Wayne Douglas Legursky II (born June 9, 1986) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

center. He was signed by the Steelers as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2008. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

. Legursky also played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

Early life

He played at Woodrow Wilson High School in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

. The 2003 Hunt Award Winner as the best lineman in the state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, was awarded to Legursky. On September 4, 2009, Legursky was inducted to the Woodrow Wilson Football Hall Of Fame.

College career

He set two Marshall weight room records for the squat (705 lbs.) and the hang clean (430 lbs.) as a three-year starter at Marshall.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)

Legursky signed with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

as an

on April 28, 2008. He was released on June 28 but re-signed the following day. Legursky was released by the team during final cuts on August 30, but re-signed to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on October 1 after

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Kendall Simmons was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. Legursky replaced Pouncey during the Steelers's 24-19

AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal NFL playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football lea ...

win on January 23, 2011. Legursky started his very first game at center in

Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

due to

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

rookie Maurkice Pouncey's ankle injury. Although Legursky fumbled a snap to quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. ( ; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Ste ...

on the goal line resulting in a Jets safety, he helped RB

Rashard Mendenhall Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is an American former football running back who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Pitt ...

run for a playoff career-high 121 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers lost to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

31–25 in

. After not being re-signed by the Steelers after the 2010–2011 season, Legursky became an unrestricted free agent.

Buffalo Bills

On June 5, 2013, Legursky signed with the

San Diego Chargers

On September 11, 2014, Legursky signed with the

. He replaced Nick Hardwick, who had been injured and out for the rest of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

On August 25, 2015, it was announced that the Steelers had re-signed Legursky. He was released on September 5, 2015 but re-signed the next day after Maurkice Pouncey was placed on injured reserve.

References

External links

Marshall Thundering Herd bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legursky, Doug 1986 births Living people American football centers American football offensive guards Buffalo Bills players Marshall Thundering Herd football players Sportspeople from Beckley, West Virginia Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from West Virginia San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Frankfurt Woodrow Wilson High School (Beckley, West Virginia) alumni