Watch Tower: Dissention in Pittsburgh Over Jonathan Dwyer? Plus Hail to the Chief, Art Rooney Sr.

Cut down day always brings a flurry of news around the NFL, this year things were more active than ever at the South Side as the Steelers 2013 Roster contained some surprises, giving the Watch Tower plenty to focus on. And it begins by shining its light on a story that wasn’t told.

Dwyer:  The Glory and Agony of 140 Characters 

The biggest cut that the Steelers made the release of Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer was not only their season leading rusher, he was also the only healthy back.

• Nonetheless, he got a visit from the Turk.

The fact that Dwyer’s roster spot was in jeopardy was not a surprise in Steelers Nation. On the blogesphere, (or at least at Behind the Steel Curtain) several articles and many fan exchanges rested on the premise that the numbers game would dictate that either Dwyer or Isaac Redman would be a goner.

But among the professional press, the conventional wisdom was that Dwyer was safe, esp. in light of the injury to Le’Veon Bell, as Jim Wexell’s tweet indicates.

This is why #Steelers wouldn't have cut Dwyer. They can win with him as feature back.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 15, 2013

To be fair, the arrival of Felix Jones complicated the picture, but the move to cut Dwyer was nonetheless a surprise.

Shortly after the move became public, Mark Kaboly  of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review dropped a bomb via Twitter:

One last thing on Dwyer ... it wasn't the coaching staff that wanted him gone.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) September 2, 2013

In journalism speak, Kabloy had a scoop.

News of the front office overruling the coaching staff on a personnel selection, regarding a past and potential future starter, is a tremendous news coup for Kaboly. In fact, such a morsel literally screams for more.

• Yet none was forth coming.

Not in the regular Tribune Review, not in the Steel Mill Blog (which still remains inaccessible from the Trib’s main Steelers site – yours truly had thought the blog had gone dark and needed to find it by Googling it), not anywhere else.

To make matters worse, Kabloy himself seemed to validate the need for more information in an additional Tweet.

24 hours later and it still makes no sense whey #Steelers released Dwyer.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) September 1, 2013

• The Watch Tower agrees… or at least it makes no sense that a further explanation was given.

Kaboly obviously learned that Dwyer had supporters on the coaching staff, perhaps the entire coaching staff, but that they were overruled by someone else in the organization, and since you can rule out the business and scouting departments, that leaves the front office.

Which means that someone named Colbert and/or someone name Rooney spoke up on the issue. What happened?

• Did the coaches split and Colbert/Rooney provided the deciding influence?
• Were the coaches united, but a cap conscious Kevin Colbert, with backing from Rooney, overruled them?
• Or did Art Rooney II just pull rank?

We know from Bob Labriola’s tweets that coaches had concerns about Dwyer, but no matter how you slice it there’s a story screaming to be told there, and one that goes far beyond the confines of Twitter’s 140 characters.

5 Bars of Hail to The Chief

August 25 marked the 25th Anniversary of the passing of a legend, namely the death of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr.

The death of Art Rooney Sr. was a touchstone moment for me, as it coincided with my renewed following of the team (not very easy to do from suburban Maryland in the pre-internet era.)

And although his passing had little impact on the Steelers, clearly Pittsburgh lost some of its finest citizens then.

• Credit the Post-Gazette for remembering the anniversary.

It was entirely appropriate to do so and the Tribune Review did not run anything on the Chief. Neither did ESPN, nor did any of the other major fan sites.

• Yet the commemorative piece(s) were not without problems.

The article dealt with the way in which the five Rooney sons divided their father’s possessions, and then offered perspectives on how each of the five Rooney sons, Dan, Art Jr., Tim, John, and Pat, felt about that day and provided some insights into the relationships that the men had with their father.

• The real issue was with the Post-Gazette’s presentation of the articles. There was one article which told the entire story. And then there were five other articles on each of the Rooney brothers.

The problem was that the individual pieces on the Rooney brothers were written as part of a single story, and not intended to be stand alone pieces. So if you clicked on one of the individual links, such as the story on Tim Rooney, the stories were disjointed, making references to events in other stories.

The Post Gazette did later provide some clarifying text and a link to the main story, but that was only after several people complained via Facebook.

PG Takes Shot at SEO?

One possible reason behind the Post-Gazette’s decision to publish multiple articles on the Rooney brothers is to catch more search engine traffic.

• SEO, for those not familiar with the term, is the art of trying to get your pages to rank well on Google (and Bing, for what that’s worth) so that you get more visitors to your site.

While the Watch Tower has not (yet) done any comprehensive assessment of how the various major Steelers news sites fare in SEO, some cursoury analysis shows them lagging behind the competition.

