LATROBE, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers reduced their roster to the NFL limit of 60 players Tuesday by trading veteran defensive tackle Steve Furness and placing six players on waivers and three on injured reserve.
The Steelers sent Furness to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an undisclosed future draft choice.
Furness was in his 11th year with Pittsburgh and played on four Super Bowl championship teams after being a fifth-round draft choice from Rhode Island in 1972.
A club spokesman said the six placed on waivers were safety Ted Walton, a 1980 draft choice who spent last season on injured reserve; safety Mike Mayock, a 10th-round draft choice this year; rookie free agent running backs Nelson Bolden and Larry Coffey; and defensive back Charles Bruton and tight end Mike Dombrowski of the University of Pittsburgh, both free agents.
The three players placed on injured reserve were wide receiver Ricky Martin, a fifth-round draft choice; former Pitt quarterback Rick Trocano, an 11th-round selection; and free agent linebacker Steve Fedell, also from Pitt.
Martin will undergo surgery on cartilage in his left knee Wednesday. Trocano has a pulled stomach muscle and Fedell has an Achilles tendon injury
