Nickname

In an article that son Cameron Heyward wrote for the Players' Tribune regarding his father, he was told that when Heyward was "12 or 13," he was at the Boys & Girls Club in Passaic, New Jersey when another boy approached him with a pool cue. The boy hit it over Heyward's head and Heyward barely flinched. It was actually Mr. Philip, who worked at the Boys Club who first said, “You have an Iron head!” After relating the story to his mother later, she called him "Ironhead," and the nickname stuck.^[8] Heyward carried the nickname through Passaic High School, where it also became a reference to his wild-man strength and the fact that he had to wear a hat size of 8¾.^[9] Heyward's obituary in The New York Times made an additional reference to the nickname's origin, which Cameron had disputed in his article that that was not how "Ironhead" came to be; that in street football games, he would lower his head into the stomach of the tackler. One opponent had said it hurt so much that Heyward's head "must be made of iron."^[10]

Family

Heyward had four sons named Craig, Jr., Cameron, Corey, and Connor. All four played sports in high school. Craig Jr. played for his father's alma mater in New Jersey, while his three brothers played for Peachtree Ridge High School in Georgia.

Heyward's son, Cameron, plays defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was named a Freshman All-American in 2007 and honored as a team captain. He was selected by the Steelers in the first round (31st pick overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. He would write the words "IRON HEAD" on his eye black as a tribute to his father.

Heyward's oldest son, Craig Jr., played high school football for Passaic High School as he did and later was a walk-on at Middle Tennessee State, where he played primarily on special teams. He was signed to the Trenton Steel of the SIFL where he was a running back. After his playing career ended, Heyward Jr. entered coaching as an assistant for Nutley High School in his native northern New Jersey.

Heyward's son, Corey, graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School and played basketball for Georgia Tech.

His youngest son, Connor, elected to play college football at Michigan State University in 2017.^[11] He was selected by the Steelers, as Cameron was, in the sixth round (208th pick overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.^[12]

Cancer and death

Heyward died on May 27, 2006, at the age of 39, a year after another cancerous tumor developed that had metastasized to his brain; the recurrence of the tumor proved to be inoperable. Heyward had also experienced a stroke in the years prior to his death.^[13]