Pittsburgh Steelers

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been hitting hard ever since they were established in 1933 as part of the NFL, and they are the oldest franchise to play in the AFC; they played in the Central Division until 2001 where they switched over to the North Division of the AFC. Just as the Steelers have remained loyal to the city of Pittsburgh, their founder Art Rooney has remained loyal to them by having three generations of Rooney gamily being owners and operators of the franchise. They are presently headquartered in the UPMC Sports Performance Complex in Pittsburgh, where they conduct all of their training and practices. They play their home games at the Heinz Field, which is also located in Pittsburgh. The team colors are Black, Gold, and White; a combination of colors that always stands out. Their mascot goes by the name of Steely McBeam, as to represent the great steel industry in Pittsburgh and its founder’s Irish roots.

 

Steelers Brief Team History

The Pittsburgh Steelers were not always named like this. When Art Rooney founded the franchise, the team was named the Pittsburgh Pirates, named after a baseball team. By 1940, the Steelers reinvented themselves, along with their name. In 1943, during World War II, teams experienced a lack of players so they would usually merge with other teams and during this time the Steelers merged with the Eagles and formed the “Steagles” for one season. They made it to the playoffs in 1947, but ended up losing a tie-breaker against the Philadelphia Eagles; that would mark a 25-year dry spell for the Steelers, appearing in no playoffs during that time.

The man that ended the losing streak for the Steelers was Chuck Noll, as he bcame the head coach for the team from 1969 – 1991. During his time with the Steelers he took the team and managed to win four AFC championships, which would turn into four Super Bowl championship victories. He finally retired in 1991, bringing his career record to 209 – 156 – 1. This is when Bill Cowher took over for Noll as head coach, and remained with the team until 2006. The Steelers continued to dominate on the field and managed to win the 2005 Super Bowl just before his retirement. That is when Mike Tomlin, the current head coach, took over and led them to another Super Bowl Victory during the 2008 season. The Steelers have won the most Super Bowl title (6), won the most AFC Championships (8), and played in 15 conference championships games; making them one of the most successful NFL teams in NFL history.

 

Notable Steelers Figures

It is impossible to list all of the important people that helped the Steelers with their immense success, but a few of them, including coaches, were the reason the Steelers are one of the best NFL teams.

 

Past Steelers Figures

 

Chuck Noll was the head coach that would change the Steelers luck after 25 years of not making it to a playoff. Not only did he take the team to 12 playoff appearances during his time with the Steelers, but he also led them to win 4 AFC championships and 4 Super bowl victories. He turned a team that was constantly losing, into a dominating force in the NFL.

 

Bill Cowher was the successor of Chuck Noll, and he continued to prove that the Steelers were an incredible team, taking them to another 10 playoffs and winning another Super Bowl in 2005. When he retired he got an overall record of 161 – 99 – 1 during his time with the Steelers. He was known for his daring acts, including 4th down completions.

 

Rod Woodson was a safety and cornerback for the Steelers from 1987 – 1996. He did some amazing things during his career, where he ended up getting 71 interceptions, along with 1,483 interception return yards. He also managed to get 32 fumble recoveries, and was a truly a great asset for the special teams, getting 4,894 kickoff return yards and 2,362 punt return yards.

 

Present Steelers Figures

 

Ben Roethlisberger is and has been a great Steeler quarterback since 2004 and was one of the main reasons they managed to win during the 2005 and 2008 Super Bowl’s. He is a quarterback that never gives up, even if he is being sacked, he will manage to lob the ball to one of his players in order to get more yards. He has an incredible arm and has thrown for over 3,000 yards, and a few times for more than 4,000. He was injured during the 2010 season, but he came back during the 2011 season and dominated.

 

Wide receiver Mike Wallace has been a great asset for the Steelers, especially when it comes to gaining yards and scoring. He has a knack of gaining long yards from just a few receptions. Tight end Heath Miller is not left behind either, as #83 he is also great at getting those final touchdowns; with his massive body and agility he is able to break through the defense.

 

Inside linebacker Larry Foote and free safety Ryan Clark lead the Steeler defense. Foote does a good job at tackling the runners, forcing fumbles, and taking down the quarterback. Clark on the other hand, takes over in the back of the field, covering the receivers and getting interceptions. These two will certainly make the Steeler defense much stronger.

 

Present Team Personnel

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been owned by the Rooney family ever since they were founded by Art Rooney in 1933. Art Rooney’s son, Dan Rooney, took over for him when Art died in 1988. Since then, Dan Rooney has started giving his son, Art Rooney II, more responsibility, making him the team President. It is great to see the owners of a team so invested and responsible, especially with a successful team like the Steelers. The current head coach for the Steelers is Mike Tomlin, who was hired in 2007 and led the team to win the 2008 Super Bowl.