NFL Team by Team Guide: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers franchise was founded in 1933 and is the seventh-oldest in the NFL. Before the AFL-NFL merger, the Steelers struggled but post-merger they are one of the most successful franchises in league history.
The Steelers were the first team to win six Super Bowls (tied with the Patriots for the most in NFL history). During World War II because of player shortages, the Steelers merged twice with other teams. In 1943, they merged with Philadelphia and became the “Steagles.” The following year, they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and were known as Card-Pitt, or colloquially the “Carpets.”
With the success of the Steelers franchise, they are a common draw on Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football. Regional Steelers games can be seen on CBS. National broadcasts can be watched on FOX Sports, NBC, CBS, and ESPN. Fans can watch the complete Steelers schedule by using a live streaming service like fuboTV, HULU, or YouTubeTV.
Home of the Steelers
The Steelers have had several homes because of their long history. They started with 30 years at the old Forbes Field then moved around before settling in Three Rivers Stadium from 1970 to 2000. The stadium was built at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers. After its implosion, the Steelers new home, Heinz Field, was built. Heinz Field seats 59,000 fans for home games.
Championship History
The Steelers made the NFL playoffs exactly once before the merger (1947). After the merger, Pittsburgh has been to the postseason 30 times. The franchise has 23 division championships, 15 AFC Central titles and eight AFC North crowns.
The Steelers have won eight AFC titles (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2005, 2008, and 2010). They have played in eight Super Bowls and have won six (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, and 2008).
Best of the Steelers
Head coach Chuck Noll (1969-1991) was the architect of the turnaround of the franchise. His penchant for drafting the right players helped build a dynasty in Pittsburgh. A member of the Hall of Fame, Noll finished with a record of 209-156-1 and four Super Bowl victories.
Noll’s first draft pick was DT Joe Greene who played all 12 of his NFL years with the Steelers. Greene was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, an eight-time All-Pro, and twice won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. A Hall of Famer himself, Greene played on four Super Bowl championship teams.
Noll’s second first-round draft pick came in 1970 when he took a strong-armed blonde-haired quarterback named Terry Bradshaw. He would go on to lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins. Bradshaw was the NFL MVP in 1978 and twice won the Super Bowl MVP (XIII, XIV).
Noll built what many have considered the greatest NFL defense of all-time. Greene, CB Mel Blount, LB Jack Ham, LB Jack Lambert, and S Donnie Shell all played on the Steelers’ four Super Bowl teams of the 1970s. All five players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1974, Greene was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 1975, Blount won the award and in 1976 it was Lambert who won it.
Author: Dan Anderson