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For current information on this topic, see 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season. |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
| Established 1933 Play in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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National Football League (1933–present)
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| Team colors | Black and Gold
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| Mascot | Steely McBeam | ||||
| Personnel | |||||
| Owner | The Rooney Family | ||||
| General Manager | Kevin Colbert | ||||
| Head Coach | Mike Tomlin | ||||
| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
| League Championships (5) | |||||
| Conference Championships (6) | |||||
| Division Championships (19) | |||||
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest and most championed franchise in the AFC. The team has appeared in six Super Bowls and is one of three teams to have won the Super Bowl five times. They have appeared in 13 Conference Championship Games and have hosted more conference championship games than any other NFL franchise. From 1974 to 1979 the franchise became the first NFL franchise to win four Super Bowl titles in six seasons, a feat which is yet to be matched. The 2005 team is the only sixth-seeded team in NFL history to advance to a conference championship game; they went on to win the game, followed by their latest Super Bowl victory on February 5, 2006.
The Steelers have had seventeen players and coaches inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the fourth most of any franchise in the NFL.[1] The fifth-oldest franchise in the NFL, the Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933, by Art Rooney.[2] The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding, and is arguably the best ownership in the NFL.[3] The current owner is Art's son, Dan Rooney, who has given much control of the franchise to his son Art Rooney II. The team also enjoys a fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation, that is rivaled by few teams.
The Steelers currently play their home games in Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's Northside, which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh football program. Built in 2001, the stadium replaced Three Rivers Stadium which hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons. Prior to Three Rivers, the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
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For more details on this topic, see History of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL first took to the field as the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20, 1933, losing 23-2 to the New York Giants.[4] Through the 1930s, the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division, or with a record better than 0.500 (1936).[5] Pittsburgh did make history in 1938 by signing Byron White, a future justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, to what was at the time the biggest contract in NFL history,[6] but he played only one year with the Pirates before signing with the Detroit Lions.[7]
During World War II, the Steelers experienced player shortages. They twice merged with other NFL franchises to field a team. During the 1943 season, they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles forming the "Phil-Pitt Eagles" and were known as the "Steagles." This team went 5-4-1. In 1944 they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and were known as Card-Pitt (or, mockingly, as the "Carpets").[6] This team finished 0-10, marking the only winless team in franchise history.[8]
The Steelers made the playoffs for the first time in 1947, tying for first place in the division at 8-4 with the Philadelphia Eagles. This forced a tie-breaking playoff game at Forbes Field, which the Steelers lost 21-0.[9] That would be Pittsburgh's only playoff game for 25 years, though the Steelers did qualify for a "Playoff Bowl" in 1963 as the second best team in their conference, though not considered an official playoff.[10]
In 1970, with the assimilation of the American Football League into the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of three old-guard NFL teams to switch to the newly-formed American Conference (the others being the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts). This restructuring was necessary to equalize the number of teams in each of the two conferences following the AFL-NFL merger.
[edit] The Chuck Noll Era
The Steelers' history of bad luck changed with the hiring of coach Chuck Noll for the 1969 season. Noll's most remarkable talent was in his draft selections, taking Hall of Famers "Mean" Joe Greene in 1969, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount in 1970, Jack Ham in 1971, Franco Harris in 1972,[11] and finally, in 1974, pulled off the incredible feat of selecting four Hall of Famers in one draft year, Mike Webster, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Jack Lambert.[12] The Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 draft was their best ever, and no other team has ever drafted four future Hall of Famers in one year. The players drafted in the early '70s formed the base of an NFL dynasty, making the playoffs in eight seasons and becoming the only team in NFL history to win four Super Bowls in six years, as well as the first to win more than two.
The Steelers suffered a rash of injuries in the 1980 season and missed the playoffs with a 9–7 record. The 1981 season was no better, with an 8-8 showing. The team was then hit with the retirements of all their key players from the Super Bowl years. Mean Joe Greene retired after the 1981 season, Lynn Swann and Jack Ham after 1982's playoff berth, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount after 1983's divisional championship, and Jack Lambert after 1984's AFC Championship Game appearance.
After those retirements, the franchise skidded to its first losing seasons since 1971. Though still competitive, the Steelers would not finish above 0.500 in 1985, 1986, and 1988. In 1987, the year of the players' strike, the Steelers finished with a record of 8–7, but missed the playoffs. In 1989, they would reach the second round of the playoffs on the strength of Merrill Hoge and Rod Woodson before narrowly missing the playoffs in each of the next two seasons.
