It was fifty years ago today- Monday January 27, 1969 – in what turned out to be the most important day in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers- they finally got it right-they hired as their new head coach- Baltimore Colts defensive coordinator/defensive backfield coach Chuck Noll. The 37 year old Noll came highly recommended from his boss Don Shula in Baltimore.
Up until this point the Steelers had never appeared in a playoff game in their history. Owner Art Rooney was a great guy- but tended to hire his drinking buddies as head coaches. He had turned the running of the team over to his young son Dan- who was like Noll 37- and Dan Rooney would be turn this losing franchise around- with the selection of The Emperor Chuck Noll as the head coach.
The Steelers that Noll took over had very little talent. One a few members of the 1968 team would be around when they made the playoffs for the first time in 1972- most notable being Andy Russell and Ray Mansfield. Noll’s first game they won. Then they lost the remaining 13 games in 1969 but Dan Rooney said that even though they were losing that season he knew he had the right coach. The Steelers problem was lack of talent. They would start the turnaround with the week after Noll was hired when they selected Joe Greene in the first round of the college draft. Greene would go on to be the face of the franchise and remains the greatest Steeler player ever- which is really saying something considering the Hall of Famers they have had over the past 50 years.
The Steelers under Noll would go- 1969- 1-13, 1970- 5-9, 1971-6-8 and then the break through in 1972 going 11-3 and to the AFC Championship Game. Under Noll they would win 4 Super Bowls in 6 seasons in the 70’s. He retired after the 1991 season. The Steelers have not fired a coach since Bill Austin at the end of the 1968 season. Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin the three coaches over that span have all won Super Bowls- Noll with four the others one each. Noll turned this doormat of a franchise around to becoming one of the storied franchises in the league. Chuck Noll passed away in 2014 at the age of 82.
slicethelife 
This and the drafting of Joe Greene would…to me an outsider the two most important moments of that franchise. There is something to say about being consistent.
Yes one day they hire Noll a couple days later they draft Greene. At the time both moves came under some criticism of course in Pittsburgh. I read where it came down between Noll and Jets assistant Charlie Winter after Joe Paterno turned the offer to coach them down- they took Noll- and some writer wrote again they chose the loser- [the Jets having just beaten the Colts a couple weeks earlier} and when they drafted Greene from North Texas State it was Joe Who headlines? The fans wanted them to take local hero Terry Hanratty who stared at Notre Dame- they got him in round 2- he turned into nothing special in the NFL. Greene was a guy who wouldn’t accept losing.
Noll and Greene changed that culture. Until I read the book “His Life’s Work” I had no clue that the Steelers were that bad…they took bad to new levels. Always seemingly making the wrong choice. I would like to read a book about The Rooneys.
Noll knew when to listen also…when he wanted to take Stallworth over Swann and his staff told him he could have both. The Cowboys would have had Swann.
The only modern comparison is the obvious one…when New England hired Bill Belichick and drafted Brady.
Noll also in 1972 wanted to take Robert Newhouse over Franco Harris. Newhouse was a good NFL back for the Cowboys- but Franco was great with the Steelers- a wise selection… I read stories that back in the 50’s the Steelers would show up at the draft- with a Street and Smith College Yearbook- and draft from that… the story also is a young Dan Rooney had played high school ball against a guy named Johnny Unitas.. the Steelers ended up bringing him to camp and undrafted free agents. Art was at the race track in New York -Dan in his early 20’s at the time was at training camp- he calls his dad and tells him you have to step in they are going to cut Unitas-he’s the best qb we have- and Art Sr. told him ‘son they are the coaches we have to go with their decisions” so the coaches keep the two veteran qb’s who it turns out were the coaches drinking buddies and cut Unitas-the rest is history… Bad Steelers History. Maybe it turned out best for Johnny U though.
Johnny Unitas lucked out I think because of what followed right after…great story but a piece of bad luck for the Steelers. The Smith College Yearbook just brought a real laugh from me.
From what little I read…Art Sr. was a good gambler anyway… He is a guy I would have loved to talk to. I’m glad the team is still in the Rooney family.
I do believe in sabermetrics etc in all sports…but you know those old stories won’t happen again. Some for the better like the above…but the big trades etc are now a science…No more Boss trades or actions. Some were bad…but entertaining. You and I got to see some of those anyway.
The one trade that never was in sports…I would have liked to see what would have happened is the Ted and Joe trade. Ted in Yankee Stadium and Joe in Fenway…
The trades now- deal a lot with money- no player for player deals where money isn’t important. some deals now on the baseball field don’t make sense- but in the accounting books do… Yes The Chief- Art Rooney would have some stories to tell. He was a soft touch- and the rest of the owners in the league knew it. .. that Joe for Ted trade would have been fireworks-and how many home runs would Ted have hit with that right field at yankee stadium??
You know I’ve wondered why doesn’t football have big trades? Is it because of the different systems? Maybe I’m just missing it but I don’t see a big movement in trades in Football.
Ted with that right field fence and Joe with the Green Monster. It would have boosted both their numbers.
Good point on football and few trades player for player- more like player for draft picks.. i remember the Stabler for Patorini trade back the 70’s being a big one. Can’t think of too many player for player… get this- if you look at the 1965 NFL draft how did the Bears get both Butkus and Gale Sayers? they got the 3rd overall pick from the Steelers and took Butkus- by trading their second pick in 1964 Jim Kelly and their 4th round pick from 1964 Ben McGee to the steelers for that pick… too bad it wasn’t the other Jim Kelly! Steelers get two bums and the Bears get Butkus.
Every story you tell about the old Steelers just gets worse for them. I just looked it up…wow Chicago had the 3rd and 4th pick after that pick from the Steelers. Dick Butkus and the next pick Gale Sayers… two Hall of Famers… You were right, to begin with…Noll was the most important moment in Steelers history…he drafted Greene and stopped the nonsense.
Butkus on film made him look like the only man on the field with little boys. His hits are my favorite to watch. He was like a giant out there.
I do remember the Stabler trade because I think Stabler was holding out or just not getting along with Davis…big surprise. Then Pastorini gets hurt and then comes Jim Plunkett a little later or maybe that season.
The Stabler- Pastorini deal really didn’t work for either team… I remember hearing Butkus once say his goal was to hit someone so hard that it would knock the players head off… some of those hits its a wonder it didn’t happen.
Yea Stabler was done by this time. He got them to the playoffs only to be beat by Oakland… lol great quote.