HALFWAY — He played in an era of greatness on a team that might have had the best defense in the history of the National Football League.

Drafted in 1974 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he possessed all the necessary ingredients for success: speed, range, durability and intensity.

He was an intimidator who prowled the field in search of quarterbacks and helped to shape Pittsburgh’s famed Steel Curtain.

With four Super Bowl rings and a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jack Lambert is recognized as one of the premier linebackers of his time.

Count Dracula, Mad Man Jack — his persona became larger than life.

Twenty-five years after he left the game, Steelers fans count him among their all-time favorite players and Saturday, thousands of team loyalists crowded into Valley Mall for a chance to shake his hand.

Lambert was among a contingent of Steelers players — past and present — who participated in an autograph session sponsored by BT Sports Memorabilia.

Also in attendance were Mike Merriweather, outside linebacker from 1982 to 1986; and current Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

The NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, was scheduled to attend but canceled at the last minute due to illness.

Tracey Loar, co-owner of BT Sports, said Harrison’s agent confirmed that the linebacker was suffering from the flu and has rescheduled his appearance at Valley Mall for May 2.

Loar said all tickets purchased for Saturday’s signing will be honored. Ticket holders will also receive a free 8-by-10-inch photograph.  

Tickets for Harrison’s autograph session sold out almost immediately, Loar said, but additional tickets will be made available for next month’s signing.

“Pittsburgh is one of our biggest draws,” she said. “We do shows up and down the East Coast and it doesn’t matter where we are. Steelers fans come out in huge numbers to support their players.”

Loar said close to 2,000 tickets were sold for Saturday’s event, with prices ranging from $20 to $125, depending on the athlete and the item to be autographed.

Among the fans attending Saturday’s show was Anita Kay of Hagerstown, who was waiting in line to meet Lambert.

“I grew up outside of Pittsburgh and grew up cheering for the Steelers when we didn’t have much to cheer about,” she said. “That’s a true fan.”

Kay said she remembers the era of the Steel Curtain and considers Lambert to be “the model of what hard-core Steeler football is all about.”

“One of the reasons the Steelers still have the best defense is because of the players from the 1970s,” she said.  “There is a history on that team and the players who follow have to live up to that level of excellence.”

Kay said she has brothers and sisters who live all over the country but everyone still supports the Steelers.

“I’ll be a Steelers fan until it’s all over,” she said.

Scott Mays traveled 300 miles to stand in line at the mall for autographs and said it was “absolutely worth it.”

A resident of Galax, Va., Mays said he inherited his love of the Steelers from his father.

“It was the 1970s, the Steelers’ heyday, and they were always on television,” he said. “I started watching and have been a fan ever since.”

Mays purchased tickets for each of the Steelers to sign his black-and-gold electric guitar.

As the mall turned into a sea of black and gold, Merriweather signed autographs, posed for photos and reminisced about his years with the Steelers.

“I am so proud to say I played in Pittsburgh,” the former linebacker said. “They were the ones who took a chance on a small kid out of a small school — the University of the Pacific.”

Attending rookie camp, Merriweather said he was in awe of being in the same room with players like Lambert and Jack Ham.

“I couldn’t figure out what I was doing there,” he laughed. “Why did they want me?”

Merriweather said he learned a lot from the older players “who were patient with a young guy learning the ropes. I did learn quickly, though, that there was a certain work ethic that was expected from every player.  Those guys hated to lose. We played Steeler ball, which is hit the smack out of people. You never lose that training camp mentality.”

Merriweather said he now works with a number of organizations, including the national Boys and Girls Club, and also does motivational speaking.

He lives in California but still follows the Steelers.

“After leaving Pittsburgh, I played for Green Bay and the Jets,” he said. “But in my heart, I’m a Steeler. You cut me, I bleed black and gold.”