As we go into the Pittsburgh Steelers BYE week, it’s time to recognize the Steelers are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of their first Super Bowl winning season. And why should they not celebrate? It was a momentous occasion in the history of the franchise. It was decisive as the Same Old Steelers became champions.
The 1974 season would prove an interesting one for all NFL fans as the preseason began with a players’ strike. The strike was over the “Rozelle Rule” named after the NFL commissioner at that time. The rule placed limits on free agency with the commissioner having the right to decide the compensation for a team when there was a dispute.
The strike kept most of the veterans out of their training camps in the early weeks of preseason which gave the rookies greater time with the coaches as they adapted to the demands of pro football.
No one would know at the time, but the 1974 Steelers draft was one of the greatest ever for any franchise. It produced four future Hall of Famers. Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster all went on to have outstanding careers with the Steelers. To put it in perspective, that year’s draft saw five players go on to Canton. Four of them from the Steelers.
As the regular season approached, the strike fizzled out as the veterans slowly returned to camp preparing for the new season. For the Steelers draftees it had proved an accelerated opportunity to make the transition from collegiate to professional football.
Coach Noll noted that the strike had made the Steelers camp “both the longest and the shortest training camp I have ever known.”
“No positions stand out in my mind as being trouble spots,” the coach added, “but there are some positions where I’ve got a lot of talented people begging for playing time.” One of those positions was linebacker, where rookie Jack Lambert would get an opportunity due to an injury to veteran Henry Davis.
Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam crossed the picket line a week before Terry Bradshaw followed him. Consequently, Gilliam saw more reps in camp and would become the obvious choice to start in the first exhibition game against the Saints.
Gilliam led them to 26-7 victory and the winning ways would continue throughout the preseason when they would finish 6-0. It was the first time the team had gone undefeated in preseason since exhibition games became an official part of the NFL schedule in 1965.
Gilliam won the starting job and would lead them to a 4-1-1 record in the regular season. Despite his winning record, the fans were not happy. Gilliam’s performances were workmanlike. They didn’t sparkle and certainly didn’t ignite much enthusiasm with the fans.
Although the Steelers won their week six game against the Browns 20-16, Gilliam recorded just 5 completions from 18 attempts for 78 yards. Coach Noll admitted the team hadn’t played as well as they could. “We were pleased with the way our defense stopped their rushing game’ but the offense is still struggling.”
The Steelers struggles were not all down to the quarterback. The running game wasn’t firing as Coach Noll tried different combinations while keeping Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier apart.
The week seven game saw the visit of the Atlanta Falcons under the spotlight of Monday Night Football. The Post-Gazette ran the headline “Will Bradshaw Start? That is the Question?”
The 48,094 fans inside Three Rivers Stadium showed their appreciation once the question was answered when Bradshaw took to the field. Along with the change at quarterback, Coach Noll also twinned Harris and Bleier in the backfield. They combined for 219 yards with a touchdown each while Bradshaw also added a 1-yard touchdown run to see the Steelers take a 24-17 win.
Bradshaw led the team to two more victories before losing in Cincinnati which saw the Bengals move half a game behind the Steelers in the standings.
Before the week 10 game in Cleveland, Coach Noll made a dramatic change at quarterback. He brought back Terry Hanratty who had not started for a year. The Browns coach Nick Skorich told reporters that he had prepared for the game not knowing if he would be facing Bradshaw or Gilliam. Maybe that was the reason Coach Noll went with Hanratty.
Whatever the reason Noll chose Hanratty, it worked. The Steelers won in Cleveland for the first time in ten years. It was a game of turnovers that the Steelers won, but Hanratty blew his opportunity. He completed more passes to the Browns (3) than he managed to the Steelers (2).
The quarterback debate kept Pittsburgh busy all week as the team prepared for Monday Night Football in New Orleans. Fans waited until Monday morning to discover Bradshaw had been thrown a bone while in Coach Noll’s doghouse.
