Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC. Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowl titles (six), won more AFC Championship Games (eight) and played in (fifteen) and hosted more (eleven) conference championship games than any other AFC or NFC team. The Steelers share the record for most Super Bowl appearances with the Dallas Cowboys (eight). The Steelers won their most recent championship, Super Bowl XLIII, on February 1, 2009.

The fifth-oldest franchise in the NFL,^[1] the Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933, by Art Rooney, taking its original name from the baseball team of the same name, as was common practice for NFL teams to do at the time.^[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.

Long one of the NFL's flagship teams,^[3] the Steelers enjoys a large, widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation.^[4] The Steelers currently play their home games at Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Side in the North Shore neighborhood, 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.

Franchise history

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.^[5] Through the 1930s, the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division, or with a record better than .500 (1936).^[6] 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,^[7] but he played only one year with the Pirates before signing with the Detroit Lions.^[8] 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").^[7] This team finished 0–10, marking the only winless team in franchise history.^[9]

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.^[10] That would be Pittsburgh's only playoff game for the next 25 years; they did qualify for a "Playoff Bowl" in 1962 as the second-best team in their conference, but this was not considered an official playoff.^[11]

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. The Steelers also received a $3 million relocation fee, which was a windfall for them; for years they rarely had enough to build a true contending team.^[12]

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,^[13] and finally, in 1974, pulling off the incredible feat of selecting four Hall of Famers in one draft year, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster.^[14] The Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 draft was their best ever, and no other team has ever drafted four future Hall of Famers in one year, and only very few (including the 1970 Steelers) have drafted two or more 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.

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. In those first six seasons Cowher coached them as deep as the AFC Championship Game three times and following the 1995 season an appearance in Super Bowl XXX on the strength of the "Blitzburgh" defense. However, the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, two weeks after a thrilling AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts. 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. He coached through the 2006 season which ended with a 8–8 record, just short of the playoffs. Overall Cowher's teams reached the playoffs 10 of 15 seasons with six AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl berths and a championship.

The Mike Tomlin era

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.^[15] 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, equaling 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). The 2010 season made Tomlin the only coach to reach the Super Bowl twice before the age of 40. Tomlin led the team to his second Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLV) on Feb. 6, 2011. However, the Steelers were defeated in their eighth Super Bowl appearance by the Green Bay Packers by the score of 31–25.

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 25 times, won their division 20 times, played in 15 AFC championship games, and won six of eight Super Bowls. They are also the only NFL team not to have a season with twelve or more losses since the league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978.^[16]

Ownership

Since 2008, the Rooney family has brought in several investors for the team while retaining control of the team itself. This came about so that the team could comply with NFL ownership regulations.^[17] Current Steelers Chairman, Dan Rooney, and his son, Art Rooney II, president of the franchise, wanted to stay involved with the franchise, while two of the brothers – Timothy and Patrick – wanted to further pursue racetracks that they own in Florida and New York.^[18] 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".^[19]

While Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II retain control of the team with the league-minimum 30%, the following make up the other investors:

• Several other members of the Rooney family, including Art Rooney Jr., John Rooney, and the McGinley family, who are cousins to the Rooneys.
• Pilot Corporation and Pilot Flying J president Jim Haslam III, son of founder Jim Haslam Jr. and brother of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.^[20]
• Legendary Pictures president and CEO Thomas Tull.^[20]
• The Paul family of Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, who are primarily involved with Pittsburgh-based Ampco Pittsburgh Corporation as well as Morton's Restaurant Group, Urban Active Fitness, Meyer Products and Harley Marine Services. Additionally, family members serve on numerous boards, including Cornell University, UPMC, University of Pittsburgh, the American Red Cross, Harvard Medical School and the Loomis Chaffee School.^[20]
• Former Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[21]
• GTCR chairman Bruce V. Rauner.^[21]
• The Varischetti family of Brockway, Pennsylvania, which owns several nursing homes and a commercial real estate business.^[21]
• Paul Evanson, chairman, president, and CEO of Allegheny Energy.^[22]

With the transaction, Jim Haslam and the Paul family each own over 10% of the team making them the largest new investors.

