francisco 49ers , Detroit Lions , and Pittsburgh Steelers before spending his final season in the American Football League ( AFL ) with the Houston Oilers . Commonly referred to as simply John Henry , an allusion to the folk hero of the same name , Johnson was a tough and tenacious player who performed at a high level well into the tail end of his career . After playing college football for St. Mary 's College of California and Arizona State , Johnson was selected in the second round of the 1953 NFL Draft by the Steelers , the 18th overall pick . He instead played one season of Canadian football for the Stampeders , in which he won the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as the league 's most valuable player . He then signed with the 49ers , and played left halfback in San Francisco 's famed Million Dollar Backfield . He was traded to Detroit in 1957 , and became the team 's leading rusher en route to that year 's NFL championship , their most recent . His abilities seemingly in decline , Johnson was traded to Pittsburgh in 1960 , where he had the most productive years of his career , recording two 1,000-yard rushing seasons . He remains the oldest player to record a 1,000-yard rushing season as well as the oldest to rush for 200 or more yards in a game , each at age 34 . A four-time Pro Bowl selection , Johnson ranked third on the NFL 's all-time rushing yards list when he retired , but was best remembered by his peers for the mark he left with his blocking . He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 .
The 1960 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 28th in the National Football League . They compiled a 5-6-1 record and a fifth-place finish under head coach Buddy Parker while playing their home games at Forbes Field .
The 1965 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 33rd in the National Football League . The team set a modern NFL record with a minus-30 turnover ratio . [ citation needed ]
Roy Lee Jefferson ( born November 9 , 1943 ) is a former American football player , a wide receiver in the National Football League for twelve seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers , Baltimore Colts , and Washington Redskins . During 162 regular season games , he had 451 receptions for 7,539 yards and 52 touchdowns .
The 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 37th in the National Football League . It would mark a turning point of the Steelers franchise . 1969 was the first season for Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll , the first season for defensive lineman Mean Joe Greene and L. C. Greenwood , the first season for longtime Steelers public relations director Joe Gordon , and the team 's last season in Pitt Stadium before moving into then-state-of-the-art Three Rivers Stadium the following season . Although considered a turning point in the team 's history , the results were not immediate ; after winning the season opener against the Detroit Lions , the Steelers lost every game afterwards to finish 1-13 . The Steelers became the first team in NFL history since the 1936 Philadelphia Eagles to win its season opener and lose every remaining game , a feat not matched until 2001 when the Carolina Panthers won its season opener against Minnesota before losing every game en route to a 1-15 finish . The Steelers finished 1969 4th in the NFL Century Division and tied with the Chicago Bears for last in the NFL . With the Steelers finishing 1-6 at Pitt Stadium , it marked the last time the Steelers finished the season with a losing record at home until 1999 . As a result of their 1-13 records , Art Rooney of the Steelers won a coin toss with George Halas of the Bears to determine who would select Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw ( the consensus number 1 selection among league teams ) with the number one pick in the 1970 draft . By modern NFL tiebreaking rules , the Steelers would have automatically been given the first pick anyway , as the Bears ' one win came against the Steelers in Week 8 .
Raymond Dyral Mathews ( February 26 , 1929 - December 20 , 2015 ) was an American football halfback and end in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys . He played college football for Clemson University .
The 1951 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 19th in the National Football League .
The 1959 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 27th in the National Football League .
Elbert Everett Elbie Nickel ( December 28 , 1922 - February 27 , 2007 ) was a professional American football tight end in the National Football League . He played eleven seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers ( 1947-1957 ) . Nickel starred in three sports at the University of Cincinnati - he was an end on the football team , a top scorer on the basketball team and a pitcher-outfielder in baseball . His education was put on hold by Army service in World War II . Generally considered one of the best tight ends in Steelers ' history , Nickel recorded 329 career receptions as a tight end and is now second in career receptions by a Steelers ' tight end behind Heath Miller ( 490 ) . In conjunction with the 2007 celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Steelers , Nickel was selected as one of 33 players on the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team . [ citation needed ]
The 1947 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 15th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team improved on its 1946 record by winning eight games and losing four . This record tied for the lead in the Eastern Division and qualified the Steelers for the franchise 's first playoff berth . It was the Steelers ' only postseason appearance before 1972 . It was Jock Sutherland 's second and final year as head coach ; he died the following April after being found wandering around in a field in Kentucky . Once flown back to Pittsburgh , he was diagnosed as having two brain tumors . He only lived a few more days .
