Craig Wolfley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Wolfley in 2016 | |||||||||
| No. 73 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Guard, tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | May 19, 1958 Buffalo, New York, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | March 10, 2025 (aged 66) | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Orchard Park (Orchard Park, New York) | ||||||||
| College | Syracuse | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1980: 5th round, 138th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Competition record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Strongman | ||
Representing  United States | ||
| World's Strongest Man | ||
| 5th | 1981 World's Strongest Man | |
Craig Alan Wolfley (May 19, 1958 – March 10, 2025) was an American professional football player and color analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played in the NFL as an offensive lineman, spending most of his career with the Steelers before finishing with the Minnesota Vikings. Along with fellow Steeler Tunch Ilkin and later Max Starks, he hosted a show, In the Locker Room, on WBGG.[2][3]
Wolfley attended Syracuse University from 1976 to 1979.[4] He was a four-year letter winner as an offensive lineman.[5] In 1999, Wolfley was named to the Syracuse University Football All Century team.[6]
Professional career
A fifth round NFL draft pick, he played offensive guard and offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1980 to 1989. He ended his career with the Minnesota Vikings from 1990 to 1991. Wolfley started 104 games, the majority at left guard.[7]
Broadcasting career
Following his retirement, Wolfley began a broadcasting career with the Steelers on the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network. Wolfley served as a sideline reporter from 2002 to 2020, calling the Steelers' most recent Super Bowl victories in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII.[8] In addition, he hosted a daily radio show, In The Locker Room with Tunch and Wolf, on WBGG with his Steelers teammate and longtime friend Tunch Ilkin.[2]
Following Ilkin's death in 2021, Wolfley replaced him as the team's color commentator on radio broadcasts.[9] Former Steeler Max Starks replaced Ilkin on Wolfley's daily show in 2021, and Steelers current play-by play announcer Rob King replaced Wolfley in 2025 after Wolfley's death.[3]
Other sports
In addition to football, Wolfley competed in weight lifting, boxing, sumo wrestling and martial arts. In 1981, he placed fifth in the World's Strongest Man competition.[10] In 2002, Wolfley lost a four-round boxing match to Butterbean.[11] He also held a black belt in jiu jitsu.[12]
Personal life
Wolfley was an evangelical Christian.[13] He attended South Hills Bible Chapel under the pastoral leadership of John Hay Munro with two other notable Steelers, Mike Webster and Tunch Ilkin. Ilkin has credited Wolfley with leading him to follow Jesus Christ.[14]
Wolfley had three daughters with his wife, Faith, Megan, Hannah, and Esther, and three sons, Kyle, 'CJ', and Max.[15] Two of those children[which?] are from a previous marriage.[citation needed] He and Faith were the former owners of the Wolfpack Boxing Club in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, where they taught boxing, martial arts and other athletics.[16]
He was the brother of Ron Wolfley, former running back of the Arizona Cardinals and later their color analyst. The two Wolfley brothers were the first brothers to play for their NFL teams and then call their teams' radio broadcasts when the Steelers defeated the Cardinals 27–23 in Super Bowl XLIII.[17]
In 2025, Wolfley wrote and released an autobiography, If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Pittsburgh Steelers, which recounts his life story, from his NFL career to his radio broadcasting career.[18]
Wolfley died from cancer on March 10, 2025, at the age of 66.[19]
Bibliography
Wolfley, Craig; Wexell, Jim (2025). If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-63727-763-8. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
