Altoona Mirror, August 30, 2017

Now we know who the Steelers will induct into their new Hall of Honor.
Just about everybody.
The inaugural class was announced Tuesday, and there were 27 names -- 23 Hall of Fame members and four others.
It says here that was a mistake.
The first class should have been special, and that means it should have been limited.
The first class should have had five members:
--Franchise founder Art Rooney, Sr., who used his own cash to keep the franchise afloat through lean years and kept it in Pittsburgh despite tempting offers from other cities.
--Dan Rooney, whose stewardship led directly to Super Bowl championships and a new expectation of excellence.
--Chuck Noll, the coach who tore apart a perennial doormat and coached the team to four Super Bowls in six seasons.
--Joe Greene, the first draft pick in Noll's administration, and the key player on a defense that dominated the NFL and turned the Steelers into a championship team.
--Franco Harris, the 1972 draft pick who put the rapidly-improving Steelers over the top and keyed an offense that didn't have much of a passing game. He also provided the most important play in Steelers history.
That should have been it for the first group. There's a certain distinction in being part of the first class, and those five individuals deserve that special designation.
There were other great players, and other important people. But the five named above all have a special place in the history of the Steelers.
By inducting all of the Hall of Fame members, it makes Kevin Greene seem as important as Joe Greene. That's ridiculous.
Kevin Greene was a good player who was elected to the Hall of Fame. He played for five teams in his 15-year NFL career. He spent three seasons with the Steelers.
Joe Greene and Harris had more Super Bowl seasons with the Steelers than Kevin Greene had total seasons.
He probably belongs in the Hall of Honor (emphasize probably), but not in the first class.
Andy Russell is a worthy choice, a Steeler for life and one of the few holdovers from then pre-Noll era. He has been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that's a shame.
But he shouldn't have been in the first class. When you think of the most important people in Steelers' history, Russell is not a name that immediately comes to mind.
Why induct so many members immediately? Who gets honored in future years? There is a waiting period, so players like Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, automatic choices, are not yet eligible.
Ben Roethlisberger will be there some day. Probably Antonio Brown and James Harrison, too.
But what's wrong with saving some of the old-timers for future classes? Limit the groups and give each member a special moment rather that being part of a roll call.
Being part of the first class should have been a special distinction. Instead, the most important people are part of a busload of players, a few of whom were just passing through. John Henry Johnson spent just half of his Hall of Fame career with the Steelers and had two exceptional seasons. He belongs, but not now.
Even Rod Woodson spent eight full seasons with the Steelers, and seven seasons with three other teams. He could have waited, too.
Five people deserved to be apart from the group for the first induction.
Instead, they're part of a busload.
Fumble, Steelers.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)