Before their glory years in the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Steelers had far too few stars on their roster.

Jack Butler was an exception.

A cornerback for the Black and Gold from 1951-59, Butler made four Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro four times. Only Mel Blount (57) has more career interceptions for the Steelers than Butler’s total of 52.

Butler died Saturday in Pittsburgh at the age of 85. Ironically, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame just last summer after waiting 47 years. He was also named to the Steelers’ All-Time Team when the franchise celebrated its 50th and 75th seasons in 1982 and 2007, respectively.

The Steelers’ history prior to Chuck Noll taking over as head coach in 1969 is often ignored. It’s much more interesting for fans to mull over the draft picks who helped Pittsburgh build a dynasty of four Super Bowl titles in six years. Players like Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris parlayed individual success into unprecedented team achievements.

Still, Butler’s feats are worth a look.

A native of Pittsburgh, he played his college football at St. Bonaventure University and caught on with the Steelers despite not being drafted.

He totaled at least six interceptions in a season five times, leading the NFL with 10 picks in 1957. When he retired due to a knee injury following the 1959 season, only future Hall of Famer Emlen Tunnell (Giants, Packers) had more career thefts.

Butler’s numbers earned him a spot on the NFL’s Team of the Decade for the 1950s.

Team success was another matter. Butler helped the Steelers to back-to-back winning seasons at the end of his career, 7-4-1 in 1958 and 6-5-1 in 1959. But Pittsburgh’s cumulative mark during his playing days was a mediocre 48-57-3.

Steeler fans, like all sports fans, often attach themselves to players and plays they can see. I am proof of this.

Highlights of the dominating performance turned in by Pittsburgh’s defense in Super Bowl IX, Lynn Swann’s circus-like catches in Super Bowl X and Bradshaw’s game-winning bombs to John Stallworth in Super Bowl XIV were ingrained into my memory at an early age.

But because of when he played, footage of Butler is scarce. This, coupled with the fact that Pittsburgh had no postseason appearances during his career, has allowed Butler to slip through the cracks with most fans, much like other stars of the pre-Noll era Steelers such as John Henry Johnson, Ernie Stautner and Bill Dudley. All three, by the way, are enshrined in Canton alongside Butler.

In the 1950s, the Steelers, while seldom a good team, were known for a hard-hitting defense that made opponents earn every yard. Butler was a big reason for that.

Derek Pyda is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.