[edit] The Bill Cowher Era
In 1992, Chuck Noll retired and was succeeded by Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bill Cowher, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton.
Cowher led the Steelers to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons, a feat that had been accomplished only by legendary coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns. Overall, Cowher led the Steelers to the playoffs in 10 of his 15 seasons, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXX on the strength of the "Blitzburgh" defense at the end of the 1995 season. However, the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Cowher produced the franchise's record-tying fifth Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XL over the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks ten years later. With that victory, the Steelers became the third team to win five Super Bowls, and the first sixth-seeded playoff team to reach and win the Super Bowl since the NFL expanded to a 12-team post-season tournament in 1990.
Cowher resigned from coaching the Steelers on January 5, 2007, citing a need to spend more time with his family. He did not use the term 'retire', leaving open a possible return to the NFL as coach of another team. A three-man committee consisting of Art Rooney II, Dan Rooney, and Kevin Colbert was set-up to conduct interviews for the head coaching vacancy.[13] The candidates interviewed included: offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, offensive line coach Russ Grimm, former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. On January 22, 2007, Mike Tomlin was announced as Cowher's successor as head coach. Tomlin is the first African-American to be named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in its 74-year history.
Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have compiled an overall record of 334-217-2, reached the playoffs 22 times, won their division 19 times, played in 13 AFC championship games, and won five of six Super Bowls.
[edit] Ownership restructure
On July 7, 2008, owners of the Steelers, including Art Rooney's five sons who own 80% of the franchise,[14] looked to restructure the ownership plan of the franchise in order to comply with NFL ownership regulations.[15] Current Steelers Chairman, Dan Rooney, and his son, Art Rooney II, President of the franchise, wished to stay involved with the franchise, while the remainder of the brothers — Art Jr., Timothy, Patrick and John — wished to further pursue racetracks that they own in Florida and New York.[16] Since 2006, many of the racetracks have added video slot machines, causing them to violate "NFL policy that prohibits involvement with racetrack and gambling interests".[17] On July 11, it was confirmed that investor Stanley Druckenmiller had been in discussion with the five Rooney brothers.[14] A Steelers fan for many years, Druckenmiller "has been known to paint his face black and gold" during games.[18] Coach Tomlin stated that the situation could become a distraction, but "I'm here to coach, they're [the players] here to play. Those questions will be answered by the Rooneys."[19] On September 18, Druckenmiller withdrew his bid to purchase the team.[20]
NFL owners unanimously approved the restructuring of ownership on December 17, 2008, with Dan & Art II getting the mandated 30% stake. Meanwhile, brothers Timothy and Patrick (the ones who own race tracks with slot machines, which violate NFL ownership rules) are selling their shares outright, while Art Jr., John, and the McGinley family selling some shares but retaining smaller ownership roles, with the brothers reducing their shares from 16% to 6% and the McGinley family reducing their shares from 20% to 10%. Also coming on as partners are Pilot Corporation & Pilot Travel Centers president Jim Haslam III (son of founder Jim Haslam Jr. and brother of Knoxville, Tennessee mayor Bill Haslam), Legendary Pictures president & CEO Thomas Tull, and the Paul family of Pittsburgh & Los Angeles (who are primarilly involved with Pittsburgh-based Ampco Pittsburgh Corporation and serve on numerous boards, including UPMC and Pitt), each getting a 16% stake in the team.[21] Dan Rooney mentioned he has no ill will towards Druckenmiller, mentioning he's a great Steelers fan and wishes he remains one.
[edit] Season-by-season records
Currently through the 2008 season, the Steelers have a 553-522-21 all-time record, including playoffs. In recent seasons the Steelers have generally performed well, qualifying for the playoffs five times and winning the Super Bowl once in the past seven seasons.
[edit] Logo and uniforms
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It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss) |
[edit] Colors
The Steelers have used black and gold as their colors since the club's inception, the lone exception being the 1943 season when they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles and formed the "Steagles"; the team's colors at that time were green and white as a result of wearing Eagles uniforms. Originally, the team wore solid gold-colored helmets and black jerseys. Unique to Pittsburgh, the Steelers' black and gold colors are now shared by all major professional teams in the city, including the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball and the Pittsburgh Penguins in hockey. These also are the colors of the city's official flag.
