| advertise add site services publishers database health videos | ![]() | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Pittsburgh Steelers tameyourbrain.com | Racing in Pittsburgh, Relocating to Pittsburgh, UPMC | University of... relocate.upmc.com |
"Steelers" redirects here. For other uses, see Steelers (disambiguation).
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. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC. Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowl titles (6), won more AFC Championship Games (7) and hosted more conference championship games (10) than any other AFC or NFC team. They have played in more AFC conference championship games than any other team and are tied with the Dallas Cowboys with 14 championship game appearances in either the NFC or AFC contests. The Steelers are the current National Football League champions, having won Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. The fifth-oldest franchise in the NFL, the Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933, by Art Rooney.[1] The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding.[2] 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 enjoys a fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation[3] and currently play their home games in Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Side, which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. 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.
[edit] Franchise HistoryFor 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] It was under the ownership of Gregory Taylor from Lewis Center, OH. 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] Prior to the 1940 season, the Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers. 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, the year they moved into Three Rivers Stadium and the year of the AFL-NFL merger, the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of three old-guard NFL teams to switch to the newly-formed American Football Conference (the others being the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts), in order to equalize the number of teams in the two conferences of the newly-merged league. After Super Bowl XLIII, a game played between the Steelers and Cardinals, the Steelers had 6 Super Bowl wins, making them"the best team in the NFL." [edit] The Chuck Noll EraThe 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, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster.[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. They also enjoyed a regular season streak of 49 consecutive wins (1971-1979) against teams that would finish with a losing record that year. 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 .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 EraIn 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. [edit] The Mike Tomlin EraFor more details on this topic, see Mike Tomlin. On January 7, 2007, Cowher resigned from coaching the Steelers, 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 75-year history. Tomlin became the third consecutive Steelers Head Coach to go to the Super Bowl, equalling the Dallas Cowboys (Tom Landry. Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer) in this achievement. He was named the Motorola 2008 Coach of the Year. On February 1, 2009, Tomlin led the Steelers to their second Super Bowl of this decade, and went on to win 27–23 against the Arizona Cardinals. At age 36, he was the youngest head coach to ever win the Super Bowl, and he is only the second African-American coach to ever win the Super Bowl (Tony Dungy was the first). Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have compiled a regular season record of 363-235-2 (.607) and an overall record of 394–253–2 (.609) including the playoffs, reached the playoffs 24 times, won their division 19 times, played in 14 AFC championship games, and won six of seven Super Bowls. [edit] Ownership restructureOn 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 primarily involved with Pittsburgh-based Ampco Pittsburgh Corporation and serve on numerous boards, including UPMC and Pitt).[21] Dan Rooney mentioned he has no ill will towards Druckenmiller, mentioning he's a great Steelers fan and wishes he remains one. The Steelers later announced on March 23, 2009 that they added three more investors to the team, the most notable of which is Hall of Fame wide receiver John Stallworth. The other two investors added were GTCR chairman Bruce V. Rauner and the Varischetti family of Brockway, Pennsylvania, which owns several nursing homes and a commercial real estate business. The deal to add all six new investors was expected to be finalized in May 2009,[22] however the Rooney brothers didn't sign off until July 20th, 2009.[23] The deal was finalized September 25, 2009.[citation needed] [edit] Season-by-season recordsFor more details on this topic, see Pittsburgh Steelers seasons. Through the end of the 2008 season, the Steelers have a 556–522–21 (as of February 2, 2009) all-time record, including playoffs. In recent seasons the Steelers have generally performed well, qualifying for the playoffs five times and winning trips to the Super Bowl twice in the past four seasons. In the modern era (since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970) the Steelers have posted the best record in pro football. The franchise has won the most total games, won the most divisional titles, earned the best winning percentage (including every expansion team), earned the most All-Pro nominations and has the most Super Bowl wins (6) since the modern game started in 1970. It is also 2nd overall in playoff wins and season game wins. [edit] Logo and uniformsFor more details on this topic, see Logos and uniforms of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 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[citation needed], 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. 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, red for iron ore, and blue for scrap steel.[24] While the formal Steelmark logo contains only the word "Steel," the team was given permission to add "ers" in 1963 after a petition to AISI. 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.[25] A year after introducing the logo, they switched to black helmets to make it stand out more. The current uniform designs were introduced in 1968. The design 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. 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. The current Third uniform, consisting of a black jersey with gold lettering, white pants with black and gold stripes, and a gold helmet were first used during the Steelers 75th anniversary season in 2007. They were meant to evoke the memory of the 1963–64 era uniforms. The uniforms were so popular among fans, that the Steeler organization decided to keep them and use them as a Third option during home games only. The Steelers in 2008–2009 became the first team in NFL History to defeat an opponent three times in a single season using three different uniforms. They defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh in Week 4 in their Third jerseys, again Week 15 in Baltimore in their Road Whites, and a final time in the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh in their Home Black. [edit] MascotPrior to the 2007 season, the Steelers introduced Steely McBeam as their official mascot.[26] 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.[26] 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, as well as for Jim Beam, her husband's favorite alcoholic beverage."[27] Steely McBeam is visible at all home games and participates in the team's charitable programs and other club-sponsored events.[26] Steely's autograph is known to be drawn with an oversized 'S' and the "L" is drawn to look like a beam of steel.[26] [edit] RivalsThe 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, Tennessee Titans 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
[edit] Historic rivals
[edit] FanbaseMain article: Steeler Nation The Steelers have a tradition of having a large fanbase, which has spread from Pittsburgh. In August 2008, ESPN.com ranked the Steelers' fans as the best in the NFL, citing their "unbelievable" sellout streak of 299 consecutive games.[28][29] 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 70s dynasty into the 1980s (and the resulting diaspora) to be a large catalyst for the unusually high fan base in other cities.[citation needed] Examples of this have been shown when the Steelers are on the road, and the stadiums still having a sizable number 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.[citation needed] Steeler fan attendance at away games is further increased by tailgate parties hosted at every game by the Steel City Mafia fan organization which seeks to, among other things, develop a positive fan presence in all communities.[30] Even south of the border, in Mexico there is a significant number of Steeler fans.[31] The Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season.[32] 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.[33][34] 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.[35] An aspect of Steelers fandom, the Terrible Towel, is "arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team".[32] Invented by broadcaster Myron Cope in 1975,[32] 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.[36] Since 1996, proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $2.5 million for the school.[36] [edit] Team statistics and recordsFurther information: Pittsburgh Steelers statistics [edit] Players of noteMain article: List of Pittsburgh Steelers players [edit] Current roster[edit] Pro Football Hall of FamersThe Steelers are unique in the NFL with not only the third most "primary" Hall of Famers but also have the most of any franchise founded on or after 1933, the only franchise with three members of ownership in the Hall and the only player to be inducted in both the pro-football hall of fame and the baseball hall of fame. The following list was taken from the Pro Football Hall of Fame's official website:[37] Inductees
Award recipients
Former Steelers in the Hall for contributions elsewhere
[edit] Retired numbers[edit] Super Bowl MVPsThe following Steelers players have been named Super Bowl MVP:
[edit] All-time teamAs determined by a fan vote in 2007:[62] Italics - Entire career spent with the Steelers [edit] CoachesMain article: List of Pittsburgh Steelers head 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.[1] Hired prior to the 2007 season, the Steelers current coach is Mike Tomlin.[63] [edit] Current staff
[edit] Radio and televisionAs of 2006, the Steelers' flagship radio stations were WDVE 102.5 FM and WBGG 970 AM. 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.[64] 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 the national broadcasters are seen on CBS O&O KDKA-TV, channel 2; sister CW O&O WPCW, channel 19; and FSN Pittsburgh. KDKA-TV's Bob Pompeani and former Steelers lineman Edmund Nelson do the announcing for the preseason games, as well as the two hosting the pre-game program Steelers Kickoff during the regular season prior to the national airing of The NFL Today. The two also host the Steelers Postgame Extra following the game on days when CBS doesn't have that week's NFL doubleheader. Coach Mike Tomlin's weekly press conference is shown live on FSN Pittsburgh. National NFL Network broadcasts are shown locally on either KDKA-TV or WPCW, while national ESPN broadcasts are shown locally on WTAE, channel 4. By virtue of being members of the AFC, most of the Steelers' games air on CBS except for home games against NFC opponents, which air locally on WPGH-TV which is a Fox affilliate. The team announced a one-year agreement with Mexico City radio station XHM-FM to bring Steelers games in Spanish on the radio in Mexico. The Steelers are only the third NFL team with a Spanish radio affiliate in Mexico.[65] [edit] Figures with broadcasting resumésMain article: List of Pittsburgh Steelers figures in broadcasting The Steelers franchise has a rich history of producing well-known sportscasters over the years. The most famous of these is probably Myron Cope, who served as a Steelers radio color commentator for 35 seasons (1970 – 2004). Several former Steelers players have gone on to careers in media after completing their playing careers. ' [edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
Pittsburgh Steelers Wiki, an external wiki
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |