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    Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers
    Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers
    Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers
    Ebook863 pages6 hours

    Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers

    By Steve Fulton

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    About this ebook

    If you love football, then you will enjoy reading about the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Inside you will read about every season in Steelers history.  Since 1933 the Steelers have been a staple of Western Pennsylvania lore and one of the most successful teams in NFL history. Relive some of the great seasons, games and moments in Steelers history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSteve's Football Bible LLC
    Release dateApr 2, 2022
    ISBN9798201247959
    Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers
    Author

    Steve Fulton

    The Author, Steve Fulton, has published numerous books on Sports {Football & Baseball} History. He is the owner of Steve’s Football Bible LLC and you can see his work at www.stevesfootballbible.com.  He grew up in a rural farming town (Alden) in southern Minnesota and has been a guest on numerous radio stations over the years.  He is one of the pre-eminent authorities on Baseball and Football history.  His knowledge of Football history is second to none.

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      Steeler Nation! Complete History of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Steve Fulton

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      Steeler Nation

      History of the Pittsburgh Steelers

      Immaculate Reception helped transform Pittsburgh into a football town - pennlive.comLast Chance to Take Picture with All Six Trophies

      Text Copyright © 2024 by Steve’s Football Bible, LLC

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

      {3rd Edition}

      Information in this book was derived from numerous sources, including, but not limited to, the Associated Press, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post.

      The information in this book is for educational and entertainment purposes.

      ISBN: 9-798201247-95-9

      Disclaimer: This book is not authorized or approved by any Football team or league

      A picture containing calendar Description automatically generatedA picture containing text Description automatically generated

      To order go to https://stevesfootballbible.com/paperback-bookstore/

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      Table of Contents

      Brief History of the Pittsburgh Steelers

      Logo and uniforms

      Stadiums

      Retired uniform numbers

      Pro Football Hall-of-Famers

      Steelers Hall-of-Honor

      Tribute to Franco Harris

      Head Coaches

      The Chuck Noll era

      The Bill Cowher era

      The Mike Tomlin era

      NFL Award Winners

      1933 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1934 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1935 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1936 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1937 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1938 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1939 Pittsburgh Pirates

      1940 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1941 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1942 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1943 Steagles

      1944 Card-Pitt

      1945 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1946 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1947 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1947 Eastern Conference Playoff Game

      1948 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1949 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1950 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1951 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1952 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1953 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1954 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1955 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1956 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1957 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1958 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1959 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1960 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1961 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1962 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1963 NFL Playoff Bowl

      1963 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1964 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1965 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1966 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1967 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1968 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1969 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1970 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1971 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1972 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs {The Immaculate Reception}

      1972 AFC Championship Game

      1973 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1973 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1974 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl IX Champions}

      1974 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1974 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl IX

      1975 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl X Champions}

      1975 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1975 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl X

      1976 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1976 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1976 AFC Championship Game

      1977 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1977 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1978 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl XIII Champions}

      1978 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1978 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl XIII {Battle of Champions}

      1979 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl XIV Champions}

      1979 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1979 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl XIV

      1980 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1982 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1982 AFC Wild Card

      1983 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1983 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1984 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1984 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1984 AFC Championship Game

      1985 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1986 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1987 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1988 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1989 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1989 AFC Wild Card

      1989 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1990 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1991 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1992 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1992 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1993 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1993 AFC Wild Card

      1994 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1994 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1994 AFC Championship Game

      1995 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1995 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1995 AFC Championship Game {60 Minutes}

      Super Bowl XXX

      1996 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1996 AFC Wild Card

      1996 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1997 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1997 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      1997 AFC Championship Game

      1998 Pittsburgh Steelers

      1999 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2001 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2001 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2001 AFC Championship Game

      2002 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2002 AFC Wild Card

      2002 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2003 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2004 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2004 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2004 AFC Championship Game

      2005 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl XL Champions}

      2005 AFC Wild Card

      2005 AFC Divisional Playoffs {The Immaculate Redemption}

      2005 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl XL

      2006 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2007 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2007 AFC Wild Card

      2008 Pittsburgh Steelers {Super Bowl XLIII Champions}

      2008 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2008 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl XLIII {The Best Ever}

      2009 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2010 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2010 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2010 AFC Championship Game

      Super Bowl XLV {Leader of the Pack}

      2011 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2011 AFC Wild Card {Tebow’s Playoff Win}

      2012 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2013 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2014 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2014 AFC Wild Card

      2015 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2015 AFC Wild Card

      2015 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2016 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2016 AFC Wild Card

      2016 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2016 AFC Championship Game

      2017 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2017 AFC Divisional Playoffs

      2018 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2019 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2020 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2020 AFC Wild Card

      2021 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2021 AFC Wild Card

      2022 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2023 Pittsburgh Steelers