Search rankings for major Steelers related stories are frequently dominated by the likes of Behind the Steel Curtain and the Bleacher Report.

The decision to break the Rooney stories up into multiple pieces, could be a step towards changing that, as could their decision to create a separate landing page for what has been a rather impressive series of regular season previews.

Post-Gazette Goof on Dwyer

While the Post-Gazette’s regular season preview coverage was generally very good, they did let one rather glaring error slip through in Ed Bouchette’s Five Keys piece as the screen shot reveals:

Jonathan Dwyer had been cut by the time this ran...

• The problem with this piece is that Jonathan Dwyer had already been cut by the time this article ran.

Its normal (and highly advisable) to write stories like this in advance of publication, but going back and making these corrections is also necessary.

Steelers Today Goes Dark?

Finally, the Watch Tower notes, and laments, what appears to be the passing of a long established, well written fan site Steelers Today.

Steelers Today has been around for several years, dating back to about 2006 if memory serves. While the site was known for long periods of inactivity during the off season, it had been active up until the NFL draft.

However, attempts to access it now reveal that the domain registry has expired, seemingly signaling that the days one of the more prominent fan-based sites has unfortunately come to an end.

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Shoud Steelers Minority Owner Thomas Tull Buy the Pittsburgh Post Gazette?

The news that the Graham family was selling the Washington Post to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has sent shock waves through the media landscape.

• Now how, pray tell, would this subject find itself discussed on a Pittsburgh Steelers blog? 

Truthfully, there is no direct link.

But the roots of any good story always lie in the back story, and that brings us to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull.

These are hard times for newspapers, as readers and, more importantly, advertisers gravitate to the internet.

• And there is a cruel irony to this process. 

It is a fair bet to say that more eyes probably land on most major dailies than would have been dreamed of a generation ago. The internet has reduced all of the logistical distribution nightmares and corresponding costs to next to zero.

• Yet for all of that, newspapers continue to cut costs, cut staffs yet still struggle to break even, let alone make a profit.

Elliot King, chairman of the Loyola University Maryland’s Writing and Media department and author of Free For All, a 2010 book on the newspaper industry’s struggles in the digital age, contends that one of the culprits in newspaper’s demise is corporate ownership.

Conversely, King contends, family owned papers have fared better.

• But the Washington Post, while publicly traded, remained family controlled.

Yet the Graham family, which has owned and run the paper for four generations, ultimately determined that the only way for the paper to thrive was to take it private, which meant selling it off.

This was true in spite of the fact that the Washington Post is an internationally recognized brand name, serving well-heeled, well educated market with a website that is one of the top news destinations.

• Nonetheless, the Graham family felt it had no choice.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steel City’s flagship publication is also family owned. And in 2006 its owners publicly flirted with selling the paper due to increasing labor costs.

While the Steel Curtain Rising has no inside information on the Post-Gazette’s balance sheet, there is no way the paper can remain immune from the pressures of faced by the entire industry.

To be sure, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette faring better than others. Last year the paper reported a circulation increase. That’s right, the newspaper saw its circulation increase. Certainly the paper benefits for the large concentration of elderly in Western Pennsylvania, readers who prefer newsprint to iPads.

• But that benefit comes with a Catch-22.

As those readers move on to their heavenly reward, younger ones do not take their place.

It is more than plasuable that the Block family, which owns the Post-Gazette, could face the same decision forced upon the Grahams.

• But who to sell to?

Well, Pittsburgh has its share of wealthy, but the Rooney family’s 2008 restructuring of the Steelers ownership group also brought connections to young, wealthy, innovator in the form of Thomas Tull.

Thomas Tull might not be a house hold name, but if you’ve seen any of the Batman Dark Knight movies, then you can thank him.

Would Tull be interested? Who knows? Jeff Bezos reportedly had no overt interest in entering the newspaper business until two days ago.

Since buying into the Steelers, Tull has done his part to help promote the city.

Someday he could be called on to shore up one of its leading media institutions.

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Bill Austin, Former Pittsburgh Steelers Coach, 1928-2013

Bill Cowher once remarked that he didn’t know who had coached the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to Chuck Noll.

Well they did play professional football in Pittsburgh before The Emperor’s arrival, and the man who preceded him was Bill Austin who passed away Thursday evening at his home in Las Vegas, reports Allan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

From Nixon to Austin

History will note that Bill Austin was the last Pittsburgh Steelers head coach hired by franchise founder Art Rooney Sr. And even in that respect, Austin represented something of a transition.

“The Chief” Art Sr., was first an exceptional human being, second an outstanding citizen and ambassador for the city of Pittsburgh, third a phenomenal athlete, and fourth a ace horse race odds maker.

• He was not, however, a good football man.