[edit] Logo
The Steelers logo was introduced in 1962 and is based on the "Steelmark," originally designed by Pittsburgh's U.S. Steel and now owned by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). In fact, it was Cleveland-based Republic Steel that suggested the Steelers adopt the industry logo. It consists of the word "Steelers" surrounded by three astroids (hypocycloids of four cusps). The original meanings behind the astroids were, "Steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure, and widens your world." Later, the colors came to represent the ingredients used in the steel-making process: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore, and blue for scrap steel.[22] While the formal Steelmark logo contains only the word "Steel," the team was given permission to add "ers" in 1963 after a petition against AISI.
While the logo still resembles the original Steelmark logo, the team has made subtle changes over the years in order to own a trademark on the logo, most notably making the three astroids thicker in shape and changing the orange astroid to red. The Steelmark logo itself has actually been heavily redesigned since then, using two variants, one of which uses a more modern design and uses three shades of blue for the astroids[23] while another one used concurrently has a strong resemblance to the recycling symbol. One alternate variation the team used in the 1980's--though rarely used today--combined the logo with the team's signature stencil-script typeface, replacing the regular "Steelers" typeface used with the team's longtime script logo.
[edit] Helmets
The Steelers are the only NFL team that puts its logo on only one side of the helmet (the right side). Longtime field and equipment manager Jack Hart was instructed to do this by Art Rooney as a test to see how the logo appeared on the gold helmets; however, its popularity led the team to leave it that way permanently.[24] A year after introducing the logo, they switched to black helmets to make it stand out more.
Another distinctive feature of the helmets is that a player's number appears on both the front and back (the Steelers are one of only two teams in the NFL to do this, the other being the New York Giants). The numbers traditionally do not appear on the helmet fronts during the exhibition season, and also do not appear on the front of the throwback helmets.
[edit] Uniforms
[edit] Early years
The Steelers have made only a few changes to their jerseys over the years. Originally, the team had vertically-striped jerseys that resembled prison uniforms at the time, with some variations having the city of Pittsburgh crest on the front, a la NHL uniforms. The team would later wear these uniforms as throwbacks in 1994.
The team adopted more standard NFL uniforms in 1936 and added Northwestern-style stripes to the sleeves, and with the team finishing 0.500 for the first time in team history that season (at 6–6), the stripes have largely remained on the uniforms since.
One exception that the stripes were omitted prior to the 1960's was from the aforementioned "Steagles" season because the team wore the Eagles uniforms as a cost-saving measure. The Eagles' jerseys at the time were green with white shoulders and no stripes. The Rooney's have acknowledged that because the combined team wore the Eagles uniforms that year, it is the only time in team history that the colors were something other than black & gold.
[edit] Two white jerseys
Due to uniform experimentation in the 1960's, on two separare occasions the team's stripes were omitted. The first time came in 1962, when the Steelers began to wear two types of white jerseys, one of which featured a gold diamond on the sleeves in place of the stripes, with the "TV numbers" situated on the diamonds. These jerseys were primarily worn in home games when the team didn't wear their black jerseys, since the NFL at the time was encouraging teams to wear white jerseys so fans could see the team colors of their opponents.
The other jersey featured gold sleeves and a black version of the stripes, and were worn in road games when the home team elected to wear their colored jerseys. The team continued this way through the 1965 season.
[edit] Caped Crusaders
Perhaps the most infamous uniforms the team has ever worn came in 1966, when the team experimented with the "Batman"-themed uniforms, named as such because they were similar to the Batman outfits Adam West wore on the popular TV series. The jersey had no stripes on either the black or white jerseys and had a gold triangle-like diamond covering the shoulders.
Although they have been commonly called the "Batman" uniforms, Dan Rooney later made public his reasoning behind the uniforms. With his father still running the team and the Vince Lombardi-led Green Bay Packers being the class of the NFL, the younger Rooney (who still had a much smaller role with the team at the time) didn't want to follow the lead of other NFL teams trying to copy the Packers and wanted the Steelers to have a more unique look.[25] Coinciding with this was the development of the Golden Triangle in the city of Pittsburgh in the 1960's, so Rooney decided to give the uniforms a connection to the growing downtown district with the gold triangle-like diamond.
