Of course I was hopeful I would be creating that title for my Denver Bronco Blog page but that blog is its own story. The Pittsburgh Steelers did not let up and finished their first 50 seasons as an AFC team with 2003 being the last year they finished under .500. Here I am giving away the ending of my NFL Since 1970 Publication and its a trivial answer (Who is the winningest team in regular season play from 1970 to 2019?) of the Steelers finishing with a .613 winning percentage and letting down the in-tune opposing team fans (Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots & Denver Broncos) by not performing badly in last 3 seasons and relinquishing this title. Again, it has been 50 seasons since the Steelers joined the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts & the 10 AFL teams from 1969 to create the American Football Conference in 1970. The NFL was 50 years old at that point and hence we celebrate season 100 on my lovely wife's birthday... Sept 17th this year.
We start the team Blogs with the best here on nflsince1970.com with the Steeler organization I personally wish was much lower in the current ranking. My Dad was born in Harrisburg, PA but I don't hold much love for the team since becoming a major league fan of the sport via NFL Film's spectacular work on HBO's Inside the NFL back in 1979-80. It was at that point I mentally/ involuntarily categorized all 28 NFL teams into a hierarchy of my desire to see them succeed. The decision was made to cheer for the have-nots & always revel in the losses of those that had been dominating the pro-football scene in the recent past. If you have seen my zoom casts you have seen the wall behind me with the Las Vegas Raiders just off the floor and above them my love grows incrementally as you scan up the wall. The Minnesota Vikings have climbed the most over the years and the Miami Dolphins are not far behind for various reasons you can learn about in their team blogs.
This Steeler organization could have been called one of the worst in history and not just football's but all pro-sports. The changing of that perception for the organization coincided with the NFL paying them to make the jump to join new rivals and addition to the league, the American Football Conference. All but 3 of its long time NFL opponents then started playing in the National Football Conference. From the beginning in 1933 until that 1-13 rookie season of Chuck Knoll in 1969 this team had a single playoff appearance to look back on. During WWII the Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles apparently could not find enough quality players for two teams and merged clubs for the 1943 season without much success as the Steagles (they did go 5-4-1 including a win against New York despite a still standing record of 10 fumbles). Those decades made up a Cleveland Brown-like run that is hard to believe was the point at which they started their AFC history. It turned out that 1-13 record earned them the right to select Terry Bradshaw in the 1970 NFL draft and by the end of the 1979 season the team earned its 4th Super Bowl trophy. Amazingly enough it was the other 1969 club that ended up with a record of 1-13 that crushed Pittsburgh at home 38-7... the win kept the Chicago Bears from not only going 0-14 but also from having the 1st pick and a shot at Terry. Here we are at season 101 of Bear's history and I would love a note saying your thoughts on who the single franchise QB is during all those seasons. scott@nflsince1970.com (I didn't look into when or how but the Greenbay Packers obtained & used that #2 pick in the 1969 draft).
The Steelers entered the 1972 season, as seen in NFL Since 1970, with a combined win-loss record of 11-17 and placed 18th out of 26 teams that kicked off the 1970 season (when you flip the pages you see the Steeler helmet with logo, purposely, on the incorrect side climb each of the 48 later seasons). In all of sports we have some incredible magic moments and none is bigger than that the immaculate-reception hauled in by Franco Harris in the first of 70 playoff games for the Steelers as an AFC club. What a start! Send me your take on how that compares to the tuck-rule game that catapulted the Patriots into their run this century. A Patriot dynastic start that Steeler fans join us Bronco fans in hoping is over so we can mostly focus on what the Kansas City Chiefs are doing now as they try to dominate the conference. In '73 the Raiders get revenge for the Harris catch in the playoff opener but in '74 Pittsburgh beat the Buffalo Bills & Raiders to move on to play the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX in New Orleans. The Steelers get that win and finish 13-3-1 on the season giving the Rooneys a trophy they deserved after many years of frustration. I really regret not having meet the Dodrill family at my church here in Littleton sooner. Dave & Sharon are good friends that share Linda's and my own heart to help missionaries all over the globe. In Feb. of 2019 the church was the site of Dave's father Dale Dodril's memorial service & if you are a Steeler fan you should know about this Colorado native that is one of the few bright spots in team history prior to Chuck/Terry/Franco/Mean Joe. If ever in Denver don't miss a visit to Dale's insurance office still run by his sons and learn about this awesome Linebacker that played from 1951 to '59 by checking out some great artifacts. Dodrill Insurance is the name. That one tie in 1974's Steeler record also brings up another Colorado/Steeler connection, in that game played at Mile High the 1st ever sudden death over time in the regular season occurred. They tied and Denver's resulting 7-6-1 record was its second ever winning season. Ironically, it was another game in Denver that ended with a historic 1st OT when Tim Tebow tossed an 86 yard TD vs. Pittsburgh in 2012. Sudden death was not the rule of OT for the 1st time in that game. The idea that a won coin-toss & field goal drive was a fair ending was corrected!