      2023 AFC Wild Card

      Thursday Game Results

      Saturday Game Results

      Sunday Night Football Game Results

      Monday Night Football Game Results

      Playoffs Game Results

      Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famers

      | Page

      A picture containing text, helmet Description automatically generated Brief History of the Pittsburgh Steelers

      Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL, and the oldest franchise in the AFC. In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they were the oldest team never to have won a league championship, the Steelers of the post-merger (modern) era are among the most successful NFL franchises. The team is tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles at six, and they have both played in (sixteen times) and hosted (eleven times) more conference championship games than any other team in the NFL. The Steelers have also won eight AFC championships, tied with the Denver Broncos, but behind the Patriots' record eleven AFC championships. The team is tied with the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys for the second-most Super Bowl appearances with eight. They lost their most recent championship appearance, Super Bowl XLV, on February 6, 2011.

      The Steelers, whose history may be traced to a regional pro team that was established in the early 1920s, joined the NFL as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933. The team was owned by Art Rooney and took its original name from the baseball team of the same name, as was common practice for NFL teams at the time. To distinguish them from the baseball team, local media took to calling the football team the Rooneymen, an unofficial nickname that persisted for decades after the team had adopted its current nickname. The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since the organization's founding. Art Rooney's son, Dan Rooney, owned the team from 1988 until his death in 2017. Much control of the franchise has been given to Dan Rooney's son, Art Rooney II.

      The Steelers enjoy a large, widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation. They 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 had hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons. Prior to Three Rivers, the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and at Forbes Field.

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

      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. That would be Pittsburgh's only playoff game in the pre-merger era; 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. 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 ($20 million today) relocation fee, which was a windfall for them; for years they rarely had enough to build a true contending team.

      | Page

      A picture containing text, helmet Description automatically generated 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 because of wearing Eagles uniforms. Originally, the team wore solid gold-colored helmets and black jerseys. 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 ice hockey. The shade of gold differs slightly among teams: the Penguins have previously used Vegas Gold, a color like 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. 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. A year after introducing the logo, they switched to black helmets to make it stand out more. The Steelers, along with the New York Giants, are one of only two teams in the National Football League to have the players' uniform numbers on both the front and back of the helmets.

      Logos and uniforms of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Wikipedia 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 2007–2011 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 Steelers' organization decided to keep them and use them as a third option during home games only.

      In 2012, the Steelers introduced a new third uniform, consisting of a yellow jersey with black horizontal lines (making a bumble bee like pattern) with black lettering and black numbers placed inside a white box, to represent the jerseys worn by the Steelers in their 1934 season. The rest of the uniform consists of beige pants, yellow with black horizontal stripped socks, and the Steelers regular black helmet. The uniforms were used for the Steelers' 80th anniversary season. Much like the previous alternate these jerseys were so popular that they were used up through the 2016 season. The jerseys were nicknamed the bumblebee jerseys due to looking like the pattern of a bumblebee. The jerseys were retired after the 2016 season.

      In 2018, the Steelers unveiled a third uniform based on those worn by the Steel Curtain teams of the 1970s. It is like the current uniforms but without the Steelers logo on the left chest and uses block lettering and numbers in place of Futura Condensed. In 1979, the team owners were approached by then-Iowa Hawkeyes Head Coach Hayden Fry about designing his fading college team's uniforms in the image of the Steelers. Three days later, the owners sent Fry the reproduction jerseys (home and away versions) of then quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Today, the Hawkeyes still retain the 1979 Steelers uniforms as their home, and away colors.

      Stadiums

      Forbes Field, Pittsburgh 9/25/49 - Steelers clobber NY Giants 28-7 in season opener Forbes Field {1933-1963}

      Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League (NFL) franchise. The stadium also served as the home football field for the University of Pittsburgh Pitt Panthers from 1909 to 1924. The stadium was named after its adjacent street, Forbes Ave., itself named for British general John Forbes, who fought in the French and Indian War and named the city in 1758.

      The US$1 million ($28.8 million today) project was initiated by Pittsburgh Pirates' owner Barney Dreyfuss, with the goal of replacing his franchise's then-current home, Exposition Park. The stadium was made of concrete and steel, the first such stadium in the National League and third in Major League Baseball, in order to increase its lifespan. The Pirates opened Forbes Field on June 30, 1909, against the Chicago Cubs, and played the final game against the Cubs on June 28, 1970. The field itself featured a large playing surface, with the batting cage placed in the deepest part of center field during games. Seating was altered multiple times throughout the stadium's life; at times fans were permitted to sit on the grass in the outfield during overflow crowds. The Pirates won three World Series while at Forbes Field and the other original tenant, the Pittsburgh Panthers football team had five undefeated seasons before moving in 1924. Indeed, it was the late-fifties resurgence of its long-dormant baseball franchise, rather than any intrinsic properties of the stadium itself, that led broadcaster Bob Prince to dub Forbes Field The House of Thrills in 1958.