The 1957 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 25th season in the National Football League . For the first time , the Steelers ' yellow helmets sported uniform numbers . Pittsburgh would use these uniforms through the 1961 season .
Charles James Chuck Cherundolo , Jr. ( August 8 , 1916 - December 22 , 2012 ) was an American football player and coach . He played center and linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) with the Cleveland Rams , Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers . He was born in Old Forge , Pennsylvania .
The 1941 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 9th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . In the offseason , the team had been sold and then re-acquired ( more or less ) in a bizarre series of transactions which has come to be referred to as the Pennsylvania Polka . The roster consisted of many players who had played for the Philadelphia Eagles the previous year , who joined the Steelers as a result of the moves .
The 1942 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 10th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team improved on their previous season result of 1-9-1 with a record of 7-4-0 , which was good enough for 2nd place in the NFL East . This was the franchise 's first ever winning record . For the second straight year , the team held training camp in Hershey , Pennsylvania .
The 1945 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 13th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team finished the season with a record of 2-8 . This season marked the first and only season played with Jim Leonard as head coach .
The 1948 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 16th season in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team finished the season with a record of 4-8 , failing to qualify for the playoffs . This season marked the first played with John Michelosen as head coach .
Michael Mike Sandusky ( born March 13 , 1935 ) is a former All Pro guard who played nine seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1957 NFL Draft . Sandusky attended the University of Maryland . Mike played high school football at Bound Brook High School in Bound Brook , New Jersey . He is the only alumni of Bound Brook to play in the NFL , as of 2014 .
Bruce Van Dyke ( born August 6 , 1944 ) is a former American football guard who played eleven seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Philadelphia Eagles , Pittsburgh Steelers , and the Green Bay Packers .
The 1967 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 35th in the National Football League .
The 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 41st season in the National Football League . The team finished second in the AFC Central division , but qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season . The Steelers got off to a terrific start winning eight of their first nine games . However , a costly three game losing streak would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy . The Steelers would recover to win their last two games , but had to settle for a Wild Card berth with a 10-4 record . The Steelers would lose in the playoffs to the Oakland Raiders 33-14 in Oakland . The 1973 Steelers ' pass defense is arguably the greatest in the history of the NFL . Their defensive passer rating - the quarterback passer rating of all opposing quarterbacks throughout the season - was 33.1 , an NFL record for the Super Bowl era . According to Cold Hard Football Facts :
Charles Marvin Bradshaw ( March 13 , 1936 - January 23 , 2002 ) was an American football offensive tackle who played eleven seasons in the National Football League , mainly for the Pittsburgh Steelers . He served for a time as the head of the NFL Players Association . Bradshaw earned a law degree during the offseason and after his career practiced law in Dallas , Texas until the time of his death from cancer . As a Pittsburgh Steeler , Charlie Bradshaw became one of the most notorious linemen of the day , drawing such tremendous booing from the home crowd that club owner Art Rooney discontinued pregame introductions of players at Pitt Stadium . He is not related to Terry Bradshaw .
The 1966 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team 's 34th in the National Football League .
Frank Joseph Varrichione ( pronounced Vair-akee-oh'-nee ; January 14 , 1932 - January 6 , 2018 ) was an American athlete . Varrichione was best remembered for being part of the 1953 University of Notre Dame football team that shared the collegiate national championship with a 9-0-1 record and for having played eleven seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . During his collegiate career Varrichione was named a Third Team All-American in 1954 , recognized as one of the top 33 players in the college game . He would be the first lineman selected in the 1955 NFL draft , the league 's sixth pick overall . Varrichione 's stint in the NFL would include six seasons playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers before a trade ahead of the 1961 season sent him to the Los Angeles Rams , for whom he would play for five more years . During his career Varrichione would make five NFL Pro Bowl appearances between 1955 and 1964 , indicative of his status as atop echelon offensive lineman .
The 1955 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise 's 23rd in the National Football League .