Season-by-season records

Through the end of the 2009 season, the Steelers have an all-time record of 565–529–21, including playoffs. In recent seasons the Steelers have generally performed well, qualifying for the playoffs six times in the past ten seasons and winning the Super Bowl twice since 2005.^[23]

In the NFL's "modern era" (since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970) the Steelers have posted the best record in the league. The franchise has won the most regular season games, the most playoff games (33 playoff wins; the Dallas Cowboys are second with 32), won the most divisional titles (20), has played in the most conference championship games (15), hosted the most conference championship games (11), and is tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the most Super Bowl appearances(8). The Steelers have the best winning percentage (including every expansion team), earned the most All-Pro nominations, and have accumulated the most Super Bowl wins (6) since the modern game started in 1970. Since the merger, the team's playoff record is 33–19 (.635), which is second best in terms of playoff winning percentage behind the Green Bay Packers' playoff record of 28–16 (.636), through January 23, 2011.

Logo and uniforms

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, and also the Pittsburgh Power of the reformed Arena Football League, and the Pittsburgh Passion of the Independent Women's Football League. However, the Penguins currently use "Vegas Gold", a color similar to metallic gold, and the Pirates' gold is a darker mustard yellow-gold, while the Steelers "gold" is more of a bright canary yellow. Black and gold are also 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 1963–1964 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.

In 2008–2009, the Steelers 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 jerseys.

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, Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. They also have an intrastate rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles, but under the current scheduling the teams play each other only once every four years.

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 (60–56); partly due to their dominance over the post-1999, Cleveland Browns franchise and won the last twelve straight before the Browns snapped their losing skid against them by beating them 13–6 on December 10, 2009. 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 following Marty Schottenheimer for a brief tenure as Kansas City Defensive Coordinator, and then hired by Pittsburgh. This has only intensified the 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 NFL 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). During the Steelers 2008 Championship run, they beat the Ravens three times, including a win in the AFC Championship game. 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 Steelers-Ravens Rivalry really began when Art Modell moved the his Franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore. "The Steelers saw the Ravens as Modell's team, which was reason enough to want to beat them. The Steelers also looked at Modell's move of his franchise from Cleveland to Baltimore as taking away the Steelers longest and deepest rivalry."

• The Cincinnati Bengals rivalry with Pittsburgh dates from the 1970 season, when the NFL-AFL merger was completed. In 1976, the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive (they later won the division) with a late-season 7–3 win in snowy Cincinnati. 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 knee injury happened when nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen fell forward into Palmer's knee. The Bengals players called this a dirty play, the NFL ruled that it was accidental and did not fine von Oelhoffen for the hit. This incident has led to an intensifying of the rivalry since this game. The Bengals beat the Steelers in week 13 of the 2005 season 38–31, and wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh used a Terrible Towel to polish his cleats while walking up the tunnel after the game, fueling the rivalry. 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.

Historic rivals

• The rivalry between the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders was one of the most heated of the 1970s and early to mid 1980s. 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. The wild card Pittsburgh football team was knocked out of the playoffs the following year by the Raiders in the 1973 AFC Divisional round 33–14, but fired back with two straight AFC Championships in 1974 24–13 and 1975 16–10 over Oakland. Oakland responded with a victory over Pittsburgh in the 1976 AFC Championship game 24–7 (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 alleged cheap-shot on Lynn Swann during a regular-season matchup. Atkinson and the Raiders later filed a defamation of character lawsuit against Noll, but lost. Following the 1983 regular season, the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Steelers 38–10 in the AFC Divisional round which turned out to be the last NFL game for Steeler NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw who did not play due to inury. 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 Steelers victory towards the end of the 2000 season to prevent the Raiders from obtaining homefield advantage in the playoffs, and an upset Raiders victory in week 8 of the 2006 NFL season (20–13), which helped cost the Steelers a playoff berth. The teams' most recent meeting was at Pittsburgh in 2010, where the Steelers blew out the Raiders 35–3, and ended their 3-game winning streak.

