Steel Curtain

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This article is about the term with respect to Pittsburgh Steelers lore. For the 2005 Marine operation, see Operation Steel Curtain.

The Steel Curtain was the nickname that was originally given to the front four of the famous defensive line of the American football team the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1970s. These four players were #68 L.C. Greenwood, #75 Joe Greene, #63 Ernie Holmes, and #78 Dwight White. Over the years, the nickname evolved into a reference to the entire defensive squad. This defense was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won 4 Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV).

In the 1976 season alone, the Steelers' defense was dominant, perhaps the best defense of all time. After the Steelers started 1-4 and lost their quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, the Steelers defense just took over, holding their opponents to just two touchdowns over the next nine games, and shutting them out five times, including three consecutive. Eight of the Steelers starting eleven defensive players were selected for the Pro Bowl, and middle linebacker Jack Lambert was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Other Steelers to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year are:

1972 - DT Joe Greene
1974 - DT Joe Greene
1975 - CB Mel Blount
1976 - LB Jack Lambert
1993 - CB Rod Woodson

The nickname "Steel Curtain", a play on the phrase "Iron Curtain" popularized by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, originated in a 1971 contest sponsored by Pittsburgh radio station WTAE to name the defense. The contest was won by Gregory Kronz, then a ninth grader at a suburban high school. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "he was just one of 17 people who submitted the 'Steel Curtain' moniker to the WTAE contest, necessitating a drawing for the grand prize," which Kronz won.

The Steel Curtain's famed front four were: