Kevin Colbert’s time in Pittsburgh will always be tied to one big decision: drafting Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, a pick that shaped the team for years. Now the former Steelers general manager is being honored in the team’s Hall of Honor. Head coach Mike Tomlin is among those praising him.
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“Words can’t express what this man means to me. Thanks for everything, Kevin Colbert, and congratulations on your selection to the @steelers Hall of Honor,” Mike Tomlin posted on Instagram.
Kevin Colbert isn’t walking into the Steelers’ Hall of Honor alone this year. He’s joined by former defensive back J.T. Thomas and longtime player-turned-commentator Craig Wolfley.
Colbert spent 12 seasons as the team’s general manager and was part of the front office for a full 22 years, from 2000 to 2022. In that stretch, he helped put together two Super Bowl championship teams, Super Bowl 40 and Super Bowl 43.
And of course, there’s the quarterback he’s best known for drafting, Ben Roethlisberger.
This year, Colbert opened up about how that pick actually happened, sitting down on the podcast Inside The Game. He walked through the story of how Pittsburgh, picking 11th, somehow ended up with Roethlisberger on the board.
“We knew there were three special quarterbacks in Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben, and we were picking 11th,” Colbert said. “We never thought Ben would make it down to us. As we went through the draft preparation, we talked through all the scenarios, and never once did we think Ben was going to be there.
“I’ll never forget Coach Cowher made the point, because we were coming off of a season where Tommy Maddox was doing some good things for us. But Coach Cowher said, ‘Listen, if a great quarterback like Ben gets to us, for the good of the organization, we have to take him.’
That kind of decision-making defined Colbert’s run. Over his 22 years, the Steelers went 226-124-3 in the regular season, took home the AFC North ten times, and made the playoffs 14 times. Numbers like that are a big part of why Colbert, Thomas, and Wolfley are now Steelers legends as members of the Hall of Honor Class of 2026.
The class was officially enshrined on Friday night at a dinner at Acrisure Stadium, and all three will be recognized again on Sunday when the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
“We were able to be part of the six Super Bowls, and that’s always going to be a special memory,” Colbert said, reflecting on his time as the team’s Vice President and GM. “But in all honesty, being a part of this organization and the greatness that the organization always is, the standard that they’ve always held.”
Every inductee also takes home a replica solid steel football, a nod to the original one gifted to founder Art Rooney Sr. by U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers back in 1982, during the team’s 50th season.
The Hall of Honor itself has only been around since 2017, built to recognize the players, coaches, and front office minds who shaped the franchise.
For Colbert, the honor brought everything full circle.
“It’s the realization of how special it was and how fortunate I was, and my family was, to be part of such a great organization and a great family of players, coaches, administrators, and staff. Just to be a part of that,” he added. “That’s always going to be the special moment, even though it was a 22-year moment.”
The tributes didn’t stop with Tomlin either.
“👏👏👏👏👏 Congratulations Kevin!” Brian Levy commented.
The Steelers’ official account joined in too, posting “Officially in the Hall of Honor‼️” and adding “🙌🙌” under Tomlin’s tribute.
Fans piled on as well, with one simply writing, “👏👏👏👏👏👏.”
It’s a fitting way to honor a career that quietly shaped the Steelers for over two decades.