The Steelers did nothing but lose during the 35 years that Art Sr. ran the franchise. Despite suggestions of his later life moniker “The Chief” Rooney was not one to meddle or micro manage the decisions of his coaches. “There can only be one boss” Rooeny explained to his five son’s as they vigorously protested Walter Kiesling’s decision to cut Johnny Unitas – without so much as allowing him to throw a pass in practice.

• In short, Rooney believed in hiring someone to do a job and then standing behind them – the only problem was “The Chief” never hired the right people.

But by the early 1960’s Dan Rooney began to assume more and more control of the Steelers operations. When Dan tired of Buddy Parker’s alcohol induced shenanigans he convinced his father to take Parker up on often repeated threats to resign.

Two weeks prior to the Steelers 1965 season Parker informed Dan he was trading defensive end Ben McGee (who went on to be a Pro Bowler). Dan told him they’d discuss it in the morning. Parker balked, insisting he was the coach. Dan put his foot down. Parker offered to resign.

• Dan called his bluff.

That left the Steelers without a head coach two weeks prior to the regular season. Dan and Art Sr. turned to Mike Nixon, but they knew he was not the man for the job. Art. Rooney even advised Nixon to turn down the offer.

• They were right. Nixon won two games and was gone.

Finally, Dan Rooney had the chance been waiting for, the opportunity to put his own stamp on the selection of the Steelers head coach.

In his self titled autobiography Dan Rooney explained that he began an exhaustive search, that included Bill Austin, then a coach for the Los Angles Rams. Austin interviewed well, Rooney admits.

But then Art Sr. called Vince Lombardi, who had mentored Austin, and Lombardi give Austin a glowing recommendation.

That was enough for The Chief. Dan protested, insisting that the selection process must move forward, but The Chief had spoken, and Austin took the reigns of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Austin in Pittsburgh

In his book From Black to Gold author Tim Gleason rated Pittsburgh Steelers head coaches not named “Noll,” “Cowher,” or “Tomlin.”

Austin came in at #6 – out of seven by Gleason’s rendering. As Gleason explains “Bill Austin was Walt Kiesling reincarnated, without Kiesling’s good qualities.

Bill Austin you see, was a true disciple of Vince Lombardi. In fact, he did all he could to emulate Lombardi. But, as Gleason quote Steelers legend Dick Hoak, “’His problem was that he tried to be someone that he wasn’t.’”

Dan Rooney recounts how Andy Russell told him that former Packers on Austin’s Steeler squads remember Austin quoting Lombardi speeches verbatim. Alas, channeling his inner Lombardi didn’t work for Austin.

• It also had disastrous effects on the Steelers.

Austin did walk Lombardi’s walk in one aspect – he was demanding of his players. In fact, he ran them into the ground, once demanding that his players practice at game speed resulting in:

• Linebacker Bill Saul suffering a career-ending knee injury
• Defensive end Ken Koratus spraining an ankle that slowed him for the entire season
• Running back Jim Butler injuring a knee that cost him most of a season
• Defensive back Paul Martha cracking his helmet in two and getting a concussion in the process

Worse yet, all of this happened on the fields of St. Vincents, sabotaging the Steelers season before it began.

The One Thing Austin Did Right….

Bill Austin started out the 1968 0-6. Then he did something that many at the time would categorize as a mistake.

• He coached the Steelers to two victories and forced a tie in the third.

After that he went back to his losing ways, finish 2-11-1. But Austin’s mid-season “sin” cursed the Steelers with the fourth pick in the 1969 draft, robbing Pittsburgh of the chance to draft the consensus number one overall pick USC star running back O.J. Simpson.

• Yes, it was Austin cost the Steelers a shot at O.J. Simpson. Bill Austin, it seems, wasn't even smart enough to play for draft position....

....And Steelers Nation has thanked him since, as Chuck Noll used that self same pick to draft Joe Greene.

The rest is history.

Thanks Bill. May you rest in peace.

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Steelers Hall of Famer Jack Butler, 1927-2013

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback and long time BLESTO Director Jack Butler has died after a long battle with a staph infection he received as the result of an artificial knee transplant.

Butler was 85, and is survived by his wife and 15 grand children, and 8 children, including his son Mike, who recently joined the Steelers scouting department.

Unknown to the last several generations of fans in Steelers Nation, Jack Butler was a star on the SOS squads “Same Old Steelers.” As the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1950’s struggled in mediocrity, Jack Butler was building a Hall of Fame resume as a cornerback.

According to the obituary published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by Bob Cohn, Butler intercepted 5 passes as a rookie.

The Steelers were on the road and losing 13-0 to the Washington Redskins and despite out rushing and out passing the Redskins all day, Butler had intercepted the legendary Eddie LeBaron 3 times.