Although both Rooney and NFL Films's Steve Sabol liked the look (Sabol mentioned that you could easily tell when the Steelers played),[26] the players didn't, adding that they looked like clowns or Batman, which is likely where the "Batman" rumors began. Due to primitive washing techniques at the time (as well as NFL teams frequently reusing the uniforms, unlike today where current athletic supplier Reebok gives teams new equipment every game), the Steelers had trouble washing the uniforms because the gold triangle faded easily. Rooney was even asked on a radio show in Dallas when the team was playing the Cowboys on October 30, 1966 if the team was wearing the uniforms for Halloween.[27]
The uniforms were retired after two seasons. The team has mentioned publicly as recent as 2007 that they will never wear them in a game again.[28] However, in 2008, the team began to sell customized versions of the jerseys on their official web site.[29]
[edit] Modern classics
After just two years with the "Batman" uniforms, the current uniform designs were introduced in 1968. The design was a modernized version of the pre-1966 black design and consists of gold pants and either black jerseys or white jerseys, except for the 1970 and 1971 seasons when the Steelers wore white pants with their white jerseys. After a two-year hiatus, the Northwestern-style stripes returned for good, with the black jerseys getting white stripes in the two gaps of the gold stripes while the white jerseys got black outlines on the gold stripes. Both variations have been heavily used in team apparel.
The helmet is solid black with a gold central stripe and small white player numbers on the forehead. Last names were added to the jerseys in 1970, as part of a new NFL mandate resulting from the AFL-NFL merger (the AFL teams had last names on the back of their jerseys). In 1997, the team switched to rounded numbers on the jersey to match the number font (Futura Condensed) on the helmets, and a Steelers logo was added to the left side of the jersey.
[edit] Black at home
The Steelers are one of a dwindling number of NFL franchises that strictly wears its team color jerseys at home, always opting for black. They are the only ones in the AFC North to practice this. The Cleveland Browns have traditionally had on again/off again periods of wearing white at home, while the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, like some other NFL teams, wear white in their home opener before wearing their darker jerseys in their remaining home games. The Steelers last wore white at home on a regular basis in 1969, Chuck Noll's first season as coach and the last year the team played in Pitt Stadium.
Because of the team's unofficial policy of always wearing their black jerseys in home games, the team gained some notoriety when, as the designated "home" team for Super Bowl XL, the team elected to wear their white jerseys, becoming just the third NFL team to elect to wear white as the "home" team in the Super Bowl. But while the other two teams that have elected to wear white as the "home" team in the Super Bowl (Dallas and Washington) traditionally wear white at home, a variety of reasons were rumored as to why the Steelers elected to wear white in Super Bowl XL. Reasons included the fact that the team wore white in all three playoff victories that year (all on the road) to former head coach Bill Cowher's comments that since it wasn't at Heinz Field, it was a road game (a statement contradicted by the fact that ten years earlier in Super Bowl XXX, Cowher's squad was the "home team" and chose to wear their black jerseys away from Three Rivers Stadium, where they had played both playoff games). However, it should be noted though that the game took place in Detroit, which is only a five hour drive from Pittsburgh and with the league preferring to have the Super Bowl in subtropical or Mediterranean climates or in domed/retractable roof stadiums due to the winter weather, is likely the closest the Steelers would have to a home game in a Super Bowl in the foreseeable future. (Not surprisingly, there were also an overwhelming number of Steelers fans at the game compared to the number of supporters of their opponent, the Seattle Seahawks. One ESPN.com columnist suggested that Steelers fans outnumbered Seahawks fans by a ratio of 25 to 1.[30]) Also, the Steelers were the designated "home" team in Super Bowl XIV and elected to wear black, also a season in which they played both their playoff games at home.
