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Pittsburgh Steelers History
The Pittsburgh Steelers began in 1933 when owner Art Rooney, Sr. paid the Nation Football League’s $2,500 franchise fee. The club started at the bottom of the league as the Pittsburgh Pirates, only breaking even one season and posting losing records the other six seasons.
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The team changed its name to the Steelers in celebration of the steel industries’ prominence in the city. The name change did not do much good, as the team went 2-7 and 1-9 in the first couple of years under the new name. Things began to turn around in 1942 when the Steelers finished the season with their first winning record, 7-4.
The good news was followed immediately by World War II. The war sapped the NFL of talent and the Steelers twice merged with other teams, once the Eagles and once the Cardinals, to just field a team.
World War II ended and the Steelers returned to the bottom of the league with a 2-8 record. Once again things began to be on the verge of changing as Steeler halfback Bill Dudley won the MVP Award in 1946 and the club followed the season with its first playoff birth in 1947.
Unfortunately, the 21-0 loss to the cross-state Philadelphia Eagles was the last playoff appearance for a quarter century. The modern image of the Steelers began in 1972, when the club would return to the playoffs.
The Steelers of the ‘70s became a true football dynasty with head coach Chuck Noll leading a team with Hal of Famers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, wide receiver Lynn Swann, center Mike Webster, wide receiver John Stallworth, running back Franco Harris on offense and Hall of Famers defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene, cornerback Mel Blount, linebacker Jack Ham, and linebacker Jack Lambert.
The explosive offense and the defense, nicknamed “The Steel Curtain”, went to the playoffs eight times in the decade and won four Super Bowls in six years. The offense and defensive stars seemed to trade individual accolades every year, with Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, and Franco Harris winning four Super Bowl MVPs and Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, and Mel Blount winning five Defensive MVP Awards.
The ‘80s saw the retirement of the legends of the ‘70s and the Steelers moved to the middle of the pack. Running back Merrill Hoge and safety Rod Woodson were two players who came to the club in the late ‘80s that would be part of the great team in the ‘90s.
The ‘90s began with retirement of Chuck Noll, who stepped down as the Steelers head coach after 23 seasons and was replaced by Bill Cowher. Cowher had been the defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs and jumped at the chance to play for his boyhood hometown’s football team. Cowher took a team with running backs Barry Foster and Jerome Bettis and defensive stars Rod Woodson and Greg Lloyd and went to the playoffs in his first six seasons.
The Steelers developed a 3-4 defense that had a knack for blitzing and remained a dominant team in the AFC for most of the decade. The club regularly made deep playoff runs, but only made the Super Bowl once. Pittsburgh lost to Dallas in 1995 in Super Bowl XXX.
Cowher and the tough defense would finally bring another Super Bowl victory to the Steelers in 2005 behind the characteristic tough defense and the arm of second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger formed a deadly duo with receiver Hines Ward and the Steelers were able to bring Jerome “The Bus” Bettis a Super Bowl in the last season of career.
Cowher left the team after the 2006 season and was replaced by Mike Tomlin, the franchise’s first African-American head coach. Timlin was able to put together a solid first year, taking the Steelers into the playoffs with an AFC North title.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to build off Mike Timlin’s impressive first year as coach with a fully-healed Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. The Steelers used the draft to replace the skill positions that have been ravaged in recent years by retirement and free agency. Santana Holmes and Hines Ward return as an explosive, but aging wide receiver team. Pittsburgh is hoping that Limas Sweed will add a viable third option for Big Ben.
Although the club already had a very capable running back in Willie Parker, the addition of first round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall gives the club a good change of pace back who can barrel through arm tackles all day long.
The Steeler’s defense has been left largely intact, with a line backing core of LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Larry Foote, and James Harrison. The lines job is to stop the run and Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, and Brett Keisel look up to the job. The Steelers’ secondary is good, but cornerbacks Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor and safeties Troy Polomalu and Ryan Clark will need to create some more turnovers to compete in the very competitive AFC North.
The Steelers look ready to bring the dominant football of the ‘70s and ‘90s back to Pittsburgh. Find your seats at Heinz Field with tickets from the Ticket Specialists for any game on the schedule.