• 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 favored Steelers and Cowboys met came with Pittsburgh victories in the Orange Bowl Super Bowl X 21–17 and Super Bowl XIII 35–31. The Cowboys never won a regular season game in the Orange Bowl and lost three Super Bowl games (once to the Baltimore Colts and twice to the Steelers). Between the Cowboys and Steelers, Super Bowl XIII had the greatest number of future Pro Football Hall of Fame players participating, which as of 2010 numbered 20 – 14 players and six coaches/front office, including Ernie Stautner, defensive coordinator for the Cowboys who was a 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 won Super Bowl XII, their second and last loss of their 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, including a come from behind victory December 7, 2008 in Pittsburgh, when the Steelers drove the length of the field to tie the game 13–13, then cornerback Deshea Townsend returned an intercepted pass from Tony Romo for the game's final score, Steelers 20, Cowboys 13. The all-time series is tied, 15–15. The Pittsburgh/Dallas rivalry served as a backdrop to the 1977 film Black Sunday, parts of which were filmed during Super Bowl X.

• The Denver Broncos are tied with the Oakland Raiders for the most playoff meetings versus the Steelers (six). The rivalry dates from 1970, but the first notable contest came in 1973, when Denver dealt Pittsburgh its first regular-season defeat at Three Rivers Stadium, 23–13. The following year, they met in the NFL's first regular-season overtime game, which ended in a 35–35 tie. Denver's first playoff game had them hosting the Steelers in the 1977 divisional round; the Broncos won 34–21. The following year, the Steelers hosted and defeated Denver 33–10 in the divisional round. Their next playoff matchup was the 1984 divisional round in Mile High Stadium; the Steelers pulled the upset 24–17. They nearly pulled the upset again 5 years later in Denver, but the Broncos prevailed in the divisional playoff, 24–23. In 1997, they met in Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game, where Denver squeaked out at 24–21 win. Eight years later, the Steelers went to the Super Bowl by beating Denver 34–17 in Colorado. As of December 2009, Denver holds a 16–10–1 lead in the series, including 3–3 in the playoffs. Neither team has beaten the other more than three times in a row.

• The rivalry between the Steelers and the New England Patriots emerged when the 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 with 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 Foxborough in 2008, after Matt Cassel had turned the ball over five times. The Steelers lead the all-time regular season series, 13–8. In the postseason, the Patriots have outscored the Steelers 99 points to 58, with the Patriots maintaining a 3–1 record. The only other franchises with winning AFC playoff records against Steelers include the Miami Dolphins (2–1, both wins in the AFC Championship), the Kansas City Chiefs (1–0), San Diego Chargers (2–1, all games played in Pittsburgh), Jacksonville Jaguars (1–0, game at Heinz Field). The Steelers have an all-time record of 14–11 against the Patriots.

Culture

Mascot

Prior 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 Township, Butler County, 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]

Fanbase

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.^[4][28] The team gained a large fan base nationally based on its success in the 1970s, but many consider the collapse of the city's steel industry at the end of the '70s dynasty into the 1980s (and the resulting diaspora) to be a large catalyst for the size of the fan base in other cities. The Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season.^[29]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have numerous unofficial fan clubs in many cities throughout the country, that typically meet in bars or taverns on game days. This phenomenon is known to occur for other NFL teams as well, but "Steeler bars" are more visible than most, including representative establishments even in cities that field their own NFL teams.

The Terrible Towel has been described by the Associated Press as "arguably the best-known fan symbol of any major pro sports team".^[29] Conceived of by broadcaster Myron Cope in 1975 ,^[29] 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.^[30] Since 1996, proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $2.5 million for the school.^[30]

Fight songs

The Steelers have no official fight song, but many fan versions of "Here we go Steelers" and the "Steelers Polka" by ethnic singer "Jimmy Pol", both originating in the 1970s, have been recorded. During Steelers games, Styx's "Renegade" is often used to rally the crowd. Also, considered the fight song of the Pittsburgh Steelers is as of the 2010 NFL Season is Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa.

Nicknames

The Steelers enjoy several endearing nicknames, most notably "The Black and Gold" and the Pittsburghese dialect "Stillers" or "Stihllers". The founder Art Rooney was almost always referred to by the nickname "The Chief" and Three Rivers Stadium as the "Blast Furnace" during the championship years of the 1970s.