[edit] Throwback uniforms
At a press conference on April 27, 2007, it was announced that the Steelers would wear a throwback uniform for two home games during the 2007 season, as part of the celebration of the Steelers' 75th Season. They were worn for the Steelers' home opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 16 and again during the Monday Night Football game on November 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. Both games resulted in victories. The jersey is black with the numbers, names and stripes all in gold and it also contains a 75th Season logo on the right side of the upper chest part of the jersey. The jersey is considered to be from the 1960 season. The pants are white with a single gold stripe running down the length of the outside of each leg, surrounded by thinner black stripes on either side of the gold stripe. The helmets are gold with the Steelers logo on the right side and a single black stripe running down the center from front to back. The helmet was worn during the 1962 season, which was the first year that the present Steelers logo began to appear on their helmets. The only two differences are that the logo on the original helmet read 'Steel', whereas Steelers appears on the helmet that the team wore for the two games in 2007 and that the face mask on this version of the helmet is black, whereas the original face mask color on the gold helmet was gray. The throwbacks, minus the "75th season" patch, are now officially the team's alternate uniform as of the 2008 season,[31] and are usually worn for games that honor the team's alumni.[32]
[edit] Mascot
Prior to the 2007 season, the Steelers introduced Steely McBeam as their official mascot.[33] As part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the team, his name was selected from a pool of 70,000 suggestions submitted by fans of the team.[33] Diane Roles of Middlesex, Pennsylvania, submitted the winning name which was "meant to represent steel for Pittsburgh's industrial heritage, "Mc" for the Rooney family's Irish roots, and Beam for the steel beams produced in Pittsburgh. And also for Jim Beam, her husband's favorite alcoholic beverage."[34] Steely McBeam is visible at all home games and participates in the team's charitable programs and other club-sponsored events.[33]
The new mascot has not been embraced by Steelers fans. In poll of over 33,000 voters, McBeam received approval from less than 10%.[35] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named McBeam as one of the city's "dishonorable mentions" for 2007.[35] Some have created Anti-Steely apparel, dubbing the mascot "Steely McStupid."[36]
[edit] Rivals
The Pittsburgh Steelers have three primary rivals, all within their division: (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals). They also have rivalries with other teams that arose from post-season battles in the past, most notably the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys.
They also have an intrastate rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles, but under the current scheduling rules the teams only play each other once every four years. The two teams do, however, meet every year in preseason games, and are usually nationally televised on ESPN. In 2007, however, the two teams played their ritualistic preseason game on the NBC Network. The 2008 preseason game between the clubs was not televised nationally.
[edit] Divisional rivals
- The Cleveland Browns and the Steelers have been divisional rivals since the two cities' teams began playing against each other in 1950. After posting a 9-31 record in first 40 games of the series between the two cities, the Steelers recently took over the all-time series lead for the first time ever (57–55); partly due to holding an overwhelming 17–3 record against the post-1999 Cleveland Browns franchise, including winning the last ten straight. Additionally, the Browns lost 16 straight years in Pittsburgh from 1970–1985 and posted an abysmal 5–24 record at Three Rivers Stadium overall. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher coached the Browns special teams and secondary before being hired by Pittsburgh after his brief tenure with Kansas City, which has only served to intensify this rivalry.
- The Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers have had several memorable match-ups and have a bitter divisional rivalry. Both teams handed the other their first losses at their current home fields. The Steelers won the inaugural game played at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in 1998, 20–13, and three years later the Ravens handed the Steelers their first-ever loss at Heinz Field, 13–10. Later that season (2001) Pittsburgh won a divisional playoff game 27–10 against Baltimore, who was the defending Super Bowl champion. During their world championship season in 2000, the Ravens defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 16–0, in the season opener with the Steelers later exacting revenge, 9–6, in Baltimore (the Ravens' final loss of the season). The Steelers lead the series (begun in 1996), 16–10. The two teams complement each other by consistently fielding strong defenses in their division.
- The Cincinnati Bengals rivalry with Pittsburgh dates from the 1970 season, when the NFL-AFL merger was completed. One of the most memorable games was the 2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game, in which the Steelers, en route to a Super Bowl title, won a 31–17 come-from-behind victory after Bengals QB Carson Palmer was forced to leave the game with a knee injury. The Steelers and Bengals finished 2005 and 2006 with identical records (11-5 and 8–8 respectively), splitting both regular-season series, the Bengals winning the tiebreaker both years due to having a superior division record. The Steelers also are responsible for ending the Bengals' season in Cincinnati two years in a row, eliminating them from the playoffs in 2005 and taking them out of contention in 2006. The Steelers lead the all-time series, 47-30.
[edit] Historic rivals
- The rivalry between the Steelers and the New England Patriots emerged when the "cinderella" Patriots upset the Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship game at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh did not exact revenge for the loss until ending the Patriots record-setting 21-game winning streak in week #6 of the 2004 NFL season. Later that season, the Steelers lost to the eventual champion Patriots in the AFC Championship game after a 15-1 season. The two also had a brief rivalry in the mid 1990s when the Steelers and Patriots split playoff meetings in 1996 and 1997, in which the Patriots had two young stars with Pittsburgh-area roots in Ty Law and Curtis Martin. Martin played his last game as a Patriot against the Steelers in the second playoff game before signing with the rival New York Jets during the offseason, where he became more well known. The Patriots won 6 of 7 meetings over a ten year period (1998-2007) before the Steelers broke through with a 33-10 victory at Foxboro in 2008. The Steelers lead the all-time series, 14-10.
