[4] Heyward was widely regarded as a nightmare for opposing defenses because he was often as big, and sometimes bigger, than the defenders who had to stop him, and had surprising quickness and agility.
One of the NFL's best "big man" running backs in the vein of Earl Campbell, Heyward, at 5' 11" and reportedly weighing 330 pounds, was a punishing runner who was also a devastating blocker and good receiver.
In 1997, Heyward showcased his sense of humor in a series of television commercials for Zest body wash,[5] introducing a generation of American men to the modern version of the luffa that is now a fixture in many showers and bathtubs.
The "lather-builder" and Heyward's tough-guy image created a humorous contrast in the advertisement, culminating in a voting campaign that named it the "thingy".
After it was partially removed in a 12-hour operation, he underwent 40 rounds of radiation treatments and was later pronounced cancer-free; the diagnosis nonetheless ended his playing career.
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.
[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.