Craig Heyward Craig William " Ironhead " Heyward ( September 26 , 1966 – May 27 , 2006 ) was an American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints , Chicago Bears , Atlanta Falcons , St . Louis Rams , and Indianapolis Colts in an 11 - year National Football League career . NFL career . He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round ( 24th pick overall ) of the 1988 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh , Heyward ' s 3 , 086 career rushing yards rank third all - time at Pitt . in only three seasons . He declared himself eligible for the 1988 draft after his junior year . In 1987 at Pitt Heyward rushed for 1 , 791 yards to earn consensus All - America honors and finish fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting . Heyward was widely regarded as a nightmare for opposing defenses because he was often as big , and sometimes bigger , than the defenders who had to stop him , and had surprising quickness and agility . One of the NFL ' s best " big man " running backs in the vein of Earl Campbell , Heyward , at 5 ' - 11 " and reportedly between 250 - 340 pounds was a punishing runner who was also a devastating blocker and good receiver . Heyward slimmed down to closer to 280 . In the mid - 1990s , Heyward showcased his sense of humor in a series of television commercial s for Zest body wash , introducing a generation of American men to the modern version of the Luffa that is now a fixture in many showers and bathtubs . The " lather - builder " and Heyward ' s tough - guy image created a humorous contrast in the advertisement , culminating in a voting campaign that named it the " thingy " . Statistics . " Note : G = Games played ; Att = Rushing attempts ; Yds = Rushing yards ; Avg = Average yards per carry ; Long = Longest rush ; Rush TD = Rushing touchdowns ; Rec = Receptions ; Yds = Receiving yards ; Avg = Average yards per reception ; Long = Longest reception ; Rec TD = Receiving touchdowns " Battle with Cancer . In November 1998 , Heyward said that he had blurred vision in his right eye , and was diagnosed with a malignant bone cancer at the base of his skull that was pressing on the optic nerve . The tumor was reportedly a chordoma . After it was partially removed in a 12 - hour operation , he underwent 40 rounds of radiation treatments and was later pronounced cancer - free . However , in 2005 the tumor recurred and he died on May 27 , 2006 at the age of 39 . Personal . Nickname . It was at Passaic High School that he gained his oft - used nickname " Ironhead " , a reference to his wild - man strength and the fact that he had to wear a hat size of 8¾ . Heyward ' s obituary in " The New York Times " gave a different story . It said he got his nickname from street football games in which he would lower his head into the stomach of the tackler ; one opponent said it hurt so much that Heyward ' s head must be made of iron . Family . His son Cameron Heyward plays defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers . He played for the Ohio State Buckeyes , where he was named a freshman All - American in 2007 and honoured as a team captain . Cameron was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers ( 31st pick overall ) in the 2011 NFL Draft . Cameron etches the words IRON HEAD on his eye black as a tribute to his father . His oldest son Craig Heyward Jr . was a walk - on at Middle Tennessee State , where he played primarily on special teams . He is currently signed to the Trenton Steel of the SIFL where he is a running back . His son Corey Heyward graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School and will be playing basketball for Georgia Tech .