PITTSBURGH STEELER SPORTS HISTORY

AT IT'S BEST   THE STEELERS FRANCHISE WERE FOUNDED ON JULY 8, 1933 BY ART ROONEY USING SOME OF HIS WINNINGS FROM A HORSE RACE IN 1933 FOR $2500. THE FRANCHISE IS NOW WORTH $800 MILLION TO $1 BILLION DOLLARS. IT WAS NAMED AFTER THE BASEBALL TEAM THE "PIRATES". AND THE IDEA FOR THE PIRATES BASEBALL TEAM NAME ACTUALLY CAME FROM THE PHILADELPHIAATHLETICS WHEN THEY FORGOT TO INCLUDE A HIGHLY REGARDED SECOND BASEMAN ON THEIR RESERVE LIST AND THE "ALLEGHENYS" PICKED HIM UP. THE ATHLETICS CALLED IT "PIRACY"……SO THE ALLEGHENYS MADE SPORT OF IT BY CHANGING THEIR NAMES TO THE "PIRATES". Art Rooney AFTER 7 YEARS OF LOSING AND BEING CONFUSED WITH THE BASEBALL TEAM, ART ROONEY ASKED FANS FOR SUGGESTIONS TO RENAME THE TEAM. AS DOCUMENTED BY POSTMARKS, THE FIRST ENTRY TO NAME THEM "STEELERS" CAME FROM  ARNOLD GOLDBERG, SPORTS EDITOR OF THE UNIONTOWN, PA. NEWSPAPER, BECAUSE OF THE MAJOR STEEL PRODUCTION IN PGH. NAME WAS CHANGED FROM PIRATES TO STEELERS BEFORE THE 1940 SEASON.   DURING WWII STEELERS HAD PLAYER SHORTAGE, SO IN YEARS 1943 & 44 THEY MERGED WITH THE " PHILADELPHIA  EAGLES" FORMING THE PHIL-PITT EAGLES ….KNOWN AS THE "STEAGLES". THIS IS THE ONLY TIME IN THEIR 80 YEAR HISTORY THEY WORE A DIFFERENT COLOR. IN 1947 THE STEELERS MADE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME BUT LOST TO THE EAGLES. IT WOULD BE THE STEELERS ONLY PLAYOFF GAME "FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS"!! "THE STEELER LOGO" WAS FORMED IN 1962 THAT WAS DESIGNED BY  PITTSBURGH 'S  U.S.  STEEL BUT SUGGESTED BY A  CLEVELAND  BASED REPUBLIC STEEL CO., THE STEELERS ORG. ADOPTED THE LOGO. THE LOGO REPRESENTS THE INGREDIENTS IN MAKING STEEL – YELLOW FOR COAL, RED FOR IRON  ORE , BLUE FOR SCRAP STEEL. THE STEELERS ARE THE ONLY NFL TEAM THAT PUTS IT'S LOGOON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE HELMET (RIGHT SIDE) AS INSTRUCTED BY ART ROONEY. IN 1997 THE TEAM LOGO WAS ADDED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE  JERSEY . THEN IN 1970 ALL THINGS CHANGED AND THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN, WHEN THEY MOVED INTO 3 RIVERS STADIUM, SWITCHED TO THE NEWLY FORMED AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE, AND RECEIVED 3 MILLION DOLLAR RELOCATION FEE THAT REALLY HELPED THEM, SINCE THEY NEVER HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO BUILD A CONTENDING TEAM. CHUCK KNOLL 22 YEARS  PITTSBURGH  STEELER COACH MORE LUCK TO FOLLOW WITH HIRING "CHUCK NOLL" WHO HAD A UNCANNY & REMARKABLE TALENT FOR DRAFT SELECTIONS. JOE GREENE ' 69, TERRY BRADSHAW & MEL BLOUNT ' 70, JACK HAM '71, FRANCO HARRIS '72. THEN IN 1974 SELECTED 4 HALL OF FAMERS IN 1 YEAR – LYNN SWANN, JACK LAMBERT, JOHN STALLWORTH,MIKE WEBSTER. "NO OTHER TEAM YET HAS EVER DRAFTED 4 FUTURE HALL OF FAMERS IN ONE YEAR". STEELERS ARE THE ONLY TEAM IN NFL HISTORY TO WIN 4 SUPER BOWLS IN 6 YEARS AND THE FIRST TO WIN MORE THAN 2. "CHUCK KNOLL" HAS MORE SUPER BOWL WINS THAN ANY OTHER COACH IN THE NFL HISTORY. IN 1993 WASINDUCTED IN THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. NOLL STARTED A DEFENSIVE SYSTEM THAT BACAME THE LEGENDARY "STEEL CURTAIN" DEFENSE. HE WAS A COACH THAT NEVER SOUGHT A LOT OF MEDIA ATTENTION. HIS 1970'S TEAMS WERE SO TALENTED THAT HIS CONTRIBUTIONS AS HEAD COACH AND "ARCHITECT" OF THE TEAMS WERE OFTEN OVERLOOKED. NOLL STILL