Facilities

Stadiums

In 2001, the Steelers moved into Heinz Field. The franchise dating back to 1933 has had several homes. For thirty-one seasons, the Steelers shared Forbes Field with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1933 to 1963. In 1958, though they started splitting their home games with the football only Pitt Stadium three blocks away at the University of Pittsburgh. From 1964 to 1969, the Steelers played exclusively at the on campus facility before moving with the Pirates to Three Rivers Stadium on the city's Northside. Three Rivers is remembered fondly by the Steeler Nation as where Chuck Noll and Dan Rooney turned the franchise into a powerhouse, winning four Super Bowls in just six seasons and making the playoffs 11 times in 13 seasons from 1972 to 1984, the AFC title game seven times. Since 2001 however a new generation of Steeler greats has made Heinz Field legendary with multiple AFC Championship Games being hosted and two Super Bowl championships.

Training camp

The Steelers hold training camp east of the city in the suburban Laurel Highlands at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The site is one of the most storied in the league with Peter King of SI.com describing it as: ". . . I love the place. It's the perfect training-camp setting, looking out over the rolling hills of the Laurel Highlands in west-central Pennsylvania, an hour east of Pittsburgh. On a misty or foggy morning, standing atop the hill at the college, you feel like you're in Scotland. Classic, wonderful slice of Americana. If you can visit one training camp, this is the one to see.^[31]

The team has its headquarters and practice facilities at the state-of-the-art University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sportsplex on Pittsburgh's Southside. Constructed in 2000 the facility combines the vast expertise of sports medical professionals and researchers as well as hosting the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team.

Historical facilities

The Rooney family has long had a close relationship with Duquesne University in the city and from the teams founding in the 1930s to the late 1990s used Art Rooney Field and other facilities on campus as either its primary or secondary in-season training site.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the team had season scrimmages at South Park in the suburban south hills of Pittsburgh. During various seasons including the strike season of 1987, the Steelers used Point Stadium in nearby Johnstown, Pennsylvania for game week practices.^[32]

Statistics

Players

Current roster

Pro Football Hall of Famers

The Steelers boast the third most "primary" inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They also can claim the most honorees of any franchise founded on or after 1933, the only franchise with three members of ownership in the Hall and the only player (Cal Hubbard) to be inducted in both the pro football and the baseball Halls of Fame.

Award recipients

• Pat Livingston, Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Press, awarded the 1979 Dick McCann Memorial Award
• Vito Stellino, Steelers beat writer in the 1970s for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, awarded the 1989 Dick McCann Memorial Award^[57]
• Myron Cope, Announcer (1970–2005), awarded the 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
• John Clayton, Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Press (1976–1986), awarded the 2007 Dick McCann Memorial Award^[57]

Steelers in the Hall for contributions elsewhere

• Former Steelers QB Jim Finks, as an administrator with the Vikings, Bears and Saints.
• Current defensive coordinator (and coordinator for Super Bowls XXX, XL, XLIII, and XLV) Dick LeBeau, as a player for the Lions.

Pro Bowl players

The following Steelers players have been named to the Pro Bowl:

• QB Ben Roethlisberger, Kordell Stewart, Neil O'Donnell, Terry Bradshaw, Bobby Layne, Earl Morrall, Jim Finks
• FB Earnest Jackson, Franco Harris, John Henry Johnson, Fran Rogel, Dick Riffle, John Karcis, Stu Smith
• HB Willie Parker, Jerome Bettis, Barry Foster, Dick Hoak, Clendon Thomas, Tom Tracy, Ray Mathews, Johnny Lattner, Lynn Chandnois, Joe Geri, Bill Dudley, Merl Condit, Whizzer White
• LT Marvel Smith, Charlie Bradshaw, Joe Coomer
• LG Alan Faneca, Duval Love, Mike Sandusky, Byron Gentry
• C Maurkice Pouncey, Jeff Hartings, Dermontti Dawson, Mike Webster, Buzz Nutter, Bill Walsh, Chuck Cherundolo, Mike Basrak
• RG Carlton Haselrig, Bruce Van Dyke, John Nisby, Milt Simington
• RT Tunch Ilkin, Larry Brown, Frank Varrichione, George Hughes, John Woudenberg
• TE Heath Miller, Eric Green, Preston Carpenter, Jack McClairen, Elbie Nickel
• WR Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Yancey Thigpen, Louis Lipps, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Ron Shanklin, Roy Jefferson, Gary Ballman, Buddy Dial, Jimmy Orr
• DE Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White, Ben McGee, Lou Michaels, Bill McPeak
• DT Casey Hampton, Joel Steed, Joe Greene, Joe Krupa, Gene Lipscomb, Ernie Stautner
• LB James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Joey Porter, Jason Gildon, Kendrell Bell, Levon Kirkland, Chad Brown, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, David Little, Mike Merriweather, Robin Cole, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Andy Russell, Myron Pottios, John Reger, Dale Dodrill, Marv Matuszak, Jerry Shipkey
• CB Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, J.T. Thomas, Marv Woodson, Brady Keys, Dean Derby, Jack Butler, Art Jones
• SS Troy Polamalu, Carnell Lake, Donnie Shell, Mike Wagner
• FS Glen Edwards
• K Gary Anderson, Roy Gerela, Mike Clark
• P Bobby Walden
• KR Antonio Brown

