The Steelers have had many outstanding offensive weapons throughout their glorious history. Players like Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, and Harris have all been part of that rich history, but all Pittsburgh fans know that great defensive stars are the Steelers' trademark. The legacy of the Steelers lie's in names like Lambert, Greene, Blount, Shell, Woodson, Ham, and Lloyd. We may soon be able to add the name Levon Kirkland to that list. Steelers fans have watched this man from South Carolina blossom over his five year career into the NFL's premier inside linebacker. Never has a player combined size, speed, instincts, and athleticism into one package like Kirkland has. He was drafted in the second round of the 1992 draft with the 38th overall pick. He was the fifth linebacker taken after the likes of Quentin Coryatt, Marco Coleman, Robert Jones, and Mark D'Onofrio. Lorenzo Levon Kirkland is the son of a preacher who grew up with the values of hard work and respect for others instilled in him by his parents. Almost everyone who has met Kirkland has come away believing he is one of the league's finest gentlemen. Kirkland was an honorable mention all-state player at Lamar High while playing TE, OLB, and KR. He also lettered in basketball. The fact that this huge man once lettered in basketball and returned kicks should tell you a lot about his athletic ability. Kirkland was only offered two scholarships coming out of high school and ended up attending Clemson University. There must have been about 100 other Division One universities regretting that decision. Kirkland never missed a game at Clemson and set the school record for OLB's with 43 starts. Kirkland ranks fourth on Clemson's all time sack leaders list. He was a Lombardi Award finalist after recording 5.5 sacks and 67 tackles in his senior season. These numbers also earned him first team All-American and All-ACC honors. Kirkland, in his junior year, was the only underclassman among the five Butkus Award finalists. As a sophomore, he recorded 6.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 77 tackles. Although Kirkland only started 7 games as a freshman, he had 71 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Levon played every game for the Steelers on special teams during his rookie season. By his second season, he beat out David Little and made 12 starts. Kirkland made a big impact. He was second only to Lloyd in tackles (103), had 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 sack, and a touchdown. He had 10 tackles versus San Francisco in his first ever start. Kirkland had numerous big plays in the first year he saw considerable playing time. In 1994 Kirkland played every game and finished second in tackles again. He added 3 sacks and 6 pass defenses. He also had 2 interceptions in one game versus Miami. 1995 saw Kirkland elected co-defensive captain with Lloyd, and he started every game for the first time in his career. He finished second on the team in tackles again and 15 of those were behind the line of scrimmage. It was in the 1995 post-season that Levon Kirkland introduced himself to those outside of Pittsburgh under the spotlight that only the playoffs can provide. He led the team in tackles during the post-season. His 4th quarter interception versus Buffalo set up a touchdown and he forced a fumble versus the Colts in the 4th quarter of a very close game. He also led the Steelers with 8 tackles in Super Bowl XXX and also got a sack. 1996 was a breakout year for Levon. After a fantastic post-season the year before, people now knew the name "Levon Kirkland". The challenge for him was to repeat his performance in last years playoffs for a full season. What made the task even tougher was the loss of Greg Lloyd in the season opener. Despite all of this, Levon rsponded with his best season ever. He was the only Steeler linebacker to start every game and finally led the team in tackles with 113. He had 17 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 13 QB pressures, 4 interceptions, and 4 sacks. The tone for his great season was set versus Jacksonville in Week 1. Kirkland had 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 pass defenses. He led the team in tackles 4 times, had double digit tackles 3 times, 2 sacks versus Cincinnati, and had his first ever post-season interception. Kirkland reaped the rewards for his career year. He was voted second team All-Pro by the AP and UPI and earned first team honors from Football Digest, Football News, and College and Pro Football Weekly. He also earned his first ever Pro Bowl appearance. 1997 brought more of what the Steelers fans have come to accept from "Captain Kirk" as the league's best inside linebacker. He once again had over 100 tackles, he also added 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and 7 pass defenses. Levon shined all season long but probably had one of his best games versus Denver in the AFC Championship. In that game he had 11 tackles, 7 solo tackles, a sack, an interception, and 2 pass defenses. His one-handed interception versus Shannon Sharpe was beautiful, and I will never forget the way he ran stride for stride with Sharpe for 30 yards and was in better position for the Elway pass than Sharpe was. Levon Kirkland has now become the undisputed defensive leader on one of the NFL's top defenses. Since Greg Lloyd only played in 12 of the Steelers last 36 games, the title of defensive leader fell to Kirkland. He has not disappointed the coaches or fans with his level of play. Although his demeanor isn't quite as "fierce" as Lambert or Greene or Lloyd, his play is up there with the best of them. He is one of the NFL's good guys and now the league's best at his position. We should all be thankful he wears Black and Gold and let's all hope he ends his career that way.

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