HAS RESIDENCE IN  PITTSBURGH  ANDFLORIDA AND STILL HOLDS THE CEREMONIAL TITLE OF "ADMINISTATION ADVISER" IN THE STEELER FRONT OFFICE. MEL BLOUNT ONCE SAID AFTER DEFEATING THE RAMS…. "I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST TEAM EVER ASSEMBLED. THEY TALK ABOUT THE VINCE LOMBARDI ERA, BUT I THINK THE CHUCK NOLL ERA IS EVEN GREATER." THE "TERRIBLE TOWEL" WAS CONCEIVED BY MRYON COPE IN 1975. IT ALL STARTED WHEN THE GENERAL MANAGER OF WTAE RADIO & THE V.PRESIDENT OF SALES ASKED MYRONTO COME UP WITH A GIMMICK FOR THE STEELER FANS TO HAVE FOR THE UP & COMING 1975 PLAYOFFS. COPE SAID…"WE NEED SOMETHING THAT'S LIGHTWEIGHT,PORTABLE AND IS ALREADY OWNED BY THE FANS." GARRET V.P.,SAID…"HOW ABOUT A TOWEL?" COPE SAID…A TOWEL?! WE COULD CALL IT "THE TERRIBLE TOWEL" AND THAT IT'S POISED TO STRIKE. " THAT TOWEL GOT EVERYONE THROUGH THE FIRST SUPER BOWL 1975 AND 5 MORE! IT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AS "THE BEST KNOWN FAN SYMBOL OF ANY MAJOR PRO SPORTS TEAM & ORGANIZATION". NOW "COLLEGE SPORT FANS" ARE TWIRLING THEIR TOWELS. THE "TERRIBLE TOWEL" HAS BEEN DISPLAYED ALL OVER THE WORLD, ON TOP OF  MT.   EVEREST , AND TAKEN ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME HAS "3 TERRIBLE TOWELS" ENSHRINED THERE FOR ALL TO SEE. IT HAS RAISED OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE ALLEGHENY VALLEY SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH HANDICAPS. BEFORE MYRON COPE PASSED AWAY HE SAID……"I HAVE PUBLISHED 4 BOOKS AND LEARNED TO PLAY CLARINET, SAXOPHONE AND PIANO. YET IT NOW APPEARS CERTAIN THAT WHEN MY TIME COMES, THEY WILL SAY TO ME IN  PITTSBURGH , MY LONG-TIME HOMETOWN,….."OH, HE WAS THE FELLOW WHO HAD THAT TOWEL!!." THE ROONEY FAMILY 5 SONS OF ART & KATHLEEN ROONEY "THE ROONEY FAMILY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE  PITTSBURGH  STEELERS" WAS THE 1ST TO HIRE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ASST. COACH 1957  LOWELL  PERRY. 1ST TO START AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUARTERBACK 1973 JOE GILLMAN. 1ST TEAM TO HAVE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPER BOWL 1975 MVP FRANCO HARRIS. 1ST TO HIRE AN AFRICAN AMERICAN COORDINATOR 1984 TOM DUNGY. 1ST TO HIRE A FEMALE AS A FULL TIME ATHLETIC TRAINER. AND THE 1ST PROFESSIONAL SPORTS OWNERS TO PUSH FOR PASSAGE OF "AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANDATE" THAT AT LEAST 1 MINORITY CANDIDATE IS GIVEN AN INTERVIEW WHICH IS NOW THE FAMOUS "ROONEY RULE" WHICH GOVERNS HOW NFL TEAMS HIRE MINORITY COACHING CANDIDATES NAMED AFTER DANROONEY. 1933 TO PRESENT IN 2008 – 2009 THE STEELERS BECAME THE FIRST TEAM IN NFL HISTORY TO DEFEAT AN OPPONET (BALTIMORERAVENS) 3 TIMES IN A SINGLE SEASON USING 3 DIFFERENT UNIFORMS. SINCE THE AFL-NFL MERGER IN 1970 "THE STEELERS HAVE POSTED THE BEST RECORD IN THE LEAGUE". THE FRANCHISE HAS WON THE MOSTREGULAR SEASON GAMES AND THE MOST PLAYOFF GAMES 33 AND THE MOST DIVISONAL TITLES 20, AND HAS PLAYED IN THE MOST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES 15. HOSTED THE MOST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES 11 AND IS TIED FOR THE MOST SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES 8. THEY HAVE THE BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE,INCLUDING EXPANSION TEAMS, HAS EARNED THE MOST ALL –PRO NOMINATIONS, HAVE THE THIRD MOST