As told by Tim Gleason in his classic, From Black to Gold, the Steelers scored a face-saving touchdown late in the 4th to make it 13-7. Butler intercepted LeBaron a still NFL record 4th time, returning the ball for a pick-six and leading the Steelers to victory.

Butler’s career was cut short in 1959 when he blew out a knee, which is a shame because he’d intercepted 19 passes in his final two seasons – an even more remarkable feat when you consider that Butler only played 12 game seasons in an era where a team that threw 20 passes a game was considered “pass happy.”

All told Butler played in four Pro Bowls, three All NFL teams and the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950’s. As of May 2012, Butler stands tied for 15th on the NFL’s All Time career interception list, picking off legendary quarterbacks such as Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin.

Butler even saw spot duty at wide receiver, catching 7 passes and took four of them into the end zone for four touchdowns.

From Being the Talent on the Field to Finding the Talent to Field

After retiring from the game, Jack Butler first dabbled as an assistant coach and then join the BLESTO scouting combine, serving as its director from 1966 to 2006.

BLESTO stands for Bears Lions Eagles Steelers Talent Organization, and was formed when player data on NFL prospects was far from ubiquitous as it is today.

In his capacity as BLESTO scout, Butler hired and/or trained hundreds of NFL scouts, including former Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe and current Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert.

From his perch at BLESTO Butler also had a hand, at least indirectly, on the scouting reports that Chuck Noll used to select Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Rod Woodson, and Dermontti Dawson – all of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jack Butler, Man of Class, Man of No Regrets

Injuries didn’t simply end Jack Butler’s NFL career, they impacted the rest of his life. He under went multiple surgeries, walked with a limp for over 50 years, and had both knees replaced – and it was the latter knee replacement which lead to the staph infection which cost him his life.

• Butler, however, had no regrets.

As Ed Bouchette recounted in the his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, When asked by Art Rooney Jr. if given the constant pain he struggled with, Butler would do it again, the former Pro Bowl cornerback did not flinch, telling Rooney, “’He said, “Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.”'"

Butler was also a class act, drawing praise from Dan Rooney who said “He was an excellent person both on and off the field, and he played an integral role in the BLESTO scouting program and our entire draft process before his retirement.”

Art Rooney II followed suit, explaining that “Jack Butler was one of the all-time great Steelers. He devoted his entire life to the NFL and made contributions to many teams and many players through his work with BLESTO and player personnel matters.”

Kevin Colbert’s comments were perhaps the most effusive:

Jack was a great person and great friend who always placed his faith and family first. Beyond his great play on the field, he was a legendary personnel man who helped so many of us get established in our scouting careers. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

It is fair to say that a majority of Steelers fans who’ve rooted for their beloved Black and Gold without knowing who Jack Butler was, but they certainly are well acquainted with his legacy.

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All in the Family - Another Colbert, Butler Join Steelers Scouting Department

Joe Greene’s retirement from the Steelers scouting department has left ripples in its wake. Either that, or the shuffling in the Steelers scouting department was caused by the Ron Hughes semi-retirement, but most of Steelers Nation has never heard of Hughes, and working Joe Greene into the intro is a hell of a lot more sexier....

Indeed, Ron Hughes, who has headed the Steelers college scouting efforts, will step down as College Scouting Coordinator and move into semi-retirement as Senior Assistant for College Scouting.

The Steelers have promoted Phil Kreidler to the role of College Scouting Coordinator. Kreidler has worked in the Steelers scouting department since he joined as an intern during Chuck Noll’s final season in 1991.

Keeping it in the Family

Dan Rooney often said that he regarded Joe Greene as family, and with Greene gone the Steelers are keeping it in the family. Literally. Rooney's son, Dan Rooney Jr., is already a member of the Steelers scouting department, and now Dan Colbert, son of Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert, was promoted from intern to pro/college scout.

Mike Butler, son of former Steelers cornerback Jack Butler will join as the Steelers BLESTO scout, an organization which Butler headed for decades, giving him a hand in the evaluations ever Steelers Hall of Famer from Terry Bradshaw to Dermontii Dawson, whom Bulter would share the stage with in their induction into Canton.

Dave Petett, who has severed as a “scout” for nine years, will now be a pro/college scout, while Mark Bruener will shift from BLESTO scout to college scout.

That’s probably more than you’d ever care to know about the org chart of the Steelers scouting department, but these individuals are faceless, nameless gnomes that tirelessly mine the college ranks, the pro football equalivialent of tilling the earth that has yielded a record Six Lombardi Trophies.

