50 Years On From First Super Bowl Win, Steelers Head Into Pivotal Season

By Peter Mann

Watched over since their foundation by The Rooney Family back in 1933, current Owner/President, Art Rooney II being the grandson of founder Art ‘the Chief’ Rooney, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of those iconic franchises of the National Football League.

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Boasting some six, Super Bowl rings, eight Conference championships, and amassing twenty-four Divisional titles in the AFC, the Steelers, this year, mark fifty years since the first of their championship successes.

The 1970s were heady days indeed for a franchise under the expert guidance of Cleveland-born, Charles ‘Chuck’ Knoll, someone who claimed, during his combined career in America’s Game, six titles of his own, having claimed back-to-back titles with the Cleveland Browns in the mid-1950s.

During the seventies, and under Knoll’s guidance, the Steelers crashed their way to four Super Bowl successes, going back-to-back in both 1974 and 1975, and again in 1978 and 1979; and they weren’t a shy bunch either, far from it.

It would also be the era of ‘The Immaculate Reception’ touchdown, from Steelers Running Back Franco Harris, in the 13-7 divisional play-off success over the always rough-and-ready, Oakland Raiders, in the winter of 1972; Harris, among several others at the franchise, were an integral part of the period.

The Immaculate Reception, initially known as the ‘Miracle Catch’ in Steelers circles, is discussed in detail in ‘The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless 70s, the Era that created modern Football’ Kevin Cook (2012)

In 1974, the road to Super Bowl success – which first saw the Steelers claim the AFC Central title after a 10-3-1 regular season – witnessed post-season victories over Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and in Super Bowl IX, on 12 January 1975, a 16-6 victory over Minnesota Vikings, at the Tulane Stadium, New Orleans.

Pre-season would see the Steelers as the only undefeated franchise, posting a 6-0 record, seeing off challenges from New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys, posting fifty points against the Beards (W 50-21), and forty-plus against the Cowboys (W 41-15), whilst also edging the Eagles in 33-30 OT success.

As for the regular season, talk about an indifferent, maybe even erratic beginning! Knoll’s side came out of the first three with a 1-1-1 record; the season opener saw a 30-0 shut-out success at home to Baltimore Colts , then a week later a high-scoring, 35-35 tie at Mile High with Denver Broncos, before being shut-out themselves when hosting John Madden’s Raiders, in late September.

Early talk of that 1974 season was not about a potential run to the Bowl. Far from it; talk was more about their starting Quarterback, Joe Gilliam, he being the NFL’s first successful black QB; the West Virginia-native having putting in stellar showings throughout pre-season, and the opening throes of the season.

However, following defeat to the Raiders, and despite the Steelers embarking on a five-match unbeaten run to move their season record to 6-1-1, Gilliam soon found himself benched, and replace by rival Terry Bradshaw.

Gillam was the first African-American QB to start a season opener in the NFL, in the shut-out success against Baltimore, and was 4-1-1 over the first six outings of the regular season. But his form began to wane, and the fans turned on him, dramatically, and, after a handful of lacklustre showings, and falling foul of Coach Knoll, Gillam was eventually benched in week seven, a 24-17 home win over Atlanta Falcons.

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For Bradshaw, he got his place in the starting line-up, although he was benched for Terry Hanratty following defeat to Cincinnati Bengals, before putting on a poor showing in the next outing, against Cleveland Browns – Bradshaw returned again and this time led the Steelers all the way to the Super Bowl, victory over New England Patriots gave the Steelers the AFC Central title, and saw them achieve a play-off birth for the third successive season.

Speaking of the Bengals, in ’76 their then rookie linebacker, Reggie Williams (1976-1989), mentions the Raiders and Steelers in Cook’s excellent book, stating that; “the Raiders had pileups down to a science.

“They’d knee you in the nuts to get the ball,” adding about the Steelers and being in the NFL himself that; “it was like being in a movie.”

“The best teams had personalities set by their top guys. The quarterback and the coach, usually, and a defensive dominator.”

“Bradshaw, Noll, and Mean Greene, Staubach, Landry, and Too Tall Jones. Quarterbacks were still tough – Bradshaw would lower a shoulder and give you a lick.”

“Coaches weren’t CEOs yet. The fans got involved – the Steelers’ Terrible Towel was invented in the 70s.”

As for Bradshaw shows prime detail on the Steelers quarterback of the time.

“Chuck would like a guy who catches on quickly, understands defences,” running back Rocky Bleier told sportswriter Bill Chastain years later.

“That wasn’t Bradshaw. Brad was a gunslinger. He dealt from emotion.”

Whilst Knoll also said of his QB that: “There was never any question about his ability.

“It’s about dedication.”

Then came the play-offs and a snowy win over the 9-5 Bills, at the Steelers’ Three Rivers Stadium, on 22 December; a Roy Gerela field goal put the Steelers in front but a TD from Paul Seymour off a Joe Ferguson pass (John Leypoldt conversion), gave the Bills a 7-3, first quarter lead.

The second quarter was all Steelers however, they posting an impressive, twenty-six unanswered points, to go in at the interval with a commanding, 29-7 lead; Bradshaw released Rocky Bleier to move two ahead, before Harris took over with three TD’s from close range, Gerela converting on two.

Only one score arrived in the third, a certain, young, O.J. Simpson, collecting a Ferguson pass to reduce the deficit to fifteen, but that was all the Bills could muster; a fourth quarter score from Gerela, with a 22-yard FG, saw the Steelers home in style.

