Mike Webster Michael Lewis Webster ( March 18 , 1952 – September 24 , 2002 ) was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs . He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Nicknamed " Iron Mike " , Webster anchored the Steelers ' offensive line during much of their run of four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979 and is considered by some as the best center in NFL history . Football career . Mike Webster was regarded as the best center in the Big Ten during most of his career at the University of Wisconsin . At 6 - foot - 1 , 255 pounds , he was drafted in the 5th round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers . Serving as a backup at center and guard for two years and being mentored by veteran Ray Mansfield , Mike became the team ' s starting center in 1976 , where he would remain for 150 straight games until 1986 . These years included four Super Bowl wins by the Steelers , and Mike and Terry Bradshaw are consequently one of the most well - known center - quarterback pairs in history . Webster was honored as an All - Pro seven times and played in the Pro Bowl nine times . An avid weightlifter , Webster was known for playing with bare arms to intimidate his opponents on even the coldest of Pittsburgh winter afternoons . Webster is also perhaps the best - known of a long line of All - Pro centers for the Steelers . From 1964 to 2006 , just four men started at that position : Mansfield , Webster , Dermontti Dawson , and Jeff Hartings . In his last year in Pittsburgh , Webster returned the favor by mentoring the then - rookie Dawson in the same manner Mansfield mentored Webster earlier in his career . Retirement and legacy . Webster was a free agent after the 1988 season . He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs , who initially made him an offensive line coach before allowing him to return as the starting center . His career ended after the 1990 season , with a total of 245 games played at center . At the time of his retirement , he was the last active player in the NFL to have played on all four Super Bowl winning teams of the 1970s Steelers . He played more seasons as a Steeler than anyone in franchise history ( 15 seasons ) , one season ahead of Hines Ward . While the Steelers no longer officially retire jerseys , Webster ' s # 52 has not been reissued by the team since he retired and it is generally understood that no Steeler will wear that number again . In 1999 , he was ranked number 75 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . The football stadium at Rhinelander High School , his alma mater , is named Mike Webster Stadium in his honor . Webster was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 . Post - football life . Webster was proven to have been disabled before retiring from the NFL . After retirement , Webster suffered from amnesia , dementia , depression , and acute bone and muscle pain . He lived out of his pickup truck or in train station s between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh , even though his friends and former teammates were willing to rent apartments for him . In his last years Webster lived with his youngest son , Garrett , who though only a teenager at the time , had to act as the parent to his father . Webster ' s wife divorced him six months before his death in 2002 . He was only 50 years old . Webster is seen as an example of the difficulties American football players suffer when their careers are over . Other players who retired because of the effects of concussion or other head injuries include Johnny Unitas , Roger Staubach , Merril Hoge , Troy Aikman , Steve Young , Dave Pear , Wayne Chrebet , and Al Toon . Webster was cremated . His ashes were divided among his wife and their four children . Ailments . After death , Mike Webster was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy , a neurodegenerative disease . Bennet Omalu , a forensic neuropathologist , examined tissue from Webster and eight other NFL players and determined they all showed the kind of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer ' s disease or dementia , as well as in some retired boxers . Omalu ' s findings were largely ignored by the NFL until Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed with CTE shortly after his death in 2009 . It has been speculated that Webster ' s ailments were due to wear and tear sustained over his playing career ; some doctors estimated he had been in the equivalent of " 25 , 000 automobile crashes " in over 25 years of playing football at the high school , college and professional levels . Nicknamed " Iron Mike " , Webster ' s reputation for durability led him to play even though injured . Despite rumors , Webster never admitted to using anabolic steroids at points during his career . He did state , however , that if he did take steroids , " they were legal at the time . " Lawsuit . Webster ' s estate brought a lawsuit in Maryland ' s U . S . District Court against the National Football League . The estate contended that Webster was disabled at the time of his retirement , and was owed $ 1 . 142 million in disability payments under the NFL ' s retirement plan . On April 26 , 2005 , a federal judge ruled that the NFL benefits plan owed Webster ' s estate $ 1 . 18 million in benefits . With the addition of interest and fees , that amount was estimated to exceed $ 1 . 60 million . The NFL appealed the ruling . On December 13 , 2006 , the U . S . Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond , Virginia affirmed the Baltimore federal judge ' s 2005 ruling that the league ' s retirement plan must pay benefits reserved for players whose disabilities began while they were still playing football .