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Joe Greene Retires as Steelers Scout with One for Each Thumb

Six Super Bowl rings will apparently have to be enough for Pittsburgh Steelers Legend “Mean” Joe Greene who yesterday announced he was retiring from his front office position with the Steelers scouting department.

It was no less than Greene himself who coined the phrase “One for the Thumb,” and when he did so a fifth Super Bowl seemed very much in reach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Greene continued playing into his mid-30’s, at the time this was a very mature age for the NFL, in pursuit of the additional hardware but was forced to retire with a bare thumb in after 1981.

Greene of course got a second shot at getting “One for the Thumb” in 1987 when Chuck Noll asked him to rejoin the Steelers as defensive line coach. Greene perhaps whiffed the possibility when he helped Noll make his story book run the playoffs with the 1989 Steelers, but alas they came up short.

Following Noll’s retirement, Greene was given serious consideration for the head coaching job, but Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe ultimately decided to go in a new Direction with Bill Cowher.

No longer employed by Pittsburgh, Greene’s shot at the elusive “One for the Thumb” seemed to end, as went on to coach Don Shula’s last defensive lines in Miami, and then worked for the Arizona Cardinals until a coaching change cost him his job in 2003.

Joe Greene Comes Home, Makes Good on “One for the Thumb”

Greene however did not stay on the unemployment line for long. Dan Rooney offered him a job in the Steelers scouting department, where Greene began work in 2004 as Kevin Colbert’s “Special Assistant/Pro and College Personnel” where he focused on scouting college talent in the Southwest as well as pro talent, according to the Steelers media guide.

When he returned to Pittsburgh, the Steelers were coming off a 6-10 season, and Pittsburgh Shock Jock Mark Madden lambasted the move as “Window Dressing” designed to disguise a off season of horrendous free agent moves such as the decision to sign Duce Staley (and eventually draft Ben Roethlisberger).

• The next season the Steelers went 15-1 and a year later they won Super Bowl XL

...Ah, perhaps Mr. Madden would like that one back.

By 2005 the term "One for the Thumb" had fallen out of favor with Steelers management if not the fans, but Joe Greene nonetheless finally got his fifth ring for Super Bowl XL and later earned a sixth for Super Bowl XLIII.

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Pittsburgh Steelers All Time Free Agent Defense

Defense defined the Steelers two Super Bowl eras as well as its perennial contender status in the 1990’s. Steelers Nation takes pride in its defense and even prouder of the fact that stalwarts like Greg Lloyd, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, James Harrison, and Troy Polamalu were home grown.

Since 1969 the Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted exceptionally well on defense.

But the franchise has eagerly welcomed free agents whenever it saw a chance to galvanize units that have set the NFL standard for excellence in defensive football.

With that said, filling out the Steelers All Time Free Agent Offensive team was easier than choosing its defensive counterpart. Nonetheless, the Steelers can field an All Time Defensive squad and here is that selection and, in fact, one can argue that the Steelers three biggest impact free agent signings have come on defense.

To be eligible to make this list, the player must have been an unrestricted free agent prior to joining the Steelers – unrestricted rookie free agents are not eligible, having been duly recognized in a previous edition of the Colbert Record. (Click here for part I, the Pittsburgh Steelers All Time Free Agent Offense)

The Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Free Agent Defense:
(Click on the highlighted titles to go directly to position area)

Defensive End – Ray Seals
Nose Tackle - Kimo von Oelhoffen
Defensive End – Travis Kirschke
Outside Linebacker - Kevin Greene
Inside Linebacker - James Farrior
Inside Linebacker - Keyaron Fox
Outside Linebacker - Chad Brown
Cornerback - Dewayne Washington
Cornerback - Randy Fuller
Strong Safety - Brent Alexander
Free Safety - Ryan Clark

Steelers All Time Free Agents: Defensive Ends

Ray Seals
The original Steel Curtain was home grown. As were the biggest stars on the 1990’s Steelers squads. Likewise so was the trio that led the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl’s XLIII.

But free agents have played a role in the defensive lines that manned all four of the Steelers Super Bowl runs of the Post-Noll era.In fact, one of those injected “60 Minute Men” into the lingua franca of Steelers Nation. That man would be Ray Seals.

When the free agent signing period started in 1994, Steelers Nation clamored for the Dallas Cowboy stars Alvin Harper and Darryl Johnson.

They instead signed Ray Seals from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who made an immediate impact, registering 7 sacks in his first year – only two less than the combined 1993 total of his predecessors Donald Evans and Kenny Davidson.

Seals sacked the quarterback 8 times for an encore in 1995 and kept his head in the game throughout the season that saw him lose his cousin Sam Gamgee who was suspiciously killed during a routine police stop in Brentwood.

Sadly, Seals tore his rotator cuff during the 1996 preseason, and never played another down in Pittsburgh.

