For SteelerNation, the sixties were just another miserable decade. It was also true of the Turnpike Rivalry which was so lopsided it would have sunk the Titanic. The Browns owned the Steelers to the extent of a 15-5 domination during the decade.
After years of squabbling, the rival NFL and AFL decided to merge in 1970. To secure an agreement, three teams had to move from the NFC to the AFC to balance the conferences. A $3 million bribe was paid to encourage teams to move across.
Browns’ owner Art Modell made it clear he would only make the move if Pittsburgh did. He also wanted Cleveland to be placed in the same division as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to encourage the local rivalry. Modell got his wish and Cleveland were put into the AFC Central with both teams plus the Houston Oilers.
At the time, the sports editor for the Miami News thought the idea of those teams in one division provided the Browns with a bye into the playoffs describing the other teams as lame. “I can’t see Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Houston beating out the Browns any time soon,” he wrote. And before the Steelers signed Coach Noll in 1969, he might have been right.
When the two teams met in Pittsburgh the first season after the merger, the Steelers had lost seven straight including the game already played in Cleveland.
Noll’s impact on the team was slowly having an effect. Following his 1-13 first season and losing the first three games of the 1970 season, the Steelers with rookie quarterback Terry Bradshaw began to find their feet.
After their week 8 win over the Jets, the Steelers found themselves perched on top of the AFC Central with the Browns. The giddy heights of their position only lasted a week before they lost to the Chiefs and the Bengals.
Going into the week 11 game in Pittsburgh, the Browns were on top of the AFC Central at 5-5, one game in front of both the Bengals and the Steelers. With a win in Pittsburgh, they would eliminate the Steelers from the division title race while enhancing their own chances.
The stakes were high for the Steelers. A win would put them within touching distance of their first title. Coach Noll’s pep talk to his players was simple. “I don’t have to say anything. You all know how much this game means.”
After Terry Bradshaw suffered an arm injury in the loss in Cincinnati, Terry Hanratty would start for the Steelers.
The (4-6) Steelers vs the (5-5) Browns; November 29, 1970
Urged on by their third straight sellout crowd, the Steelers started the game on top. Their first possession saw Terry Hanratty lead his team on an 88-yard drive finished with his 8-yard touchdown pass to Ron Shanklin. Allan Watson kicked the point after attempt to send the Steelers into a 7-0 lead.
The Browns replied with a field goal from 16 yards as the Steelers defense shut down their opponents running game. When the game went into the second quarter, the Browns added a 36-yard field goal.
As the Steelers defense continued to master their opponents, 2-year veteran safety Chuck Beatty intercepted a pass tipped by Chuck Allen. Missing tackles, Beatty ran the interception back 30 yards for a touchdown to extend the Steelers lead.
Cleveland’s attempt to reply with a 47-yard field goal went wide right and the Steelers took their 14-6 lead into the locker room at the half.
After recovering a Frenchy Fuqua’s fumble on the Pittsburgh 46 in the third quarter, Cleveland was restricted to yet another field goal attempt. This one from 46 yards was successful.
Terry Bradshaw then took over the game. After Hanratty suffered a mild concussion at the end of the first half, Bradshaw came off the bench to the delight of the fans. They were rewarded for their support with a touchdown bomb of 81 yards as Ron Shanklin collected Bradshaw’s pass and raced down the right sideline for the score.
Two minutes into the final period, the Steelers were faced with a third down and five on their own 43. Bradshaw dropped back and calmly flipped a short screen pass to Fuqua. Under full steam Fuqua took off down the left sideline before cutting right to post a 57-yard touchdown.
Late in the game, Watson missed a 36-yard field goal, but it was of no consequence. The fans were celebrating the first Steelers victory over their rivals for four years and not even the heavy rain could dampen their enthusiasm.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 28 vs the Cleveland Browns 9
Andy Russell took a hit to the head in the first half and said he played most of the second half with a foggy head but stayed in the game because he jokingly offered, “I was able to remember the defenses.”
Joe Greene said, “I don’t think anybody could have played it any better than Russell. He played a great game. We just knew out there that we weren’t going to let them score.
Even after the fumbles, I don’t think anybody on our defense felt they could score a touchdown. That’s a winning defense, when you hold them to a field goal after they get the ball in your territory.”
Ron Shanklin caught 3 passes for 121 yards to add to Frenchy Fuqua’s four for 116 yards.
“We were hungry. We wanted this one badly,” acknowledged Coach Noll. “We put it all together. The offense was clicking. The defense was superb.”
Noll admitted that he would not have made the switch to Bradshaw, if Hanratty had not been injured. “I didn’t realize at first he was woozy,” explained Noll. “Then he told me he had trouble making the handoffs. He just wasn’t functioning properly. I didn’t hesitate to make the switch. I feel we have two fine young quarterbacks.”
With their win the Steelers found themselves joint top of the AFC Central with both Cleveland and Cincinnati at 5-6. For the 1970 Steelers that would be the best it got as they lost their last three games. But it was another improvement on the previous season as Chuck Noll’s Steelers continued to develop into the championship team of 1974.
The Bengals won the division title and lost their divisional playoff game to the Colts.
After this win over their division rivals, the balance in the Turnpike Rivalry began to shift south. Chuck Noll would reverse the win-loss figures in the seventies, and it would be the Steelers who had the 15-5 victory advantage at the end of the decade. This included streaks of five and six consecutive wins.
It was a good time to be part of Steeler Nation after many years of disheartening results.