I should focus more on the fact this team has a 175 more wins than losses since kickoff 1970 & tied for the most Super Bowl wins with N.E. Pittsburgh could have gone 0-16 in 2019 while Dallas went undefeated and still would have won that title by about 4 games. They took that #1 spot early into the 2010 season after finishing the 2009 season in Miami with a 30-24 win. The result: Kick-off '70 until that post-game Pitt & MIA were incredibly both 372-242-2 in regular season. Miami kept the top spot because ties do not count as 1/2 wins prior to the '72 season and in one of the most infamous "pre-success" games in Bronco history Lou Saban opened the '71 season at home by going for a tie with a field goal. Denver fans were not happy & 38 seasons later it gave Dolphin fans the final year of a 1984 to 2009 run as the winningest club in regular season play. Miami had a .6056 winning % compared to Pittsburgh's .6055. Only the Cowboys & Steelers have played 3 Super Bowls and only the Packers have equaled the Cowboys in beating the Steelers in their Super Bowls games. Steelers have beaten Dallas twice, the Vikes, Los Angles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals one time each for the NFL title. NFL Since 1970 has a page that shows a what if scenario based on the Super Bowl being played by the teams that lost the AFC & NFC title games. The Steelers would have 1 less appearance in the Super Bowl if they had reversed fortunes in the AFC Championship game since 1970. (check out my guest appearance on Foam Finger Nation , a podcast where the fun topic of 'What If Super Bowls' is covered in depth)
The Steelers are the best team in the best sport! I can't dispute that fact...they have had 4 seasons in which Steelers Nation has had to endure 10+ defeats in these 50 campaigns. That is nothing short of amazing and lead in that stat since Denver suffered their 4th & 5th 10+ win season in recent years. That relates to the fact fans of the Steelers are able to start showing up to tailgate in preseason and come late December they almost always have a reason to be hopeful that a playoff game is possible if not earned by that point. The final of 114 pages in NFL Since 1970 show how the top 16 teams of the 26 that kicked off in 1970 have ranked during each of the 5 decades as a single time frame. The Steelers, along with the Broncos and Cowboys are the only teams to never have a losing record after each decade. With rankings of 6th(70's), 15th(80's), 10th(90's) & 3rd place in the latest 2 decades Pittsburgh has averaged a ranking of 7.3 over the 50 years and only trail the Broncos (8,4,8,6,8).
Finally, in every game played this century the Steelers have the second best winning percentage having won 64% of their regular season games. They trail the Patriots by 32 wins and Steeler Nation is no doubt optimistic that lead will be evaporating early into this 6th decade since the merger. Some final Steeler stats:
Steelers have the lead in division titles since '70 with 23 won out of a possible 49 (1982 strike year was a playoff tournament). Oilers/Titans franchise owns the record for most wildcard spots(13) earned based mostly from being 2nd fiddle to the Steelers until '02
Steelers have played 25 of 50 seasons since merger with a result of 10 wins or more. They trail the Cowboys & Patriots by 1 in that stat
Steelers & Broncos are only original AFC teams to not have earned the #1 draft pick (worst team in NFL). Redskins, Bears, Vikings & Packers can claim that in the NFC
57 wins is the team's best 5 consecutive seasons since merger ('75-'79)
If you love the Steelers email me about getting a copy of the NFL Since 1970 while your team is the highlight. Many teams don't have the same grace period to enjoy being #1 ahead of my Denver Broncos future reign. It comes with a page of facts all Steelers fans should be aware of. You'll have the ability to keep it updated by getting the 2021 season and beyond. Would love to hear from fans of all 31 other clubs as well! See one of the 114 pages below...