Travis Kirschke
The only other free agent defensive end of note for the Steelers was Travis Kirschke, whom Kevin Colbert brought in from Detroit (after a stint in San Fran) in 2004.

Krischke played for the Steelers until 2009. During that time he made appeared in 92 games, made 18 starts, registering 9 sacks and recovering 2 fumbles. All in all, Travis Kirschke proved to be a capable back up.

Honorable Mention:  Nick Eason, Nolan Harrison

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Nose Tackle

Kimo von Oelhoffen
Kimo von Oelhoffen earned his claim to fame making a run as the Steelers starting Steelers defensive end that began in 2001 and ended in Super Bowl XL.

However, his first season in Pittsburgh was spent as a nose tackle. During that season von Oelhoffen didn’t put up a lot of gaudy statistics, but he did cog up the center of a defense that finished 7th in the NFL and did not allow a touchdown during a five game stretch at mid-season.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Outside Linebackers

Kevin Greene
The 1993 off season brought free agency to the NFL for the first time, and many fans and most of the media thought that the Steelers would sit idly. And while the Steelers did decline to enter into bidding wars Tom Donahoe and Dan Rooney quietly went out and made a big splash in the form of Kevin Greene.

• They didn’t start calling it Blitzburgh until Greene arrived and with good reason.

From 1993 to 1995 the Steelers absolutely terrorized NFL quarterbacks, with Greene registering 35.5 sacks alone in just a three year period.

After Super Bowl XXX, the Steelers let Greene go in favor of Jason Gildon, which was a mistake, as Greene played for four more years and added another 41.5 sacks to his career total. Still, for a long time Greene held the title as the Steelers biggest impact free agent signing.

Chad Brown
Playing opposite him is Chad Brown. Brown of course was drafted by the Steelers in 1993 and departed via free agency after the 1996 season.

Tom Donahoe, who while doing a lot of good things as Steelers Director of Football Operations, took a very parochial view to departed free agents, much they way a high school coach might approach players who quit mid season only to want back later.

Once you left as a free agent, Tom Donahoe made it clear you would never be welcomed back.

Fortunately, and wisely, Kevin Colbert has a different attitude, and ten years later the Steelers would turn to him again in 2006 when injuries depleted the linebacking crops. Brown didn’t get a start, but did register a sack and he earns his spot on Steelers all time free agent defense as a celebration of Colbert's "you can come home again" philosophy as much as anything else.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Inside Linebacker

James Farrior
Headlining the Steelers all time free agent inside linebacker list is James Farrior. Farrior was drafted as an outside linebacker by Bill Parcells and the New York Jets in 1997 and played well, but not spectacularly.

But Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher saw see that Farrior could do more, and they signed him in 2002 as the Steelers inside linebacker. For the next ten years Farrior played fearlessly, only missing six games to injury and functioning as the “quarterback” of the defense.

He may not have gotten the attention and praise heaped upon players like James Harrison, Joey Porter, and Troy Polmalu but James Farrior was a veritable one-man wrecking crew in the middle of the defense:

• registering 30 sacks
• intercepting 8 balls
• scoring one touchdown
• defending 61 passes
• forcing 12 fumbles and recovering 10

Beyond these on the field achievements, Farrior was a locker room leader, and by all accounts his presence was missed in 2012.

Keyaron Fox
Farrior’s compatriot at inside linebacker pales in comparison, and is arguably the weakest member of the unit. The Steelers signed Keyaron Fox in 2008 to play on special teams and provide depth at linebacker.

While most fans remember him for his egregious  penalty at the end of Super Bowl XLV, Fox played fairly well during his first two years in Pittsburgh. Fox even started 4 games in 2009, pushed Lawrence Timmons for playing time an had an incredible, tell your grandkids about it, 84 yard pick six vs. the Brett Favre led Minnesota Vikings.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Cornerbacks

Dewayne Washington
After the 1996 season Tom Donahoe concluded that Rod Woodson’s Hall of Fame caliber games were behind him and figured he could upgrade the position by letting Woodson go and replacing him with Donnell Woolford and by drafting Chad Scott.

Donahoe was of course wrong about Rod Woodson, but sorely mistaken about Woolford. As a result the Steelers had no choice but to go back out into the free agent market and sign Dewayne Washington.

Washington, like Ike Taylor, was known more for the interceptions that he dropped as opposed to the ones he caught save for a late season victory over Jacksonville in 1998 where he ended and closed the scoring with pick sixes. (Incidentally, that was the last great win of the Cowher-Donahoe era.)

Washington played with the Steelers for six years, providing serviceable coverage at cornerback.

