Born a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan

A while back, I wrote a post named “Born a Pittsburgh Pirates Fan” about my personal experiences as a fan of the Pirates. But, I was also born a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I was blessed to be a Steelers fan during the golden days of the 1970s.

The Immaculate Reception

I was nine years old, and I remember it like it was yesterday. We were at a Christmas party at my aunt’s house, and we had the Steelers-Raiders game on downstairs. We were all concerned because we thought they were going to lose. Then, it happened. Bradshaw’s pass deflected off two players and right into the arms of Franco Harris. Harris ran it in for a touchdown, and the Steelers advanced to the playoffs. And, Pittsburgh Steelers football changed forever.

Those Shoes

Frenchy Fuqua was one of my favorite Steelers. He had a cool name. But, I liked him more because he had the best shoes. Fuqua would parade around on the sidelines with those high heeled men’s shoes that were popular in the 1970s. But, his shoes had glass bottoms with a goldfish inside. I don’t think Elton John ever topped that. And, I wonder how much Roger Goodell would fine him today.

Jack Ham

The Steelers had some tremendous linebackers in the 1970s. But, my favorite was Jack Ham. I even had his jersey. He wasn’t flashy, but he played big. It seemed like when the Steelers needed a defensive play, he was the one to make it.

My dad went to college with his wife, Joanne. And, he surprised me one day by telling me he invited them over for dinner. I was completely star struck and could barely say a word. He was exactly what I thought he would be. He was super nice and soft spoken. But, he was a very different person on the football field.

The Arrow

We had a great defensive line in the 1970s nicknamed the “Steel Curtain.” It included “Mean” Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White. I loved them all, but none as much as Ernie Holmes. Holmes shaved his head into a forward-pointing arrow one season. When a reporter asked him why he did that, he said “That’s how I know which direction to go to get the quarterback.”

Holidays

Steelers games became like a holiday in our house. Everyone was on board (except my brother). We would go to church, eat dinner, and gather around the television set for the game. I was always positive, and believed they would win every time. Unfortunately, my parents weren’t so positive. They would always say things like, “Bradshaw’s gonna throw an interception” or “Franco’s gonna fumble.” As I got older, I learned to watch the games with my friends instead.

Super Bowl IX

In 1974, the Steelers played in their first Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers won 16-6 in a tight game. The Vikings hall of fame quarterback, Fran Tarkenton was held to 102 yards passing and threw three interceptions. And, Vikings running back Chuck Foreman was held to 18 yards rushing. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw only threw for 96 yards, but running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier ran for over 200 yards together. The Steelers formula of running the ball and playing great defense became a staple of the organization.

Terrible Towel

This long-standing legacy was started in 1975 by legendary sports announcer Myron Cope. I would cling to my towel during games. When something good happened, I would swing it in a circle above my head while cheering “Here we go Steelers. Here we go!” When things were going wrong, I used to put it on my head like a wig until things got better. Hey, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work!

Super Bowl X

In 1975, the Steelers played in their second Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys. I resented the Cowboys because they were called “America’s Team.” I believed the Steelers were the real “America’s Team.” This game was the coming out party for Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann. Swannee had only four catches, but for 161 yards and a gorgeous touchdown catch of 64 yards. The Steelers won the game by a score of 21-17, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to come from behind.

The Cowboys hall of fame quarterback, Roger Staubach, threw two touchdown passes, but he also threw three interceptions. Once again, the Steelers defense was amazing.

One of the highlights of the game was when Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert threw Cowboys safety Cliff Harris to the ground. The Steelers kicker, Roy Gerela, missed a field goal and Cliff Harris patted him on the head. Lambert didn’t take too kindly to that.

Strat-o-matic

I saw an advertisement for a board football game named Strat-o-matic Football. The advertisement said that it was the closest to real football that you can get. And, it said that it uses real player statistics. So, I ordered it and purchased eight decks of team cards. I got the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

I would play for hours. And, I even created leagues and kept elaborate player and team statistics. Of course, the Steelers were a running team with a great defense that I knew very well, so they won most of their games.

Electric Football

Electric football had a metal platform that you placed little plastic players on. Then, you would flip a switch to turn it on and the platform would vibrate causing the players to move. One player would hold a little rubber ball and if a player from the other team touched him, he was down. It was great because you could set up your own play formations.

I bought the same teams as I did in Strat-o-matic. However, I found it too time consuming and the buzz of the board drove me crazy.

Three Rivers Stadium

I got to go to a live Steelers game in December of 1976 at Three Rivers Stadium. They were playing the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the horrendous orange uniforms. My dad knew a ticket taker at the stadium, and he snuck us in the gate just before the game started. We didn’t have seats, so we stood in a hallway looking over a balcony. It was freezing cold. They won 42-0. Bleier ran for three touchdowns and Swannee pulled in two touchdown grabs. Backup quarterback, Mike Kruczek, was the starter. When he got injured, I got to see the immortal Terry Bradshaw play.

Steelers Polka

In 1978, a local musician named Jimmy Pol made a Steelers Fight Song to the tune of the Pennsylvania Polka. Polka was popular in Pittsburgh because of the large Polish population. It was vary catchy. I used to sing it in my head constantly. After all those years, I still know every word to the song.

Super Bowl XIII

After a two year drought, the Steelers returned to the Super Bowl in 1978 to play the Dallas Cowboys again. Both teams played well. The Steelers running game sputtered, so Bradshaw threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns. Swannee had a couple of highlight reel catches, and fellow receiver John Stallworth became a household name. The Steelers won by a score of 35-31. The fourth quarter saw both teams score 14 points each in back and forth excitement.

Roger Staubach threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns. And, former Pitt running back Tony Dorsett ran for almost 100 yards.

There was a backstory to this game. Cowboys linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson was an overrated, brash player. When he was interviewed before the Super Bowl game, he was asked about Terry Bradshaw. He responded, “Bradshaw is so dumb, he couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the c-a.” That one went on the Steelers bulletin board.

Super Bowl XIV

The Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 31-19 to claim their fourth Super Bowl title. Bradshaw was up and down, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. But, also throwing three interceptions. Wide receiver John Stallworth stole the show with three catches for 121 yards, including a beautiful 73 yard touchdown catch.

The Chief

The owner of the Steelers in the 1970s was Art Rooney, who was affectionately called “The Chief.” He stood by his players and coaches through many losing seasons before the 1970s. I don’t believe there is another owner in the history of all sports that is as genuine and sincere as this man. The players loved him because he got to know every one of them personally. And, his door was always open to them to stop by and talk about anything they wanted.

Art created the foundation for the Steelers franchise and passed it on to his son and grandson. The most important thing is to be loyal to your coaches and players. Treat them with respect and dignity.

My fandom took a different turn because of the Chief. Not only was I a fan of the team, now I was proud to be a Steelers fan too. I believed that the Steelers were the best managed team in all of sports.

Chuck Noll

You can’t really talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s without mentioning coach Chuck Noll. The Steelers hired him in 1969, and it was one of the main reasons for the franchise turnaround. Coach stability is very important to the Steelers, and Chuck Noll coached the Steelers for 23 years.

He wasn’t flashy, and he rarely cracked a smile. But, his players loved him and he knew football better than just about anyone. He helped to build one of the greatest sports dynasties in history.

Conclusion

Because there is such a rich history being a Steelers fan, I’ll add additional posts in the future. I’ll cover it in decades. This post was the 1970s. The next post will be about the 1980s, then a post about the 1990s, and so on.

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