Dermontti Dawson Dermontti Farra Dawson ( born June 17 , 1965 ) is a former American football center . He played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League ( NFL ) , and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 . Early life . Dawson was born in Lexington , Kentucky where he attended Bryan Station High School . He was a nationally - ranked high school track and field performer in the discus and shot put . After having a bad experience playing ninth grade football , Dawson chose not to go out for his high school team his sophomore year . He joined the football team as a junior after being recruited due to his size by the school ' s football coach . He was an all - state offensive tackle in high school and eventually accepted a football scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky . Among his high school teammates were future NFL players Marc Logan and Cornell Burbage . College football . Dawson played center and guard at Kentucky . He lettered in each of his four years . In his freshman year in 1984 the team defeated Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl . As a senior in 1987 Dawson was named second - team All - Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . Professional career . Dawson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft . In his rookie season he played guard alongside Hall of Fame center Mike Webster . When Webster left the team following that season , Dawson succeeded him as the starting center . He soon became one of the most respected players among the Steelers , and one of the best in the league at his position . He earned the name " Dirt " for the way he would try to grind defenders into the ground . In contrast , his friendly off - field demeanor led to a second nickname , Ned Flanders , after the annoyingly cheerful character from " The Simpsons " . Dawson was named to seven straight Pro Bowl s from 1992 to 1998 and was a six - time AP First Team All - Pro . In 1993 , he was named co - AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFLPA and in 1996 he was named the NFL Alumni ’ s Offensive Lineman of the Year . He played in 170 consecutive games , the second most in Steelers history , until severe hamstring injuries forced him to sit out nine games in 1999 and seven more games in 2000 . Dawson was released by the Steelers following the 2000 season partly due to these injuries and partly due to salary cap reasons . He opted to retire rather than trying to play for another team . He is the only player to have played in the two most lopsided games in the Browns – Steelers rivalry , getting his first career start at center in the Steelers 51 - 0 loss to the Cleveland Browns at home ( still the worst loss for the Steelers in franchise history ) , but was victorious in the Steelers 43 - 0 win against the Browns in Cleveland ten years later , in the Browns ' first game in four years . Personal life . Dawson is married ( Regina ) and has two children . He returned to Lexington after his retirement , where he spent several years as a real estate developer . He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2010 listing over $ 69 million in liabilities against just under $ 1 . 5 million in assets . He currently resides in San Diego , California , where he is a sales executive for a promotional products company . Dawson served an internship in the Steelers scouting department in and served as an intern coach with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 . He is also a part owner of the Washington Wild Things , an independent league baseball team in Washington , Pennsylvania . Legacy . Dawson was named the first - team center on the National Football League 1990s All - Decade Team . In 2007 , he was selected for the Pittsburgh Steelers All - Time Team which was named as part of the franchise ' s 75th season celebration . Although the Steelers no longer officially retire uniform numbers , the number 63 that Dawson wore has not been re - assigned since his retirement . He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 following three straight years in which he was a finalist for the distinction . In 2001 Dawson and his wife established the Dermontti F . and Regina M . Dawson Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Education scholarship at his alma mater , the University of Kentucky ( UK ) . Dawson was appointed to the school ' s board of trustees by Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher in 2005 . He is a member of UK ' s College of Education ’ s " Alumni Hall of Fame " and the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni as well as a charter member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame . In addition , his jersey has been retired by the school .