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 Pittsburgh Steelers, professional football team and one of six teams in the Central Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). Under the league's realignment plan, which will take affect in 2002, the Steelers will play in the North Division of the AFC. Originally called the Pirates, the Steelers wear uniforms of black and gold. The team, which used to play at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was scheduled to move into a new stadium for the 2001 season. The team takes its name from the steel-producing factories in Pittsburgh. During the 1970s Pittsburgh became the first NFL team to win four Super Bowls. Head coach Chuck Noll commanded a talent-laden club starring several future Hall of Fame members, including quarterback Terry Bradshaw, defensive end “Mean” Joe Greene, running back Franco Harris, and linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert. The Pittsburgh Pirates football team was founded in 1933 by Art Rooney.
He named the team after Pittsburgh's National League baseball team, and the two franchises shared Pittsburgh's Forbes Field. In 1938 Rooney signed star running back Byron White. Nicknamed Whizzer because of his speed, White led the league in rushing that year, but the Pirates won just two of nine games. After seven losing seasons, Rooney renamed his team the Steelers in 1940. The club registered only three winning records from 1942 to 1949. Its best player during this time was two-time rushing champion Bill Dudley. In 1946 the versatile running back, who would eventually be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led the NFL in rushing, interceptions, and punt returns. From 1950 to 1957 Pittsburgh failed to produce a winning record. The team briefly recovered between 1958 and 1963, culminating with a 9-5 win-loss record in 1962. Pittsburgh followed a 7-4 record in 1963 with eight consecutive losing campaigns from 1964 to 1971.
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The Steelers moved to their new home in Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, the same year Pittsburgh chose quarterback Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech as the number one pick in the NFL draft. In 1972, just three years after a one-win season, head coach Chuck Noll led the Steelers to the team's first division title ever. The crown marked the beginning of a dynasty that won seven Central Division championships (including six consecutively) and four Super Bowls from 1972 to 1980. Noll put together a well-balanced offense starring Bradshaw, Franco Harris, center Mike Webster, and wide receivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. |
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| The defense, known as the Steel Curtain because it closed tight on opposing offenses, featured Jack Ham and Jack Lambert; defensive backs Mel Blount and Donnie Shell; and linemen Joe Greene, L. C. Greenwood, and Dwight White. Pittsburgh fielded the AFC's top-rated defense for three consecutive seasons, from 1974 to 1976. Pittsburgh rolled through the playoffs in both 1974 and 1975 and won the Super Bowls that followed both seasons, holding the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys to a combined 23 points in the two games. |
Three years later the Steelers again reached the Super Bowl. They defeated the Cowboys 35-31 in what is considered one of the most thrilling championships in NFL history. Bradshaw threw four touchdown passes, and the Steelers led the game 35-17 with just under seven minutes left to play. Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach led his team to two more touchdowns before Pittsburgh recovered a Dallas onside kick and won the game. Pittsburgh earned its fourth title in 1980, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. Noll collected two more division titles in the following 12 seasons, but under him the Steelers did not return to the Super Bowl. When he retired after the 1991 season, he ranked fourth in NFL history with 209 career victories. |
Club founder Art Rooney died in 1988, having owned the Steelers for 55 years. His son Daniel M. Rooney became the franchise president. Former NFL linebacker Bill Cowher was hired as head coach in 1992 and built solid teams in the early 1990s with running back Barry Foster, linebacker Greg Lloyd, and quarterback Neil O'Donnell. Cowher led Pittsburgh to three straight division crowns from 1994 to 1996. Following the 1995 season the Steelers again played in the Super Bowl, but they lost to the Cowboys 27-17. Running back Jerome Bettis led the team in the 1996 season as Pittsburgh clinched the AFC Central Division and beat the Indianapolis Colts 42-14 in the playoffs before losing to the New England Patriots, 28-3.
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