INDUCTEES IN THE HALL OF FAME ALSO HAVE THE MOST HONOREES OF ANY FRANCHISE FOUNDED ON OR AFTER 1933. AND OF COURSE THE BEST FOR LAST "HAS WON THE MOST SUPER BOWLS"! NO PLAYER NUMBERS HAVE EVER BEEN RETIRED BY THE  PITTSBURGH  STEELERS ORGANIZATION BUT FOR SOME REASON NO "NEW PLAYERS" EVER GET TO WEAR #12 T. BRADSHAW #31 D. SHELL #32 F. HARRIS #47 M. BLOUNT #52 M. WEBSTER #58 J. LAMBERT #59 J. HAM # 70 E. STAUTNER #75 J.GREEENE STEELER'S HEAD COACHES  IN 2005 THE STEELERS LED BY "COACH BILL COWHER" BECAME "THE FIRST WILD CARD TEAM" IN PRO FOOTBALL HISTORY TO WIN 3 PLAYOFF ROAD GAMES AND THE SUPER BOWL. "MIKE TOMLIN" BECAME THE 3RDSTEELER HEAD COACH SINCE 1969 AND THE YOUNGEST HEAD COACH IN NFL HISTORY TO LEAD A TEAM TO THE SUPER BOWL. HE ALSO BECAME THE FASTEST TO WIN A SUPER BOWL IN STEELER HISTORY AND TO LEAD THE TEAM INTO 2 SUPER BOWLS IN HIS FIRST 4 SEASONS. "DICK LEBEAU", STEELERS "DEFENSIVE COACH" IS CONSIDERED TO BE "ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS OF ALL TIME". HE PLAYED 14 YEARS WITH THE  DETROIT  LIONS AND IS ALSO CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE BACKS INDETROIT FOOTBALL HISTORY. LEBEAU WAS INDUCTED IN THE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME 2010. THE ENTIRE  PITTSBURGH  STEELER TEAM & ORGANIZATION WAS IN ATTENDANCE FOR THE CEREMONY. "STEELER NATION" THE STEELERS HAVE SOLD OUT EVERY GAME SINCE THE 1972 SEASON. "STEELER NATION" HAVE HUNDREDS OF CHAPTERS WITH OVER 95,000 MEMBERS. THE LARGEST FANBASE "IN THE WORLD." A WELL RESPECTED ART ROONEY AND HIS TEAMS OF STEEL "THE CHIEF" AS ALL PITTSBURGHERS KNOW HIM AS, WOULD USUALLY USE A LATE-ROUND DRAFT PICK ON A LOCAL COLLEGE ATHLETE,ONE FROM  PITT , WEST VIRGINIA  OR  PENN   STATE . HIS INTENTION WAS GIVING LOCAL FANS AND CITIZENS A STORY TO FOLLOW AND BE PROUD OF. HE ALSO SHARED A SIMILAR FONDNESS FOR NOTRE DAME PLAYERS DUE TO HIS IRISH CATHOLIC BACKGROUND. STORIES OF ROONEY'S ACTS OF KINDNESS ARE "LEGENDARY" – FROM HIS HAND WRITTEN CARDS TO PLAYERS AND THEIR FAMILIES, VISITING THEM IN HOSPITALS, TO HIS KIND AND GENEROUS TREATMENT OF EVERY LAST MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. WHEN HE PASSED AWAY IN 1988,COUNTY COMMISSIONER TOM FOERSTER SAID, " EVERYONE KNEW MR. ROONEY WAS OUR NO#1 CITIZEN. I'M FULLY CONVINCED HE DID MORE FOR THIS CITY THAN MELLONDID FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND DAVID LAWRENCE DID POLITICALLY." WHEN THE STEELERS WERE FINALLY IN FIRST PLACE IN THE "1947 EASTERN DIVISION", ART ROONEYCOMMENTED TO A SPORTS WRITER ABOUT THE 11 CONSECUTIVE SELLOUTS THAT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE IN  PITTSBURGH : "IT WAS NEVER LIKE THIS IN THE OLD DAYS. I GOT SO USED TO LOSING, SOMETIMES I FIND IT STRANGE TO ACT LIKE A WINNER THIS SEASON. BUT I LOVE IT, IT'S A GREAT FEELING! I DON'T HAVE TO DUCK DOWN THE SIDE STREETS ANYMORE." AND ART ROONEY JR. COMMENTED ABOUT HIS DAD'S TOUGH BEGINNINGS OF HIS FOOTBALL TEAMS: " IT WASN'T ABOUT WINNING AND LOSING THE GAMES, THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS SURVIVAL." Just in appreciation of Art Rooney's perseverance, of a $2,500 local football team back in 1933 during the depression, always putting his faith and loyalty into people….and look what he gave to the City of  Pittsburgh  because of that, "the Proud Spirit of  Pittsburgh  all over the World"!