- The rivalry between the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders was the most heated of the 1970s. The Steelers' first playoff win was a 13-7 victory over the Raiders by way of Franco Harris's Immaculate Reception on December 23, 1972. Pittsburgh was knocked out of the playoffs the following year by the Raiders, but fired back with two straight AFC Championships in 1974 and 1975 over Oakland. Oakland responded with a victory over Pittsburgh in the 1976 AFC Championship (the third consecutive AFC title game between the two teams), but not before Chuck Noll referred to Oakland's George Atkinson as part of the NFL's "criminal element" after his hit on Lynn Swann during a regular-season matchup. Atkinson and the Raiders later filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Noll, but lost. While the rivalry has dissipated over the years (mostly due to Oakland's decline in recent seasons), the teams have had notable games against each other including an upset Raiders victory in week #8 of the 2006 NFL season (20-13), which helped cost the Steelers a playoff berth. The teams' next meeting will be at Pittsburgh in 2009. The Raiders lead the all-time series, 12-11.
- The rivalry between the Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys started with the Cowboys' first game as a franchise in 1960 (against the Steelers) at the Cotton Bowl with the Steelers coming away with a 35-28 victory. These teams hold a record for the most times (three) that two teams have met in a Super Bowl. The first two times the Steelers and Cowboys met came with Pittsburgh victories in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII to become the Team of the '70s (in fact, between the Cowboys and Steelers, Super Bowl XIII had the highest number of future hall of famers participating, which as of 2008 numbered 20 - 14 players and 6 coaches/front office, including Ernie Stautner, defensive coordinator for the Cowboys who was an HOF defensive tackle for the Steelers). The teams featured an all-star matchup at quarterback between the Steelers' Terry Bradshaw and the Cowboys' Roger Staubach, both of whom are in the Hall of Fame. In 1977, Staubach and the Cowboys went on to win Super Bowl XII, their second and last loss of that season being inflicted by Bradshaw and the Steelers, 28-13 at Three Rivers Stadium in November. In 1979, Staubach's final season, the two defending conference champs met again at Three Rivers, the Steelers winning 14-3 en route to winning their fourth Super Bowl title. The Steelers won six of eight meetings during the 1970s and 80s, before the Cowboys won all four meetings during the 1990s, including the teams' record third Super Bowl meeting in 1996, as this time the heavily-favored Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17. Dallas cornerback Larry Brown intercepted Pittsburgh quarterback Neil O'Donnell twice and was named the game's MVP. The teams' first two meetings of the 21st century (2004 and 2008) were won by the Steelers. The all-time series is tied, 15-15.
[edit] Fanbase
The Steelers have a tradition of having a large fanbase, which has spread from Pittsburgh. In August 2008, ESPN.com ranked Steelers' fans as the best in the NFL, citing their "unbelievable" sellout streak of 299 consecutive games.[37][38] While the team gained a large fan base nationally based on their success in the 1970s, many consider the collapse of the steel industry in Pittsburgh at the end of the 70's dynasty into the 1980s to be a large catalyst for the unusually high fan base in other cities,[39] since many native Pittsburghers were forced to move elsewhere to find work, causing Western Pennsylvania to lose nearly half of its population.[39] Examples of this have been shown when the Steelers are on the road, and the stadiums still having a sizable amount of Steeler fans; in particular, teams with usually low fan turnout at home that would otherwise require a local blackout on television usually end up selling out when hosting the Steelers due to Steeler fans buying up the tickets. The Cincinnati Bengals used to be perhaps the best example of this, as the team only sold out home games when the Steelers or Cleveland Browns were playing in Cincinnati, with the respective fans of the other teams buying up the tickets.[citation needed]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season.[40] In November 2007, the Steelers were ranked as the most popular local sports franchise out of the 122 teams in the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL, by a study from Turnkey Sports.[41][42] Another study ranked Pittsburgh as having the highest percentage of female fans of their local football team, ranking twice as high as the average city.[43] An aspect of Steelers fandom, the Terrible Towel, is "arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team".[40] Invented by broadcaster Myron Cope in 1975,[40] the towel's rights have since been given to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania which cares for over 900 people with mental retardation and physical disabilities, including Cope's autistic son.[44] Since 1996, proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $2.2 million for the school.[44]