Retired uniform numbers

• 70 Ernie Stautner^[58]

League MVPs

Steelers players who have been named the league MVP:

• Bill Dudley – awarded the Joe F. Carr Trophy in 1946^[59]
• Terry Bradshaw – named the AP MVP in 1978^[60]

Defensive Player of the Year Awards winners

Steelers players who have been named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year:

Rookie of the Year Award winners

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Steelers players who have been named the Offensive Rookie of the Year:

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Steelers players who have been named the Defensive Rookie of the Year:

Super Bowl MVPs

The following Steelers players have been named Super Bowl MVP:

All-time team

In 2007, in celebration of the franchise's 75th season, the team announced an updated All-Time team of the 33 best players who have ever played for the Steelers.^[61] This team supplanted the previous All-Time team of 24 players named as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration in 1982.^[62]

A "Legends team" consisting of the club's best pre-1970's players was released concurrently with the latest All-Time team.^[63]

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.^[64]

Current staff

Media

As 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.^[65] 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 Root Sports Pittsburgh. KDKA-TV's Bob Pompeani and former Steelers lineman Edmund Nelson do the announcing for the pre-season 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 does not have that week's NFL doubleheader. Coach Mike Tomlin's weekly press conference is shown live on Root Sports Pittsburgh.

National NFL Network broadcasts are shown locally on KDKA-TV (sister station WPCW shows KDKA-TV's normal CBS programming during the game, while its normal CW programming is pre-empted), while national ESPN broadcasts are shown locally on WTAE-TV, channel 4. (WTAE-TV is owned by the Hearst Corporation, which owns a 20% stake in ESPN.) 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 affiliate.

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.^[66]

Figures with broadcasting resumés

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.

Newspaper

The Steelers Digest is the only official newspaper for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It has been published for 22 years and is currently published by Dolphin/Curtis Publishing in Miami, FL, which also handles several other publications. The newspaper is very widely acknowledged by Steelers fans. Issues are mailed out to paying subscribers weekly through the season after every regular season game and continues through playoffs as long as the Steelers do. After a Super Bowl victory, a bonus issue is published, which is followed by a draft preview, draft recap, and training camp edition every other month, then leading into the pre-season. There are typically 24 issues of the paper within a publishing year. The newspaper is listed on the official Steelers.com page.

Usage in popular culture

The Steelers success over several decades has permeated film and literature. The Steelers are portrayed in the following big-budget Hollywood films:

• The January 11, 1975 episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show used the team's first Super Bowl as the plot device. [2]
• Black Sunday in 1977
• Heaven Can Wait in 1978
• Smokey and the Bandit II in 1980
• Fighting Back in 1980
• ...All the Marbles in 1981
• Evening Shade (TV Series) 1990–1994
• The Waterboy cameo by Bill Cowher in 1998
• The Longest Yard in 2005
• The Chief a theater production.
• Black and Yellow in 2010.
• The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 features several Steelers players as the fictional Gotham Rogues, which was filmed in Heinz Field

See also

• Active NFL playoff appearance streaks

References

External links

• Pittsburgh Steelers official website
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Steelers page
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers page
• Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
• Pittsburgh Steelers – Pittsburgh Sports Live
• Steel City Mafia
• Steelers Fever

Wiki

• Pittsburgh Steelers Wiki, an external wiki