The Captain: Cam Heyward talks about his Steelers legacy, charity work, and playing with Connor
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When you talk about the Steelers' defense, you can't go without mentioning the 12-year veteran, Cam Heyward.
Over 12 years, he's recorded 73 sacks, and 369 solo tackles, and has been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award multiple times.
He's also grown and evolved into a leader for the Steelers organization both on and off the field.
This week, he spoke with KDKA-TV Sports' Rich Walsh for an exclusive one-on-one interview.
"There's tradition [here] with all the history, there's so many great players that have been a part of it, I really thrive on trying to represent this team and this city well," he said when asked about what it means to be a Steeler.
Once again, Cam is the Steelers nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and to him, it's not about the nomination, or even the award itself.
"The more I started to get nominated, the more I started to feel like the old guy in the room," Heyward laughed. "I love it, I love the work that we're doing, it means something for it to get recognized and it means something to the people we're able to help. To be able to do that on a consistent, year-to-year basis is pretty special."
The Heyward Family is no stranger to Pittsburgh. Cam's father, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward ranks third all-time in rushing yards at Pitt and spent time in the National Football League as well.
His best seasons came in Atlanta, where Cam and his brother Connor were born.
As Steelers fans know, the team recently got a win against the Falcons with Connor scoring his first NFL touchdown, just hours after the brothers went to visit their father's grave.
"I don't think we were ready for that moment at the time," Cam recalled. "In our heads, I was building it up because you don't know when the last time you'll ever get to play in Georgia, or if it's your last time, so I get more sentimental as I get older in my years and going to get a chance to play in front of my family, friends, and then going to see his grave, I just wanted to know he's there with me."
This past spring, the Steelers made headlines when they took Kenny Pickett in the first round, keeping the New Jersey native here in Pittsburgh after five years at Pitt.
However, it was their selection in the 6th round, 208th overall, that also had Steelers fans excited. It was that pick they used on Cam's brother, Connor, a tight-end out of Michigan State.
"Not many people get to experience it, they don't tell you about all the other stuff, too," Cam laughed when talking about playing with his brother. "There's a lot of questions being asked and a lot of filling in I got to do for him, but he's working his tail off. Every game, I feel like I see one or two plays that I'm pretty proud to say, 'hey, I'm related to that guy.'"
Cam Heyward's legacy as a Steeler is all but set. In 12 seasons, he's recorded 73 sacks, as we said above, but those 73 sacks set the mark for any defensive lineman in Steelers' history. He also has at least one tackle against every NFL team and been a three-time all-pro.
Even with another Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination under his belt, the work hasn't stopped.
His new initiative, Craig's Closet, makes sure every young kid has a suit to wear when they go on an interview.
