When quarterback Aaron Rodgers first signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was intrigue over what jersey number he would wear. For 18 years in Green Bay, Rodgers wore No. 12.

But that number has a rich history in Pittsburgh with the Steelers. While not being officially retired by the organization, no one has worn No. 12 since Hall of Fame and four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw. Would Rodgers interfere with the legacy of that number?

Rodgers eventually took No. 8, the digit he wore for two years in New York. But while the stories of that number in Steelers history are far less legendary, they are still fascinating. Somehow, despite only eight players having worn that number in franchise history, their collective stories span from World War II to the present.

These are the stories of the eight players who wore No. 8 before Aaron Rodgers. In today’s edition, Ev Fisher.

Everett “King” Fisher, known in more recent publications as Eve Fisher, has the distinction of being the first player in Steelers history to dawn No. 8 on the field.

Fisher played 26 career NFL games as both a blocking end and fullback over three seasons, and his time with the Steelers coincided with the first season that the legendary franchise used the name we now know and love today.

Described as “the greatest fullback Santa Rosa has given college football since Ernie Nevers,” Fisher played his university ball at Santa Clara University with the Broncos.

He was a member of both the 1936 and 1937 Santa Clara teams that won two consecutive Sugar Bowls.

The 1936 Santa Clara team went 8-1 in head coach Buck Shaw’s first year. Their season included five shutout wins, and the Broncos outscored their opponents by a total score of 139-36.

They started off their season with a 13-0 shutout win on the road at Stanford, and followed it up with a 26-0 blowout of the University of Portland at home.

The Bronco defense didn’t allow any opposing points until their third game, when the University of San Francisco was able to get seven on the board. But Santa Clara still pulled off the win, 15-7.

The Broncos were so close to a perfect record, but they fell to TCU at home in their second to last game of the season for their first loss. Ironically, they were shut out 9-0 in that game.

In the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, the Broncos defeated No. 2 ranked LSU 21-14.

The following year, the Santa Clara team found a way to outdo themselves. The 1937 Broncos went undefeated that season, and outscored opponents a whopping 163-9.

They started their season with a 13-7 win over Stanford, and the (at the time) Indians scored the first and only touchdown scored against Santa Clara all year. The Broncos would record four straight shutout victories before San Jose State was able to put up a measly two points against them.

Their biggest win of the season was a 38-0 thrashing of No. 14 ranked Marquette at Soldier Field in Chicago. Their season capped off with a second straight Sugar Bowl victory over LSU, with the Broncos defense holding strong in the rain-soaked game and Santa Clara winning 6-0.

By the time his college years at Santa Clara University was over, Fisher was heavily coveted by several professional teams.

“Yes, I’ve had several pro offers,” he told The Press Democrat in January of 1938. “I’m not certain about taking it up, but I think I will. Contracts in four digits are an awful temptation to a young fellow and I’m through with college in June.”

Fisher cited the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Rams, and Chicago Cardinals as “a few” of the teams that had reached out with interest in his services.

But while Fisher did admit that the money in the pro game was quite enticing, he was not a reckless college student looking to score cash. The press praised Fisher for his smarts, good grades, and his serious planning about his future. He had a plan on what to do with that money from the game.

“It would give me enough money to go on to Columbia in New York for my master’s degree,” he said. “And help a little towards a teaching job, with coaching in view.”

After graduating, Fisher went on to sign with the Cardinals. It was an adjustment for the Napa, California native in more way than one.

There was the obvious change from college ball to the pros, but Fisher was leaving almost unparalleled success in Santa Clara for one of the worst teams in the NFL in 1939. They finished last place in the West Division with a record of 2-9. The Cardinals were tied for the worst record in the league with the Pittsburgh Pirates (before they were known as the Steelers).

Fisher appeared in all 11 games, but only caught three passes for 48 yards.

It was a brutal season, one that prompted a coaching change. The new man in charge was someone who Fisher had once been compared to back from his Santa Clara days: Ernie Nevers.

Nevers had been coaching for over a decade, including two years with the Cardinals organization back in the early 1930s. But his head coaching résumé was filled with losing.

Prior to taking the Cardinals gig in 1939, Nevers had served as a head coach for four years with three different teams. He coached the NFL’s Duluth Eskimos in 1927, the Cardinals in 1930 and 1931, and the Lafayette College Leopards in 1936.

Those teams had a combined record of 12-26-2. That track record didn’t change when he went back to Chicago. The Cardinals went 1-10 that season, and were outscored 175-28 in their final six games.

Fisher, meanwhile, had 18 rushing attempts for 63 yards, averaging 3.5 yards a carry. He caught six passes for 52 yards as well, both of which would be career highs.

In 1940, he moved on to Pittsburgh, where he joined the football team that had just officially rebranded themselves as the Steelers.

Unfortunately for Fisher, winning ways did not present themselves even with a team change. The Steelers had won a total of three games in 18 changes over their last two years, and that trend did not change with the new name.

Pittsburgh went 2-7-2 in 1940, only league-wide beating the 1-10 Philadelphia Eagles that season and tying with Chicago, who had the exact same record.

Fisher only appeared in four games for the club, where he caught a pair of passes for 12 yards. It would end up being his final season in the NFL.

After his time on the field, Fisher went back to school, studying education at Redlands University in California. As part of his work achieving his degree, Fisher taught history at Redlands High School, where he hoped to eventually find work in northern California.

Fisher passed away in 1963, at the age of 47, from an apparent heart attack in his home in San Carlos, California. But he has etched himself into unique Steelers history in more way than one.