My All Time Favorite Pittsburgh Steelers Players

Formed in 1933, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most popular and famous teams in NFL history. The Steelers first period of success came in the 1970s when led by Chuck Noll, the team won four Super Bowl championships. Those teams had one of the best defenses in NFL history. Hall of Famers of like “Mean” Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Mel Blount were on those Steelers teams and are some of the best players in Steelers history. That’s not to dismiss the efforts of the Pittsburgh offense in any way. In fact, two of the best Pittsburgh receivers in team history were on those teams. Lynn Swann and John Stallworth terrorized opposing defenses during those years and their reward, in addition to four rings, was a place in the Hall of Fame. And we haven’t even mentioned two of the greatest Steelers stars of all: Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris.

The Steelers experienced a resurgence in the late ’90s. Powered by Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, the Steelers went to multiple AFC championship games and two Super Bowls, including winning Super Bowl XL in 2006. This second era in Steeler history featured some of the best players of their era, including Ben Roethlisberger, Joey Porter, James Harrison and Hines Ward. The Steelers won another championship with these players when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. To date, the Steelers have the most Super Bowl titles and can boast about having the most Hall of Fame players who have been inducted as Steelers. These not only are the greatest Steelers ever, but some of the best players in NFL history as well.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS

Terry Bradshaw

Ben Rothlisberger

 

RUNNING BACKS

Franco Harris

 

John Henry Johnson

 

Jerome Bettis

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

John Stallworth

 

Lynn Swann

 

Hines Ward

 

TIGHT ENDS

TE – Elbie Nickel (1947-1957)

Eric Green

 

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

OT – Larry Brown (1971-1984)

OG – Alen Faneca (1998-2007)

Mike Webster

 

Dermontti Dawson

 

Jon Kolb

 

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

L.C. Greenwood

 

Joe Greene

DT – Ernie Stautner (1950-1963)

Dwight White

 

LINEBACKERS

Jack Ham

 

Jack Lambert

Greg Lloyd

 

Andy Russell

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Rod Woodson

 

Mel Blount

 

Donnie Shell

 

Carnell Lake

 

Troy Polamalu

 

Jack Butler

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – Gary Anderson

 

P – Bobby Joe Green

 

PR – Bobby Gage (1949-1950)

KR – Lynn Chandnois (1950-1956)

 

NICKNAME

• Originally named Pirates after the city’s major league baseball team, Owner Art Rooney Sr. changed the team name to Steelers in 1940 to more properly represent the city’s dominant steel industry.

LOGO

• The official Steelmark logo featuring 3 hypocycloids (diamond shapes), that are the colors yellow for coal, red for ore, and blue for steel scrap with Steelers written to the left in black inside a silver circle.

TEAM NAMES

• Pittsburgh Pirates (1933-1939)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (1940-1942)
• Phil-Pitt Steagles (1943)
• Card-Pit (1944)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (1945-Present)

HEAD COACHES

• Jap Douds (1933)
• Luby DiMelio (1934)
• Joe Bach (1935-1936)
• Johnny McNally (1937-1939)
• Walt Kiesling (1939-1940)
• Bert Bell (1941)
• Buff Donelli (1941)
• Walt Kiesling (1941-1942)
• Walt Kiesling & Greasy Neale (1943)
• Walt Kiesling & Phil Handler (1944)
• Jim Leonard (1945)
• Jock Sutherland (1946-1947)
• Johnny Michelson (1948-1951)
• Joe Bach (1952-1953)
• Walt Kiesling (1954-1956)
• Buddy Parker (1957-1964)
• Mike Nixon (1965)
• Bill Austin (1966-1968)
• Chuck Noll (1969-1991)
• Bill Cowher (1992-2006)
• Mike Tomlin (2007-Present)

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

• Super Bowl IX (1974) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Minnesota Vikings 16-6
• Super Bowl X (1975) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Dallas Cowboys 21-17
• Super Bowl XIII (1978) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Dallas Cowboys 35-31
• Super Bowl XIV (1979) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Los Angeles Rams 31-19
• Super Bowl XL (2005) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Seattle Seahawks 21-10
• Super Bowl XLIII (2008) – Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Arizona Cardinals 27-23

SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES

• Super Bowl IX (1974) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings
• Super Bowl X (1975) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys
• Super Bowl XIII (1978) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys
• Super Bowl XIV (1979) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams
• Super Bowl XXX (1995) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys
• Super Bowl XL (2005) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks
• Super Bowl XLIII (2008) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals
• Super Bowl XLV (2010) – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers

NFL/AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

• 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010

DIVISION CHAMPIONS

• 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010

PLAYOFF APPEARANCES

• 1947, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

PLAYOFF RECORD

• 33-21 .611

HALL OF FAME PLAYERS

• Bert Bell President (1941-1946)
• Mel Blount CB (1970-1983)
• Terry Bradshaw QB (1970-1983)
• Jack Butler CB (1951-1959)
• Dermonti Dawson C (1988-2000)
• Len Dawson QB (1957-1959)
• Bill Dudley RB (1942, 1945-1946)
• Mean Joe Greene DT (1969-1981)
• Jack Ham LB (1971-1982)
• Franco Harris RB (1972-1983)
• Cal Hubbard OT (1936)
• John Henry Johnson RB (1960-1965)
• Walt Kiesling Coach (1939-1940, 1941-1944, 1954-1956)
• Jack Lambert LB (1974-1984)
• Bobby Layne QB (1958-1960)
• John McNally Coach (1934, 1937-1939)
• Marion Motley RB (1955)
• Chuck Noll Coach (1969-1991)
• Art Rooney Owner (1933-1988)
• Dan Rooney Owner (1955-Present)
• John Stallworth WR (1974-1987)
• Ernie Stauter DT (1950-1963)
• Lynn Swann WR (1974-1982)
• Mike Webster C (1974-1988)
• Rod Woodson CB (1987-1996)

RETIRED NUMBERS

• 70 Ernie Stautner DT (1950-1963)

PRO BOWL MVP

• 1957 Ernie Stautner OT
• 1960 Gene Lipscomb OT
• 1963 Gene Lipscomb OT
• 1977 Mel Blount CB

AWARDS

COACH OF THE YEAR

• 1992 Bill Cowher

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• 1969 Mean Joe Greene DT
• 1974 Jack Lambert LB
• 2001 Kendrell Bell LB

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

• 1958 Jimmy Orr WR
• 1972 Franco Harris RB
• 1984 Louis Lipps WR
• 2004 Ben Roethlisberger QB

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• 1974 Mean Joe Greene DT
• 1975 Mel Blount CB
• 1976 Jack Lambert LB
• 1993 Rod Woodson DB
• 2008 James Harrison LB
• 2010 Troy Polamalu S

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

• None

NFL MVP

• 1946 Bill Dudley RB
• 1978 Terry Bradshaw QB

SUPER BOWL MVP

• Super Bowl IX – Franco Harris RB (1974)
• Super Bowl X – Lynn Swann WR (1975)
• Super Bowl XIII – Terry Bradshaw QB (1978)
• Super Bowl XIV – Terry Bradshaw QB (1979)
• Super Bowl XL – Hines Ward WR (2005)
• Super Bowl XLIII – Santonio Holmes (2008)

 

©MMXIX My All Time Favorites, all pictures and logos, team names are property of the National Football League. This site is not affiliated with the NFL or Pittsburgh Steelers.  All Football Cards are low resolution scans from a personal collection and each is credited with the production company name and year.  This site is maintained for research purposes only.