Local

Connor Heyward gets storybook first NFL touchdown in hometown of Atlanta

Connor Heyward gets storybook first NFL TD in hometown of Atlanta Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward (83) catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik) (Danny Karnik/AP)

ATLANTA, Ga — Steelers rookie Connor Heyward getting his first career touchdown in Atlanta against the Falcons on Sunday had something of a storybook feel to it.

The wide-open 17-yard grab by the Duluth, Georgia native was Pittsburgh’s first touchdown of the day against Atlanta after settling for a pair of field goals on earlier marches. But, the score also happened to come in the same city where his father — former University of Pittsburgh fullback Craig “Ironhead” Heyward — played for three years and made his only Pro Bowl.

Connor, the younger brother of Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward, posted a photo on Instagram at his father’s gravesite Saturday. Craig died in May 2006, at age 39, after a cancerous tumor metastasized to his brain.

Click here to read more from our partners at SteelersNOW.com

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

0