PITTSBURGH — Shortly after Mike Webster was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, Terry Bradshaw transformed from a classic underachiever who couldn't hold his starting job into one of the best big-game quarterbacks ever.
Bradshaw, whose bond with his Hall of Fame teammate went well beyond that of the usual quarterback-center relationship, said it wasn't a coincidence.
Webster, who died Tuesday at age 50 following years of health problems, wasn't the most appreciated of the 10 Hall of Famers who led the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in six years.
But the man known as "Iron Mike" for his toughness and durability might have been the least replaceable, especially to Bradshaw.
"Mike meant more to me than just a teammate because our careers were so intertwined," Bradshaw said Tuesday. "He was my center for nine years, when my career really took off as a quarterback, and I couldn't have had a more dependable blocker and leader in front of me."
Bradshaw, now a TV personality who seldom frequents Pittsburgh, has grown distant from many former teammates. That's why he was pleased to induct Webster into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, even if Webster's post-football agonies were overwhelming his life.
Bothered by debt, depression and bad health, he separated from his wife, Pam, and their children and temporarily lived in his truck. The very tough-guy insistence that drove him to play in 177 consecutive games may have resulted in the concussions that led to brain damage and a condition that occasionally caused him to act erratically.
In 1999, Webster was placed on probation in Beaver County, Pa., for pleading no contest to charges he forged prescriptions for the drug Ritalin, which is often used to treat hyperactive children.
But even on a day when Webster didn't have a proper shirt to wear — he wore a sports shirt rather than the usual shirt and tie — Webster's Hall of Fame induction was his finest hour, Bradshaw said.
As dozens of Hall of Famers and thousands of fans laughed along with them, Webster crouched in his familiar center's position so Bradshaw could fake taking one last snap.
"I would have given anything to be with Mike last week and ask him to bend over one last time . . . and let me put my hands under the greatest center of all time," Bradshaw said Tuesday. "I'm sure up in heaven, Johnny U. is doing it for me."
Webster is one of three high-profile NFL players to die in the last two weeks, along with quarterback Johnny Unitas and wide receiver Bob Hayes.
Webster was admitted to Allegheny General Hospital over the weekend, after attending his son's high school football game. He died Tuesday morning in the hospital's coronary care unit. The Steelers initially said he had a heart attack but declined comment after the hospital refused to reveal the cause of death.
As Webster's former teammates heard the news, all had similar thoughts: what a great football player, and what a tragic post-career. The center on the All-Time NFL team in 2000, Webster found his life after football the opposite of his disciplined, overachieving NFL career.
"He was one of the main reasons why we won four Super Bowls," Franco Harris said. "Unfortunately, he had some turmoil and misfortune after his football career. He is now at peace."
During one of his last public appearances, at a Steelers Hall of Famers reunion at Heinz Field in July, Webster did not feel up to taking part in the proceedings and sat offstage in a private area.
Those Steelers were known for Bradshaw's charismatic flair, Lynn Swann's acrobatics, Harris' precision running, Jack Lambert's glares and Joe Greene's intimidation, but they remembered Webster for setting the tone for their greatness and toughness. The first to arrive for a workout and the last to leave, he bulked himself up from a 225-pound center at Wisconsin into a 260-pound strong man who wore short sleeves even for January playoff games. He always ran to the line of scrimmage, as if he couldn't wait to start blocking the nose tackle in front of him.
He wasn't away from football even at home, where he had a blocking sled in his front yard and a weightlifting machine in his back yard.
"He was the toughest, the hardest worker, the most dependable, the greatest mentor," former teammate Tunch Ilkin said.
Long known as the game's strongest player, Webster was rarely pushed off a block or gave up a sack. Former Steelers coach Chuck Noll said, "He was the one position I never had to worry about."
Raised on a 640-acre potato farm near Tomahawk, Wis., Webster didn't play football until he was a high school junior because his farm duties prevented it. Still, he earned a scholarship to Wisconsin, where he started for three years before being drafted by the Steelers in 1974, the year they also drafted Swann, Lambert and Stallworth.
He played 15 seasons until he quit in 1989, but the retirement lasted only a few months. Hired by the Kansas City Chiefs as an offensive line coach, he soon decided he still wanted to play and spent two more years in the league.
His off-field problems began shortly after he quit playing.
"I know Webby's life after football wasn't the greatest. He went through a lot of tough years, but he never complained about anything," Bradshaw said.
As a tribute to his father, Garrett Webster, who was living with his father at the time of his death, said he will play in Moon Area High School's game Friday.
Webster also is survived by two sons and two daughters.