The Pittsburgh Steelers recently retired Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene’s uniform number.

Greene is considered one of the greatest players in NFL history.

His number was 75.

Billy Jackson is a 6-foot, 295-pound offensive/defensive lineman and third-year starter on the Seton-La Salle football team.

Jackson is a center on offense and defensive tackle on defense. He was an all-conference selection at defensive tackle last season.

He wears uniform No. 75.

Big shoes to fill?

Naw. Jackson actually chose the number in honor of Greene.

“I picked the number 75 because of Mean Joe Greene,” Jackson said. “He was a great athlete at the defensive tackle position, and that is what I play. I have watched games he played in and he played hard every down to the whistle.”

Baldwin senior Sterling Jenkins, a 6-8, 300-pound lineman, narrowed his final uniform number down to two choices.

The Penn State recruit opted for No. 72.

“When I was deciding on what new number I wanted in my varsity career, it was between 72 or 75, alluding to my father being born in 1972 and my stepmother’s birth year of 1975,” Jenkins said.

Another Seton-La Salle lineman, senior Jacob Blahut, dons a uniform number in honor of a former outstanding lineman for the Rebels.

“When I was a freshman, I wore No. 76. A senior, Patrick Morgan (who wore uniform No. 55), was aggressive and always gave his all for the team. He was just someone that I wanted to be like, on the football field. My sophomore year, I selected the number 55 in his honor,” Blahut said.

Adam Ottaviano is proud to wear No. 8 as a senior tight end/linebacker at Seton-La Salle.

“There’s no true reason why I wear No. 8, but I’ve never had a specific number throughout high school,” Ottaviano said. “No. 8 was previously worn by (former Seton-La Salle gridders) James Ross and Mike DelSardo, who were two very good players.”

For Dequay Broadwater, a senior wide receiver/strong safety for the Rebels, it was a matter of combining two of his favorite numbers.

“Freshman year, I wanted No. 1 or No. 5, but freshmen didn’t get to choose their numbers,” Broadwater said. “Sophomore year, when I wanted No. 1 or No. 5, my coach didn’t let anyone wear those numbers. So I got No. 15.”

Another Seton-La Salle senior, running back/linebacker Ricky Mellick, has won No. 24 since his youth football days.

He started out with that number, and has stuck with it.

“I wear No. 24 because it was the first number I wore when I started playing football at the age of 6,” Mellick said.

Matt Reinmund, a senior wide receiver/defensive back at Seton-La Salle, wears No. 9.

“It was just kind of thrown to me my sophomore year and I’ve stuck with it ever since,” Reinmund said. “It’s worked out pretty well I think.”

At Thomas Jefferson, senior wide receiver/linebacker Frankie Langan owns one of the highest numbers — No. 81 — on the team.

“I’m not really crazy about what number I am,” Langan said. “I’ve kept it because I liked it, and it was my number since my freshman year and I thought there was no reason to change it.”

Brentwood senior quarterback/linebacker Connor McWilliams, like Seton-La Salle’s Jackson, dons a former Steelers’ great’s uniform number.

McWilliams, a three-sport standout, wears No. 12— the same number as Steelers’ Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw.

“The summer before my freshman year I got stuck with No. 21 until 12 (became available). Being a quarterback, I didn’t want a number in the 20s, so I jumped on the opportunity to switch,” McWilliams said. “Ever since then I have been 12, and it is now my number in all three sports.”

Meanwhile, Baldwin senior quarterback/linebacker Doug Altavilla wears a baseball number, in a sense.

Altavilla shares uniform No. 13 with Clint Hurdle, the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I was a lineman until eighth grade when Coach (Tony) Cherico gave me the opportunity to play quarterback,” Altavilla said. “I was sick of wearing lineman numbers over the years and decided on No. 13.”

Gridiron memories last a lifetime

Playing varsity football creates memories that last a lifetime.

Playing in your first varsity game is a special memory for many high school football players.

“My most memorable experience as a Baldwin football player would have to be my first varsity game start against Bethel Park last year,” said Brandon Wyse, a senior running back/defensive back for the Fighting Highlanders.

Matt Dunn, a senior offensive/defensive lineman, concurred.

“My most memorable experience was playing my first varsity football game in my sophomore year in front of the home crowd,” Dunn said.

Baldwin’s Ean Eshelman, another senior offensive/defensive lineman, offered a more analytical response.

His thoughts?

“This is always a really hard question for me to answer,” Eshelman said. “There are so many great memories from my football experiences.

“A few of my favorites are the victory over Mt. Lebanon last year; also, the chance to rebuild the Baldwin football team under Coach (Pete) Wagner.”

For two Seton-La Salle gridders, competing in the playoffs has stood out as career highlights.

In particular, Blahut remembers the Rebels’ playoff game against South Fayette last year.

“There was so much emotion and heart put into that game by the whole team, and even though we lost, the sheer emotion placed the game deep down in my memories,” Blahut said.

One that stands out for Mellick is the Rebels’ playoff game against Jeannette four years ago.

“Because it was the (WPIAL) semifinals, and the atmosphere of the game was unlike anything I had ever felt before,” Mellick said.

Ottaviano offered a diplomatic response.

“My most memorable experience so far was meeting Coach (Damon) Rosol for the first time and seeing how excited he was to be the head coach of Seton-La Salle football,” Ottaviano said. “He really gives the team a lot of confidence by the way he teaches and coaches us.”

At Brentwood, senior offensive/defensive lineman Brendan Mulholland said that “beating California (last season) for Coach (Kevin) Kissel’s 100th career win” was a career highlight for him.

Cody Conroy, a senior tight end/defensive end at Brentwood, recalls a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory against Chartiers-Houston back in 2011.

“We won an outstanding game in overtime,” Conroy said.

Seton-La Salle senior wide receiver/defensive back Matt Reinmund enjoys the Rebels’ rivalries with Keystone Oaks and South Fayette.

“Everyone loves rivalry week at school. We all get really excited over the games,” Reinmund said. “You always want to beat your rivals, especially the one across the street.”

Rivalry week for Thomas Jefferson also is “huge” for Langan, as the Jaguars annually play rival West Mifflin in their final game of the regular season.

“The huge rivalry makes it so much more than your typical game, and it was awesome playing in front of so many people,” Langan said.

But perhaps Broadwater’s assessment of his football career at Seton-La Salle resonates the best for most high school athletes.

Broadwater’s assessment?

“Making friends that I think will last a lifetime,” he said.

Ray Fisher is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at 412-388-5820 or rfisher@tribweb.com.

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