Some notable fans include golf legend Arnold Palmer[45], boxer Roy Jones, Jr.[46], actors Adam Sandler[47], Burt Reynolds[48], Jeff Goldblum[49], & Michael Keaton[50], Jackass star Chris Pontius,[51] singers Hank Williams, Jr.,[47]Bret Michaels[52], Charlie Daniels[53], & Snoop Dogg[54], professional wrestler Kurt Angle[55], "comedian" Dennis Miller,[47] and conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh,[47] among others. Out of those fans, Keaton, Goldblum, Angle, and Miller are Pittsburgh natives, while Palmer is a native of Latrobe (where the Steelers conduct training camp every summer at Saint Vincent College), Michaels is a native of nearby Butler (also the home of former Steelers backup quarterback Terry Hanratty), and Limbaugh once worked at Pittsburgh radio station KQV in the early 1970s. Angle, who played football in high school in addition to freestyle wrestling, also tried out unsuccessfully for the Steelers as a fullback in 1996 following his gold medal win in the 1996 Olympic Games before going on to fame with World Wrestling Entertainment and currently Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
[edit] Team statistics and records
- Further information: Pittsburgh Steelers statistics
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Current roster
[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers
The following list was taken from the Pro Football Hall of Fame's official website:[56]
Inductees
| Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famers | |||||||
| Name | Position | Year Inducted | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Bell[57] | Co-owner | 1963 | |||||
| Mel Blount[58] | CB | 1989 | |||||
| Terry Bradshaw[59] | QB | 1989 | |||||
| Len Dawson[60] | QB | 1987 | |||||
| Bill Dudley[61] | RB / DB | 1966 | |||||
| "Mean" Joe Greene[62] | DT | 1987 | |||||
| Jack Ham[63] | LB | 1988 | |||||
| Franco Harris[64] | RB | 1990 | |||||
| Robert "Cal" Hubbard[65] | T | 1963 | |||||
| John Henry Johnson[66] | RB | 1987 | |||||
| Walt Kiesling[67] | G / Head Coach | 1966 | |||||
| Jack Lambert[68] | LB | 1990 | |||||
| Bobby Layne[69] | QB | 1967 | |||||
| Johnny "Blood" McNally[70] | RB | 1963 | |||||
| Marion Motley[71] | FB | 1968 | |||||
| Chuck Noll[72] | Head Coach | 1993 | |||||
| Art Rooney[73] | Founder / Owner | 1964 | |||||
| Dan Rooney[74] | Executive / Owner | 2000 | |||||
| John Stallworth[75] | WR | 2002 | |||||
| Ernie Stautner[76] | DT | 1969 | |||||
| Lynn Swann[77] | WR | 2001 | |||||
| Mike Webster[78] | C | 1997 | |||||
Award recipients
- Myron Cope, Announcer (1970–2005), awarded the 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
[edit] Retired numbers
[edit] Super Bowl MVPs
The following Steelers players have been named Super Bowl MVP:
- Super Bowl IX - Franco Harris
- Super Bowl X - Lynn Swann
- Super Bowl XIII - Terry Bradshaw
- Super Bowl XIV - Terry Bradshaw
- Super Bowl XL - Hines Ward
[edit] All-time team
As determined by a fan vote in 2007:[80]
Italics - Entire career spent with the Steelers
[edit] Coaches
The Steelers have had sixteen coaches through their history. Their first coach was Forrest Douds, who coached them to a 3-6-2 record in 1933. Chuck Noll had the longest term as head coach with the Steelers, he is one of only four coaches to coach a single NFL team for 23 years.[2] Hired prior to the 2007 season, the Steelers current coach is Mike Tomlin.[81]
[edit] Current staff
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Pittsburgh Steelers staff
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Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
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Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
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[edit] Radio and television
As of 2006, the Steelers' flagship stations were WDVE 102.5FM and WBGG 970AM. Both stations are owned by Clear Channel Communications. Games are also available on 51 radio stations in Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, Ohio, and Northern West Virginia.[82] The announcers are Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin. Craig Wolfley is the sideline reporter. Myron Cope, the longtime color analyst and inventor of the "Terrible Towel," retired after the 2004 season, and died in 2008.
Pre-season games not shown on one of