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, Josh Scobee.

After Tommy Maddox left the Steelers and the NFL in 2005, it would take another ten years for No. 8 to appear on the field for Pittsburgh.

Scobee was a longtime kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, playing ten years for the team. Over his time there, Scobee suited up for 168 games, making 80.8% of his field goal attempts and 98.4% of his extra point attempts.

He led the NFL in field goal completion percentage in 2007, but by the time he played his final year with the Jaguars, Scobee’s numbers had started to slip.

Scobee was coming off a 2014 season that saw him go a perfect 23-for-23 on extra points, but only 20-for-26 (76.9%) on field goals. His track record was still solid, but cracks were starting to show. He was hopeful to rebound in 2015.

Meanwhile, over in Pittsburgh, the Steelers suddenly needed a new kicker.

Shaun Suisham had been the Steelers kicker in years, first taking over the job midway through the 2010 season. In his ten-year career, split between Dallas, Washington, and Pittsburgh, Suisham made 84.1% of his field goal tries and 99.3% of his extra point attempts. With the Steelers, he made 87.9% of his field goals and was a perfect 100% on the point after.

He did not lose his job due to poor performance.

Instead, an injury sustained in a preseason game derailed and ultimately cut his football career short. The Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio had long been criticized for its poor field conditions. Injuries while playing at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium were common, players were vocal in their concerns over the conditions.

Suisham was heading into his sixth season with the Steelers in 2015, when Pittsburgh was pitted against the Minnesota Vikings to kick off the preseason. Suisham would boot a successful field goal in the first half, which wound up being the team’s only points in the game.

But in the second half, on a kickoff, Suisham was sprinting up the field to try and join the play. While attempting to make a tackle, Suisham slipped on the field, falling awkwardly and having to be helped off the field by teammates and staff.

Upon evaluation, he had a torn ACL and cartilage damage, requiring season-ending surgery. For Pittsburgh, it was a tough loss. Not only was the team losing a key member of their special teams and one of the more reliable kickers in the sport, Suisham was lost in a preseason game while performing a job he already had locked up.

Suisham, for his part, had no regrets.

“I’m playing football for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about three weeks later. “There’s never been a moment when I’ve been on a football field where I gave anything less than 100 percent.” 

“I’m just playing football the way I know how to play it,” he added. “Because I’m a kicker, in my mind, doesn’t change anything. We’re running under coverage, and there are 10 other guys trying to make a play, and I think it would be crazy for me not to do the same.”

Suisham did, however, criticize the field conditions, saying he didn’t believe it came to a surprise to anyone that someone was injured on the field.

The incident was a wake-up call for the NFL, prompting him to be described as a “martyr” for the preseason tradition. In 2016, the game was canceled due to poor field conditions, and the following year, the stadium got a massive revamp to increase safety for play.

Suisham was described as a “martyr” for that stadium, and the following year, the game was canceled due to poor field conditions. After the year off, the stadium got a massive revamp that increased the safety for play on the field.

But while Suisham was influential in a much needed change, his injury still left the Steelers without a kicker for the 2015 season. Originally, the team signed Garrett Hartley to take over the role, but he too was injured in preseason action.

That forced a call to the Jaguars, which ended with the Steelers acquiring Scobee from Jacksonville for a sixth round pick.

He made his Steelers debut Week 1, wearing No. 8, but had a rough start to his season. On Pittsburgh’s opening drive of the game, Scobee missed a 44-yard try. In the second quarter, he also missed a 46-yard yarder.

His first field goal as a Steeler came in the dying seconds of the first half, putting Pittsburgh on the board at 14-3.

Early in the fourth, Scobee also made a 24-yard chip shot, and he added an extra point as the Steelers found the end zone late in the fourth quarter. But the Steelers ultimately fell 28-21.

Scobee was 3-for-4 in the extra point department in his second game, a 43-18 statement win at home over San Francisco. He also made a pair of field goals in a 12-6 Week 3 win over St. Louis.

But things fell apart in Week 4.

The Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a pivotal AFC North matchup, and like these games almost often do, it came down to the wire. This was also one of the three starts that Michael Vick made with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh scored first, with Scobee making a 45-yard field goal to put the Steelers up 3-0. The Ravens responded with a touchdown before the first quarter was over. Late in the first half, the Steelers struck back for a touchdown of their own, with Scobee knocking through the extra point to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the half, the Steelers defense forced a Joe Flacco fumble, recovering it deep in Baltimore’s territory. The Steelers capitalized, and Scobee’s extra point put Pittsburgh up 20-7. But the Ravens weren’t out of it. Baltimore scored on their next possession to put them within six, and early in the fourth quarter, a field goal made it a three-point game.

With 4:09 left to go in the game, the Steelers were able to make a stand and prevent a 4th & inches try by the Ravens, forcing a turnover on downs. The Steelers started their drive with a 21-yard run by Le’Veon Bell to put them at the Ravens’ 36-yard line, but the drive stalled, forcing a field goal try. On a 49-yard try, Scobee just missed, keeping it a three-point game.

The Ravens got another chance, but couldn’t even gain a yard. On 4th & 10, the Ravens had to go for it, but the play resulted in a ten-yard sack by James Harrison. The Steelers then ran the ball with Bell three times, but could only advance six yards, setting up another field goal try.

Out came Scobee to attempt a 41-yard field goal with 1:06 to go. He missed to the left again. The Ravens couldn’t believe their luck. They had a third chance to stay alive, and this time, they didn’t waste it.

Baltimore kicked a game-tying field goal with seven seconds left to push the game to overtime. Scobee’s struggles scared the Steelers away from sending him back out there. Twice in overtime the Steelers, within the 40-yard line of Baltimore, went for it on fourth down instead of trying a Scobee kick. They failed to convert twice.

The Ravens would eventually win it, kicking a game-winner field goal to steal a 23-20 win from Pittsburgh. Scobee was crushed.

“I feel like I let the team down,” he said after the game. “It’s a bad feeling. It was a hard fought game on both sides. I wish I had been able to come through, but it just wasn’t my night.”

What many had predicted after that miserable night turned out to be true: the loss marked the end of Scobee’s time with the Steelers. Two days later, Scobee was cut, and the Steelers picked up Chris Boswell.

Boswell has had the job ever since, now heading into his 11th season with the Steelers. Aside from a very rocky 2018, Boswell has been stellar for the Steelers ever since getting the call. Career wise, Boswell is 88% on his field goals and 95.4% on his extra points.

Scobee, meanwhile, did not take the field again in the NFL. He signed a deal with the New Orleans Saints in the following offseason, but was cut in May. In April of 2017, Scobee signed a one-day contract with Jacksonville to retire a Jaguar, the team he led all-time in scoring.