      A Pittsburgh native, Art Rooney founded his NFL team under the name the Pittsburgh Pirates, on July 8, 1933, for $2,500 ($49,981 in present-day terms). The franchise's first game, against the New York Giants, was held on September 20, 1933, at Forbes Field. The Giants won the game 23–2 in front of 25,000 people. Rooney wrote of the game, The Giants won. Our team looks terrible. The fans didn't get their money's worth. The Pirates rebounded to gain their first ever franchise victory a week later at Forbes Field, against the Chicago Cardinals. The NFL's Pirates were renamed the Steelers in 1940, and otherwise struggled during much of their three-decades of tenancy at Forbes. The club achieved its first winning record in 1942; its tenth season of existence. On November 30, 1952, the Steelers met the New York Giants at Forbes Field for a snowy afternoon game. Pittsburgh entered the game with a 3–6 record, but went on to set multiple team records, including scoring nine touchdowns, to win the game 63–7. Excited by their team's play, the 15,140 spectators ran onto the field and began to tear the field goal posts out of the ground. The University of Pittsburgh's acquisition of Forbes Field in 1958 gave the Steelers some options, and they began transferring some of their home games to the much larger Pitt Stadium that year. The Steelers played their final game at Forbes Field on December 1, 1963. The franchise moved to Pitt Stadium exclusively the following season.

      This Week in Pittsburgh History: The Last Game at Pitt Stadium | Pittsburgh Magazine Pitt Stadium {1958-1969}

      Pitt Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in the eastern United States, located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1925, it served primarily as the home of the university's Pittsburgh Panthers football team through 1999. It was also used for other sporting events, including basketball, soccer, baseball, track and field, rifle, and gymnastics. Designed by University of Pittsburgh graduate W. S. Hindman, the $2.1 million stadium was built after the seating capacity of the Panthers' previous home, Forbes Field, was deemed inadequate considering the growing popularity of college football. Pitt Stadium also served as the second home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League (NFL) franchise. After demolition, the Pittsburgh Panthers football team played home games at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000, before moving to the new Heinz Field in 2001, where the Panthers have played their home games ever since.

      A tale of two frames: The iconic Y.A. Tittle photo(s) | American football league, Vintage football, Ny giants football The NFL's Steelers played home games at Forbes Field from their 1933 inception to 1957. They first played at Pitt Stadium in 1942, in an exhibition match for U.S.O. charity against the Fort Knox Armoraiders on November 15. From 1958 to 1963, the Steelers split home games between Forbes Field and Pitt Stadium. Fans were able to purchase season ticket packages for one site or the other. In 1964, the Steelers began to play home games exclusively at Pitt Stadium, which they continued until moving to the new Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. Of historic note, the iconic photo of New York Giants quarterback Y. A. Tittle, helmet-less, bloodied and kneeling, was taken at Pitt Stadium in 1964 following a Giants' loss to the Steelers on September 20. The photo, taken by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Morris Berman, now hangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

      Remembering the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium 20 years ago | TribLIVE.com Three Rivers Stadium {1970-2000}

      Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($388.1 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29 months. The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, when the Pirates played their first game there. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001.

      Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($388.1 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29 months.[6] The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, when the Pirates played their first game there. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001.

      Heinz Field - Wikipedia Heinz Field {2001-Present}

      Heinz Field is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. The stadium opened in 2001, after the controlled implosion of both teams' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium, and is named for the locally based H. J. Heinz Company, which purchased the naming rights in 2001. In February of 2022, the naming rights for the stadium expired, leaving the stadium's name for the 2022 season uncertain. Funded in conjunction with PNC Park and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the $281 million (equivalent to $410.7 million in 2020) stadium stands along the Ohio River, on the Northside of Pittsburgh in the North Shore neighborhood. The stadium was designed with the city of Pittsburgh's history of steel production in mind, which led to the inclusion of 12,000 tons of steel into construction. The ground for the stadium was broken in June 1999, and the first football game was hosted in September 2001. The stadium's natural grass surface has been criticized throughout its history, but Steelers ownership has kept the grass after lobbying from players and coaches. Attendance for the 68,400-seat stadium has sold out for every Steelers home game, a streak which dates to 1972. A collection of memorabilia from the Steelers and Panthers of the past can be found in the Great Hall.

