CRAIG WOLFLEY | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Craig Wolfley, the former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman who followed his playing career with more than two decades as a beloved member of the organization’s radio broadcast team, died Monday. He was 66.

Wolfley’s death was confirmed by his widow, Faith Wolfley, via friend Bill Stern, who posted an announcement to Facebook. That post described Wolfley as having fought a “short but courageous battle with cancer.”

Wolfley spent the entirety of the 1980s as a Steeler, suiting up for the team for ten seasons under legendary head coach Chuck Noll. It was as a sideline reporter, however, that he made a lasting impression on Steelers fans; his wit, enthusiasm and insight made him an ideal third man alongside longtime play-by-play announcer Bill Hillgrove and color commentator Tunch Ilkin.

“I think it was his unbridled love of and exuberance for the game” that endeared Wolfley to Steelers fans, says broadcaster and sportswriter Mike Prisuta, the host of the Steelers’ pre-game shows (and a contributing columnist to Pittsburgh Magazine). “He just radiated joy every time. No matter what the format of the show, no matter what was happening in the game, no matter what happened after the game … he was never not excited about what he saw out there.”

Wolfley was the final link to the Steelers’ longtime radio lineup. Ilkin, whom Wolfley called a best friend, died of complications from ALS in 2021; Wolfley left the sidelines to replace him as color commentator, holding that role through the end of the 2024 season. Hillgrove retired at the end of the 2023 campaign.

Wolfley also hosted regular weeknight broadcasts during the Steelers season, first with Ilkin and then with Max Starks.

“They were all so unique as individuals and broadcasters,” Prisuta says. “The show must go on, and it will, but there won’t be another Wolfley. There just won’t.”

In addition to his wife, Wolfley is survived by six children.