Facts and information about the Pittsburgh Steelers

• In 1970 the Pittsburgh Steelers became one of three teams to join the incoming AFL teams in the newly formed American Football Conference. The Steelers were paid $3 million dollars for volunteering to change conferences.

• Former Steelers great, and Hall-of-Famer, Franco Harris played his final NFL season as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

• The Steelers are the only team with a logo on just one side of their helmets.

• In 1943, due to shortages in manpower because of the needs of World War II, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles temporarily merged, forming the Phil-Pitt Steagles. The next year, 1944, they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and played as Card-Pitt.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers have won back-to-back Super Bowls twice; 1974 & 1975, and 1978 & 1979.

• Former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Bert Bell also owned the cross state rival Philadelphia Eagles in the 1930s.

• The Steelers are the oldest football team, dating to 1933, in the AFC.

• From 1933 until 1940 the team was known as the Pittsburgh Pirates until a name-the-team contest produced the name Steelers.

• Pittsburgh lost its first game ever 23-2 against the New York Giants.

• Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers Center and Hall-of-Famer Mike Webster is the starting Center on the NFL’s All-1970’s team, as well as the All-1980’s team.

• Hall-of-Fame Center Mike Webster left the Steelers in 1988 to become the Offensive Line Coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, soon after this he came out of retirement to play two more seasons.

• Actor Ed O’Neill, most famous for playing Al Bundy on the popular Fox sitcom Married… With Children, was signed by the Steelers in 1969 but he was released before the 1969 season started.

• In 1938, Pittsburgh signed future United States Supreme Court Justice Byron White to the richest football contract in history. He only played one season in Pittsburgh before joining the Detroit Lions.

• Hall-of-Fame executive Jim Finks, known for his General Manager abilities with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints, was drafted in 1949 by the Steelers.

• Only once in franchise history has the Steelers gone winless in a season and that was during the 1944 season when they had temporarily merged with the Chicago Cardinals because or worker shortages due to World War II. Their record that year was 0-10.

• The Steelers pulled off one of the best drafts ever in 1974 when they selected, among others; Center Mike Webster, Wide Receivers John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, and Linebacker Jack Lambert. All four of these players from one draft went on to star with the Steelers and make it to the Hall-of-Fame.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted five Hall-of-Fame players in four consecutive years, drafting Mean Joe Greene in 1969, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount in 1970, Jack Ham in 1971, and Franco Harris in 1972.

• In the five seasons from 1972 to 1976, the Defensive Player of the Year went to a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers four times; Joe Greene twice, Mel Blount, and Jack Lambert.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers were the first team in history to win more than two Super Bowls.

• Head Coach Bill Cowher led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs in each of his first six season in the league.

• During the 1943 season when they had combined with the Eagles to form the “Steagles”, the Steelers wore the Eagles uniforms. This is the only season in their history that their colors were not black and gold.

• The current Steelers logo was created in 1962 and is based on a U.S. Steel logo. That first year it was worn on gold helments, the following year the Steelers changed to the black helmets they’re known for today.

• The Steelers fans tradition of waving a “Terrible Towel” during their games was started by broadcaster Myron Cope.

• In 1961, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first professional football team to have cheerleaders. The Steelerettes, as they were called, were discontinued in 1969.

• In the film The Longest Yard, Paul Crewe (played by Burt Reynolds and later by Adam Sandler in the remake) is a former Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback.

• Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Johnny Unitas was cut from the Steelers training camp roster in 1955. He went on to star for the Baltimore Colts.

• Although the Steelers officially do not retire former players jersey numbers, there are a number of players (Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, etc.) whose jersey numbers have not been reused since they retired.

• Walt Kiesling had three different stints as Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach; 1939-1940, 1941-1944, and 1954-1956.

• In the Pittsburgh Steelers first 35 years as an NFL franchise (1933-1968) they had 14 different Head Coaches, in their next 36 years (1969-2006) they had just two (Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher).

• Former Wide Receiver Lynn Swann’s movie credits include: The Program, The Waterboy, and The Last Boyscout.

• Former Quarterback Terry Bradshaw’s film roles have included: Smokey and the Bandit II, Black Sunday and Failure To Launch.

• Terry Bradshaw was a part time announcer for CBS while he was still an active player near the end of his career.

• Former Steelers Coach Bill Cowher’s wife Kaye Cowher played professional basketball for the New York Stars of the now defunct Women’s Pro Basketball League.

• Former Steelers Head Coach Chuck Noll was an assistant coach under Don Shula when Shula was Head Coach of the Baltimore Colts.

• Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno was offered the Head Coaching position with the Steelers; when he turned the position down, the job was offered to Chuck Noll.

• Former Steelers Coach Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls with Pittsburgh during the 1970s; he wouldn’t win Coach-of-the-Year until 1989.