PITTSBURGH – Carlton Haselrig, a Pro Bowl right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 1990s, who is also the only fighter in NCAA history to win six national championships, died Wednesday. He was 54 years old.
Pat Pecora, who coached Haselrig at the NCAA Division II and Division I heavyweight championships at the Division II and Division I levels in the 1980s at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, said Haselrig had been in trouble. health in recent years. The school said in a statement that Haselrig’s death was due to natural causes.
Not having played badly in college football after suffering an injury his freshman year at Lock Haven, Haselrig spent five years in the NFL after the Steelers led him into the 12th round of the 1990 draft. His career was cut short. in the mid-1990s due to a battle against alcohol and substance abuse. He got into mixed martial arts in the late 2000s, going 3-2 before retiring.
Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, about an hour east of Pittsburgh, the 6-foot-1, 295-pound Haselrig attempted to play college football for Lock Haven before transferring to college in his hometown. Athletic and exceptionally fast for his size, Haselrig made a career unprecedented in NCAA history.
Haselrig captured the Division II titles in 1987, 1988, and 1989. NCAA rules at the time allowed individual champions in the lower divisions to compete in the Division I championships. Haselrig won the Division I title every year, leading to the formation of what became known as the “Haselrig Rule,” which prevented lower division fighters from competing in Division I. At one point, Haselrig won 122 consecutive games.
“We accomplished something that could never be broken,” said Pecora.
When asked what made Haselrig stand out, Pecora emphasized that it wasn’t just Haselrig’s immense physical gifts.
“Mentally he had a unique perspective, he just wasn’t intimidated,” said Pecora. “He didn’t know that just because you went to a small school and you weren’t supposed to hit someone from a bigger school. To him that was like saying this guy comes from a bigger house, he should hit you. He didn’t believe that. “
The itch to return to football came before Haselrig’s last year. He explored the possibility of transferring to the main Pittsburgh campus, but ended up staying at Pitt-Johnstown. Pecora invited a handful of scouts to open training a few months before the draft. Inexperienced but talented, Haselrig made a good impression on Steelers general manager Tom Donahoe.
“Carlton came in and I remember Tom saying, ‘I haven’t seen a man like that since then [Hall of Famer] Joe Greene, ‘”Pecora said.
While some of the scouts hinted at trying to sign the untested Haselrig as an undrafted rookie free agent, Donahoe promised to take Haselrig with the Steelers’ final pick in the 1990 draft, a deal he and Pecora came to. after a long sitting after training.
“I said, ‘Send Carlton and the toughest player you have to a room and tell him only one will come out, I know which one will come out,'” Pecora said with a laugh.
Haselrig became a starter in his second season in 1991 and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1992 while opening gaps for NFL leader Barry Foster. He started 36 games in four seasons with Pittsburgh before being released before the 1994 season due to concerns off the field. He returned for a year with the New York Jets in 1995, playing in 11 games before leaving the sport for good.
Haselrig was inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. He is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, among other honors.
Survivors include his wife, Michelle, and nine children.
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