The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially 63 days out from their 2026 NFL regular season kickoff! Can you believe it? The Steel City brand of football is about to explode back onto the scene on September 13 when they host the Atlanta Falcons. It's always a wild time when the season kicks off, and it's got us thinking about the numbers that make up this legendary franchise, especially jersey No. 63.
Dermontti Dawson's Undeniable Mark on 63
Right now, there isn't a single player wearing No. 63 for the Steelers. Nope, it's just sitting there, quiet and empty, but boy does it speak volumes! That number is unofficially retired, a silent shout-out to the absolute legend who made it his own: **Dermontti Dawson**. This guy was a Hall of Fame center, rocking that jersey from 1988 all the way to 2000. Think about that run, over a decade of pure dominance in the trenches that earned him the ultimate respect from the franchise. When a number gets retired, even unofficially, it tells you everything about the player's impact. Dawson wasn't just good, he was the *best wearer* in franchise history for a reason. He was always in the thick of it. We saw him battling against the Detroit Lions in '92, holding it down versus the New Orleans Saints in '93, even when he was on the bench for a moment. He faced off with the Los Angeles Raiders in '94 and again in '95, showing up every single game. The stakes were always sky-high with Dawson on the field, especially in the postseason! He was on the bench for that wild 1993 AFC Wild Card playoff game where the Chiefs barely scraped by the Steelers 27-24. And who can forget the 1997 AFC Championship? Dawson was in action against the Denver Broncos in that one, a brutal 24-21 loss for Pittsburgh that had to sting. He gave everything he had, every single time he strapped on that #63.From Holmes to History: The Other Legends of No. 63
But Dawson wasn't the *only* one to leave his mark with No. 63. Before him, you had other tough players like Robert Washington in '87, Pete Rostosky from '84 to '86, and Thom Dornbrook back in '79. And then there's **Ernie Holmes**, a defensive tackle who wore it from 1972 to 1977. Holmes was part of some seriously historic Steelers teams, the kind that defined an era and built that "Steel City brand" of football we still talk about today. We're talking about the guy who, alongside Dwight White, absolutely brought down Dallas Cowboys running back Robert Newhouse during Super Bowl X in Miami, back in '76! Talk about making a play on the biggest stage! That was a massive game, etching their names into history as the Steelers snagged their second consecutive Super Bowl title with a thrilling 21-17 win over the Cowboys. That's pure championship legacy right there. You even saw Holmes on the sidelines in '75 and on the bench in '76, a vital piece of those legendary squads, ready to make an impact whenever his number was called. Sixty-three days. That's it, folks! The clock is absolutely ticking down fast. On September 13, the Steelers kick off their 2026 regular season at home against the Atlanta Falcons. It's a fresh start, a new chapter, and you know the Steel City faithful are going to be absolutely buzzing, ready to carry on the tradition of legends like Dawson and Holmes. Every single game matters from that first whistle, every play, every tackle, every drive. The energy in the stadium for that opener is going to be insane! Get ready, because the brand of football we love is almost back, and you just know the new guys will be playing for the history and the numbers on their backs!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.