Bradshaw led the Steelers to a 28-7 runaway victory over the Saints. He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown while adding 2 touchdown passes. “Bradshaw played a heck of a fine game,” Noll said. It would be the closest the coach would get to confirming Bradshaw as the starter.
The Steelers suffered a setback losing 13-10 to division rivals Houston the following week but were still a game ahead of Cincinnati. “The worst offensive showing I can remember,” offered Bradshaw who left the game with bruised ribs. Hanratty came on and threw away another chance to compete as the starter with two interceptions.
Coach Noll left it to the last minute again before announcing Bradshaw to start in New England. “It’s not my indecision, it’s theirs,” Noll explained. “I’ve given each of them an opportunity to grab the bull by the horns, but no one has done it.”
Bradshaw threw a touchdown pass to Lynn Swann while Harris rushed for 136 yards to edge past the Patriots 21-17.
In the regular season finale against the Bengals, Bradshaw hit a quarterback rating of 135 with his two touchdowns and no interceptions. The comfortable 27-3 win would see them finish 10-3-1 with their second division title and the number 3 seed in the AFC.
STEELERS SUPER BOWL BOUND
In the divisional playoff game against the Bills, Bradshaw would steal the show from O.J. Simpson. He threw a touchdown pass to Rocky Bleier which was complemented by three rushing touchdowns from Harris for a 32-14 triumph.
Writing in the Post-Gazette, Al Abrams called it Bradshaw’s Finest Pro Hour. Bradshaw agreed. “That was my best game in pro football,” he said. “Everything fell into place for us… great running, passing, defense. It was just a great day all around.”
Even Coach Noll agreed while Hanratty suggested, I’ve never seen Terry better. He was just great.” Ray Mansfield noted, “He has been a totally different quarterback ever since the second series against New England. He was sacked twice early, but it didn’t bother him. He had confidence in his passing game and showed it. Today, there were two guys hanging all over him on his first pass, but he completed it.”
The Steelers traveled to Oakland for the AFC title and faced their old enemy who were 6-point favorites. The Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler had led his team to an impressive 28-26 win over the Dolphins in the other divisional game.
The game was another momentous outing for Bradshaw. His stats didn’t do his performance justice. His one touchdown pass with one interception do not suggest anything other than an ordinary quarterback rating of 59. It was the way he controlled the game that deserves attention.
“I think Terry arrived today,” Steelers left guard Jim Clack opined. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him call a better game,” he said.
Fellow offensive lineman Gerry Mullins added, “The Raiders spread out a lot on defense. I guess they were afraid of our wide stuff. Terry kept changing the play at the line of scrimmage to take advantage of their formations. I’ll bet 35-40 percent of the plays we ran were audibles.”
And ran the Steelers did. Harris with 111 yards and two touchdowns aided by Bleier’s 98 yards. The Steelers 24-13 victory would see them advance to Super Bowl IX. The pinnacle of any player’s career.
After forty years in the league before seeing his team appear in their first Super Bowl, owner Art Rooney was still realistic and modest.
“This has been my life – sports,” said Rooney. “I was a player, then a coach and you learn to accept the bad with the good. No matter how bad it got sometimes, you always lived in hope that next year would be the year. What would I have said had we lost today? I’d have said, well, we’ll get ‘em next year.”
The Steelers finally made the big game and won their first Lombardi trophy when they beat the Vikings 16-6. Franco Harris was the MVP after rushing for 158 yards. Bradshaw threw one touchdown pass with no interceptions.
When you reflect on the chaotic season the Steelers endured. The strike disrupting preparations and then the quarterback fiasco, you must wonder how did they do it?
Coach Noll had built the team through the draft. He put together the players to make it happen and gave them the game plan to bring it all together. A lot of credit should also be handed to Terry Bradshaw for executing the game plan and leading the team to the ultimate football prize. The Steelers first Super Bowl victory in the franchise forty years history.