The quest for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get late defensive end L.C. Greenwood into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ended on the second round of voting.
Greenwood was not among the 31 players who survived the reduction announced Tuesday by the Hall of Fame.
A nine-member Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee has been tasked with finding three finalists among former players whose careers ended before the 1999 season. Greenwood was among the 182 initial candidates, and he remained on the ballot when the list was whittled to 60.
Committee members voted for 25 players in the second phase of the cutdown process. All those tied for the No. 25 spot remained eligible. The list will be reduced to nine semifinalists in November.
The only defensive linemen remaining on the ballot are Jim Marshall and Harvey Martin.
Greenwood was named a member of the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1970s. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and a six-time Pro Bowl recipient in his 13 seasons with the Steelers. He retired after the 1981 season and died of kidney failure in 2013.
Former Steelers linebacker Andy Russell also was not included on the reduction to 31 candidates.