For the Steelers Harris posted 3 TDs with 24 rushes and 74 yards, whilst Bradshaw had 1 TD for 203 yards, and Gerela, he kicked for 2 FGs and 2 conversions, the Steelers setting up an AFC Championship Game with those pesky Raiders.

Over 55,500 fans pack out the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, four days after Christmas, the two powerhouses going in level at 3-3 at the half, the Raiders taking a 10-3 lead heading into the final quarter, before the Steelers turned on both the style, and the game on its head, in the fourth, to book a place in the showcase.

Geroge Blanda would give the Raiders the lead with a 40-yard effort, Gerela levelling proceedjngs;  Cliff Branch caught a Ken Stabler, 38-yard pass, to give the Raiders their third quarter advantage, before unanswered scores from first Harris crossing from close, then Lynn Swann connecting with Bradshaw.

A FG from Blanda kept the Raiders within touching distance, but it was Steelers who’d progress when, who else but Harris, would claim the decisive score, running in from 21-yards (Gerela successfully converting, and the Steelers were headed for an early New Year’s date in New Orleans, with the Vikings.

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There was certainly no love lost between the Steelers and the Raiders, especially during this period, they meeting on numerous occasions and having several, post-season dances dating back to the ‘Immaculate Reception.’

It certainly riled the Silver & Black as well, superstar quarterback Ken Stable said of their rivals: “We hate them, they hate us, and we owe them,” whilst legendary Raiders Head Coach, John Madden was quoted as saying “Now, dammit, this is a hurdle we’ve got to get over.”

Meanwhile, in front of a crowd shy of 81,000 spectators, at the Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, on 12 January 1975, against the NFC Central champions, 10-4 Minnesota Vikings, a quiet first half was only punctuated by a two-point safety score, for the Steelers, from Frank Tarkerton, after his having been tackled in the end zone by Dwight White, the Steelers leading 2-0 at the half.

A pair of Steelers TDs in the second half eased the Black and Gold to victory, Franco Harris diving in on a 9-yard run (Gerela converting) in the third quarter and, although the Vikings got within touching distance following a score of their own, Terry Brown recovering a blocked punt (Fred Cox saw his kick hit the left upright), it would be non-other that Terry Bradshaw connecting with Larry Brown, from four yards, for the decisive, 16-6 championship-winning score (Gerela converting).

Speaking of the Vikings’ Fred Cox, he had previously won the former, NFL Championship with them, in 1969, taking a 27-7 success against Cleveland Browns in what was the final championship game prior to the AFL-NFL merger.

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In the 1974 Steelers success, their starting line-up consisted of the following players –

OFFENSE – Frank Lewis (WR), Jon Kolb (LT), Jim Clack (LG), Ray Mansfield (C), Gerry Mullins (RG), Gordon Gravelle (RT), Larry Brown (TE), Ronnie Shanklin (WR), Terry Bradshaw (QB), Franco Harris (RB), Rocky Bleier (RB)

DEFENSE – LC Greenwood (LE), Joe Greene (LT), Ernie Holmes (RT), Dwight White (RE), Jack Ham (LB), Jack Lambert (MLB), Andy Russell (RLB), JT Holmes (LCB), Mel Blount (RCB), Mike Wagner (LS), Glen Edwards (RS)

Of those, Bradshaw posted stats of 1 TD, 96-yds (passing), 33-yds, 5 carries (rushing), whilst Bowl MVP, Harris, registered 1 TD, 158-yds, 34 carries (rushing)

The highlighted, defensive quartet, of Greene and Greenwood, Holmes and White; they became known throughout the Seventies as being ‘The Steel Curtain’

50 Years On: A Big Season For Mike Tomlin

Fifty years on from the first bowl of those halcyon days, and, after four divisional titles in the last decade, they last won the AFC North in 2020, but it’s been another decade since they lifted a Conference championship (defeating New York Jets 24-19 before losing Super Bowl XLV 31-25 against Green Bay Packers), could Mike Tomlin’s Steelers make another deep run in the post-season.

Tomlin is going into his eighteenth at the helm of Pittsburgh’s powerhouses and, with wide receivers Geroge Pickens, Ramon Wilson and Van Jefferson ably supported by the likes of Najee Harris and TJ Watt, their aging quarterback, Russell Wilson, is looking to fill a void from the 2021-retiree, Ben Rothlisberger.

An eighteen-year veteran with the franchise, ‘Big Ben’ was responsible for the Steelers’ last two Super Bowl successes, in 2005 (21-10 vs Seattle Seahawks), and 2008 (27-23 vs. Arizona Cardinals), since then the Black and Gold have seen that of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky attempt to fill that void, to no avail.

Now, heading into the 2024 season, another veteran quarterback, in Wilson, he of Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos fame, looks to emerge from shadows; joined by the likes of Justin Fields, Deshon Elliott, and Cameron Sutton, along with a top-three draft picks of Troy Fautanu (offensive linebacker, first round pick twenty, from the Washington Huskies), Zach Frazier (center, second round pick fifty-one, from the West Virginia Mountaineers) and Roman Wilson (wide receiver, third round pick eighty-four, from the Michigan Wolverines), the Steelers Head Coach is certainly thinking big.

They’ll start the regular season with back-to-back road trips, at Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos, before a first home game sees Los Angeles Chargers visit the Acrisure Stadium on 22 September (week three) – in fact four the Steelers first six outings are on the road whilst over the festive period, and closing off the season, it’s Kansas City Chiefs (Christmas Day) and Cincinnati Bengals (4/5 January), both at home.  

PETER MANN

NFL ANALYST

PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter

 
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