Pittsburgh Steelers Will Take On Minnesota Vikings In NFL Hall Of Fame Game
By Larry Snyder
In a mid-week announcement from the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Minnesota Vikings in the Hall of Fame Game to commence the 2015 preseason.
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According to the details Wednesday, the contest will be played Sunday, Aug. 9 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. It will be televised nationally on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The matchup will also be carried nationally by Westwood One Sports on the radio.
The evening prior to the game, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 will be formally enshrined. Two members of the eight-man group have ties to the participating teams, Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis, and Minnesota center Mick Tingelhoff.
Bettis, who will turn 43 on Feb. 16, played 10 of his 13 seasons in the league with the Steelers. The 5-foot-11, 255-pound Notre Dame product is a six-time Pro Bowl pick and recorded 13,662 yards rushing and 91 touchdowns.
Tingelhoff, who will turn 75 in May, joined the Purple, Gold, and White as an undrafted free agent in 1962 and provided leadership on the Vikings’ offensive line. The University of Nebraska product never missed a game during his 17-season career, and was inducted as the seniors committee nominee.
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The Enshrinement ceremony will be televised nationally by the NFL Network and ESPN. The remaining members of the 2015 Hall of Fame class are wide receiver/kick returner Tim Brown, defensive end/linebacker Charles Haley, contributor Bill Polian, linebacker Junior Seau, guard Will Shields and contributor Ron Wolf.
This summer will be the sixth time the Black and Gold has played in the NFL/Hall of Fame Game. The last time the Steelers played in Canton was 2007, and they defeated the New Orleans Saints 20-7.
Dapper Dan Dandy: Antonio Brown claimed the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Award at the Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction Tuesday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Brown is the first Steelers player to win it since Jerome Bettis won in 2005. Current Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin have won the award along with Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Chuck Noll and John Stallworth.
Legal News: According to ESPN’s John Clayton, Le’Veon Bell, 22, is expected to be suspended for the first two contests of next season as a result of his August arrest on marijuana charges.
The 6-foot-1, 244-pound running back was the NFL’s second-leading rusher this season, gaining 1,361 yards and recording eight touchdowns. The Michigan State product was also Pittsburgh’s second-leading receiver with 83 receptions for 854 yards.
Time To Say Goodbye: According to Diana Russini at NBCWashington, former Pittsburgh free safety Ryan Clark is retiring to pursue a broadcasting career. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound LSU product returned to the Washington Redskins last season after playing for the Black and Gold the previous eight seasons.
Clark went undrafted in 2002 and he began the first two years of his career with the New York Giants. He played for the Redskins from 2004-2005. The Steelers signed him and he went on to start 109 regular season games with them. The Marrero, Louisana native also helped the team win Super Bowl 43 on Feb. 1, 2009.