      Prior to the Steelers regular season schedule, the team played a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions on August 25, 2001. Pittsburgh won the stadium's unofficial opening game 20–7, with 57,829 spectators in attendance. The first official football game played in the stadium was between the Pittsburgh Panthers and East Tennessee State, on September 1. The Panthers won the game 31–0, with quarterback David Priestley scoring the first touchdown on an 85-yard run. The Steelers were scheduled to open the regular season play at Heinz Field on September 16 against the Cleveland Browns; however, due to the September 11 attacks, all NFL games of the week were postponed, thus moving the stadium's premiere to October 7, against the Cincinnati Bengals. Prior to the game, a speech from US President George W. Bush, ordering attacks on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, was shown live on the stadium's JumboTron. The speech was met with much applause and support from the spectators in attendance. Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals, 16–7. Steelers kicker Kris Brown scored the first NFL points in the stadium on a 26-yard field goal, and quarterback Kordell Stewart scored the first touchdown on an eight-yard run.

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      Retired uniform numbers

      The Steelers retired Stautner's #70 in 1964 before creating a 50-year tradition of not retiring numbers. The team retired Greene's #75 in 2014 and left the possibility open that they would retire other players' jersey numbers at later dates. However, several numbers have not been reissued since the retirement of the players who wore them, including:

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      Pro Football Hall-of-Famers

      Coaches and Contributors

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      Steelers Hall-of-Honor

      Franco Harris To Receive Big Ten Club's Person of the Year - Penn State Athletics Tribute to Franco Harris

      Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. His father, Cad Harris, a Black soldier, served in World War II and was stationed in Italy during the war. His mother, Gina Parenti Harris, was a native Italian and became a war bride, who moved with her husband when he returned to the United States after the end of the war. Harris graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, in 1968. He then attended Penn State University, where he played on the Nittany Lions football team. Although he was primarily a blocker for the running back during his first year at Penn State, he amassed a career total of 2,002 yards rushing with 24 touchdowns and averaged over 5 yards per carry, while also catching 28 passes for 352 yards and another touchdown. He led the team in scoring in 1970. After playing college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Harris was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft, the 13th overall pick. He played his first 12 seasons with the Steelers and his last with the Seattle Seahawks. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

      Harris was selected 13th overall in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers despite assistant personnel director Bill Nunn and head coach Chuck Noll preferring Robert Newhouse. In his first season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named the NFL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. In that season he gained 1,055 yards on 188 carries, with a 5.6 yards per carry average. He also rushed for 10 Steelers to retire Franco Harris' No. 32 to honor anniversary of 'Immaculate Reception' touchdowns and caught one touchdown pass. He was popular with Pittsburgh's large Italian American population: his fans, including Brigadier General Frank Sinatra, dubbed themselves Franco's Italian Army and wore army helmets with his number on them. During his rookie season, Harris was a key player in one of professional football's most famous plays, dubbed the Immaculate Reception by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oakland Raiders were leading the Steelers 7–6 with 22 seconds to play when a Terry Bradshaw pass was deflected away from intended receiver John Frenchy Fuqua as defender Jack Tatum arrived to tackle him. Harris snatched the ball just before it hit the ground and ran it into the endzone, resulting in the Steelers' first playoff win. Harris was chosen for nine consecutive Pro Bowls (1972–1980) and was All-Pro in 1977. Harris rushed for more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons, breaking a record set by Jim Brown. The running back tandem of Harris and Rocky Bleier combined with a strong defense to win four Super Bowls following the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons. On January 12, 1975, he was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX; in that game he rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries for a 16–6 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Harris was the first African American as well as the first Italian American to be named Super Bowl MVP. Harris was a major contributor for the Steelers in all their first four Super Bowl wins. His Super Bowl career totals of 101 carries for 354 yards are records and his four career rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in Super Bowl history. Harris claimed that he extended his career and thus his contribution to the team's objectives (including four Super Bowl victories) by avoiding unnecessary contact. In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards (3rd all-time) on 2,949 carries, a 4.1 yards per carry average, and scored 91 rushing touchdowns (then also 3rd). He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards, a 7.4 yards per reception average, and nine receiving touchdowns. Harris's 12,120 career rushing yards rank him 12th all-time in the NFL, while his 91 career rushing touchdowns rank him 10th all-time, tied with Jerome Bettis.

      Posed head-and-shoulders photograph of Harris wearing a black tuxedo and black tie Harris died in his sleep at his home in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on December 20, 2022 at age 72, three days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. Harris' death was considered sudden, as he had been active on social media just days before his death and had spoken to visitors at the Heinz History Center the day before his death including a live interview with KDKA-TV from the Heinz History Center. He was set to attend a ceremony at halftime during a Steelers game against the Las Vegas Raiders on December 24, 2022, to retire his jersey number. Hours before his death, Harris recorded an interview with Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward for his podcast in what would be his last public interview, during which he ironically commented about how he was feeling good and happy to have made it to the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.

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      R.I.P. Franco

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      Head Coaches

      Chuck Noll Dead At 82 - Steelers Depot The Chuck Noll era

      The Steelers' history of bad luck changed with the hiring of coach Chuck Noll from the NFL champion Baltimore Colts 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, 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. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 draft was their best; 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 1970s 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

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