Randy Fuller
The Steelers brought Randy Fuller as a fourth or even 5th cornerback in 1995 after Fuller had been cut by the Denver Broncos. That move gave Fuller the good fortune to be in exactly the right place at the pivotal moment of the Steelers Cowher-Donahoe era:

Fuller had one task he had to accomplish and he had a nanosecond to to it in. Even then it was touch and go.

• But Randy Fuller achieved the one task he had to achieve for Pittsburgh.

The Steelers went to Super Bowl XXX as a result. That alone earns him a spot on this list. Watch the video to relive the moment (Available as of 3/3/13 – its 10 minutes. Watch the whole thing. Come on... You know you want to….)





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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Strong Safety

Brent Alexander
By 1998 Carnell Lake was on the downside of his career, and the Steelers let him go, replacing him with Travis Davis. Davis turned out to be a worse replacement for Lake than Woolford had been for Woodson.

One of Kevin Colbert’s first orders of business upon arriving in 2000 was to fix that, and he did so by signing Brett Alexander.

Pittsburgh was good for Brent Alexander, and Brent Alexander was good for Pittsburgh making 64 straight starts at free safety during which he intercepted 15 passes, sacked the quarterback 5.5 times, and forced three fumbles.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Free Safety

Ryan Clark
Chris Hope’s departure for Tennessee following Super Bowl XL left a void in the Steelers secondary. To fill it, the Steelers signed Ryan Clark.

At time the conventional wisdom held that Steelers were getting a veteran with serviceable skills who would fill the position while a younger player, such as Anthony Smith, developed into a starter.

The conventional wisdom could not have been more wrong. Ryan Clark has started for seven straight years in Pittsburgh and developed into one of the NFL’s most underrated players.

Ryan Clark’s 10 interceptions, 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries in seven years as a starter are respectable, but they don’t convey his full value to the team. Ryan Clark is a vocal leader both on and off the field. His aggressive, hard hitting style sets the tone for the entire defense. He’s always around the ball and steps up when the game is on the line.

Perhaps value is best measured by his the play of the defense in his absence. Clark suffers from the sickle cell trait which prevents him from playing in Denver. In fact, when Clark fell injured in Denver 2007, the Steelers were unable to hold a lead in his absence.

The same story repeated itself at other moments in the 2007 season in the playoffs vs. Jacksonville. The Ryan Clarkless defense have also seen leads slip away in Denver to the likes of Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning. This is no coincidence.

Honorable Mention:  Mike Logan

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The Pittsburgh Steelers All Time Free Agent Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been big players in free agency.  It’s just not their style. Part of “The Steelers Way” is to build from within, via the draft.

Free agency was supposed to doom the Steelers. Younger fans might find this difficult to believe, but for a long time any free word association game that involved the the word "Dan Rooney” would likely elicit a response of "cheap."

And if Steelers Nation did suffer through the agony of watching Pittsburgh draft and develop promising stars such as Chad Brown or Willie Williams only to lose them to free agency, Dan Rooney also pioneered the concept of locking up key stars before their contracts became due.

And, contrary to popular perception, they’ve deftly dipped into the free agent market to fill much-needed holes or reinforce key roster areas. Here is a look at the Steelers All Time offensive free agent team.

To be eligible to make this list, the player must have been a "Plan B free agent" or a post Freeman McNeil unrestricted free agent prior to joining the Steelers – unrestricted rookie free agents are not eligible, having been duly recognized in a previous edition of the Colbert Record.

The Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Free Agent Offense:
(Click on the highlighted titles to go directly to position area)

Quarterbacks – Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch
Running Backs – Duce Staley, Erric Pegram
Fullbacks – John L. Williams
Offensive Tackle – Flozell Adams, Oliver Ross
Guard – Duval Love
Center – Jeff Hartings
Guard – Rick Tylski
Offensive Tackle – Will Wolford
Wide Receivers – Yancey Thigpen, Courtney Hawkins, Jerricho Cotchery
Tight End – Mike Mularkey


Steelers All Time Free Agents: Quarterbacks

Tommy Maddox
Tommy Maddox failed to realize the greatness he flashed in 2002. But Maddox saved that season, and gave Pittsburgh one of its most electrifying playoff wins in history.

Clearly, one of Kevin Colbert’s most astute free agent pick ups.

Charlie Batch
Detroit surprised the NFL in July 2002 by cutting Charlie Batch, but Kevin Colbert wasn’t caught napping, snapping him up instantly. Since then Batch has helped stabilize the Steelers depth chart at quarterback for a decade.

Honorable Mention:  Mike Tomczack

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Running Backs

Erric Pegram
The name “Erric Pegram” likely elicits a response of “who?” It shouldn’t.

When Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe cast off the formidable but flaky Barry Foster they brought Pegram in from Atlanta as an insurance policy.

When Bam Morris became more interested in illegal activities than winning football games, Cowher and Donahoe’s investment handsome dividends to the tune of 831 yards in just 11 starts as Pegram saved the season.

Duce Staley
When Amos Zereoue decided he couldn’t share the backfield with Jerome Bettis, the Steelers brought in Duce Staley. Staley started the season like gang busters until injuries got the better of him.

Injuries aside, Staley teamed with Bettis to give the Steelers Nation a glorious afternoon of smash-mouth football vs. the Jets in the 2004 Divisional Playoffs.

Perhaps his biggest contribution came in 2005, when he came off the bench, along with Charlie Batch, to lead the Steelers to victory over the Packers – a victory that became crucial to the Steelers ability clinch a playoff spot and proceed to Super Bowl XL.

Honorable Mention:  Mewelde Moore

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Fullback

Bill Cowher’s arrival signaled a sea-change in the Steelers rushing philosophy. Prior to 1992, both the fullback and the halfback carried the ball. Bill Cowher and Ron Erhardt changed that, much to Merril Hoge’s frustration.

John L. Williams
But the ball carrying fullback saw an Indian summer during 1994 and 1995 as John L. Williams took over the position. Williams ran the ball 69 times in 1994 – an astronomical number for a fullback in the post-Noll era.  Injuries dropped Williams numbers in 1995, but they didn’t prevent John L. Williams making several critical plays.

The 1995 Steelers mid-season rally began the Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to Three Rivers Stadium and ended in Super Bowl XXX. The Jacksonville game was also the day that John L. Williams rejoined the line up. Those two events are no coincidence.

Williams also make some critical catches in the AFC Championship game that the Steelers won by the skin of their teeth. Again, no coincidence.

Honorable Mention:  Tim Lester

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Offensive Tackles

Oliver Ross
Oliver Ross will never be considered a “world beater” and in fact struggled when injuries forced him into the starting line up in 2003. But Ross rebounded to start 16 games on the 2004 squad that won 16 straight games.
Flozell Adams
When Willie Colon was injured in the 2010 off season, Flozell Adams was the best free agent on the market. The Steelers approached him. At first he said "no." But Flozell wanted a shot at a Lombardi, and Mike Tomlin convinced him the Steelers could get him that. The Steelers signed Flozell Adams. They didn't get him the championship, but together they got close.

Will Wolford
Will Wolford was in fact brought in to play guard following the departure of Leon Searcy and the retirement of Tom Newberry after Super Bowl XXX. Wilford played his best football at guard and was supposed to stay there when the Steelers let another offensive tackle, John Jackson, go via free agency the thought was that Jamain Stephens, Paul Wiggins, or Chris Conrad could take his place.

But by the middle of the 1998 preseason it was clear none of these men were up to the task, and Will Wolford stepped in at left tackle, providing the Steelers with some stability at this much-needed position.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Guards and Centers

Duval Love
Duval Love is the first of two the Steelers “Plan B Free Agents” to make this list. Signed following the 1991 season as a stop gap measure in light of Terry Long’s substance abuse problems, Love bolstered an offensive line on an upswing and blossomed into a Pro Bowler in 1994. A great, below the radar screen pick by Tom Donahoe.

Rich Tylski
The departure of John Jackson, the injury to Justin Strzelczky and the total bust that was Jamain Stephens threw the Steelers offensive line into havoc in 1998 and 1999.

One of the moves that Kevin Colbert made to add some stability to the line was to sign guard Rich Tylski. Tylski only played for two years and only started for one full year, but the Steelers offensive line was markedly improved in 2000-2001 and Tylski helped make that happen.

Honorable Mentions:  Tom Newberry and Todd Kalis

Jeff Hartings
It is not easy to follow in the footsteps of Ray Mansfield, Mike Webster, and Dermonti Dawson, but Jeff Hartings came from Detroit, switched from guard to center, and not only lived up to the Steelers legacy there, but added to it winning Pro Bowl honors in 2004 and 2005.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Wide Receiver

Yancey Thigpen
Most people think Yancey Thigpen is a home grown Steeler, but Thigpen was actually drafted by and played for the San Diego Chargers in 1991. In 1992 Thigpen got cut in training camp, cleared waivers and was on the street when Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher brought him in during the middle of the 1992 season.

Thigpen played on special teams in 1992 and it was only in 1993 that he got to play sparingly at wide reciever only catching 9 balls. Funny thing was, 3 of them were for touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt and receivers coach Chain Gailey didn’t find that to be a coincidence Thigpen ascended into rotation on the starting lineup in 1994 and became a full time starter before year’s end.

Thigpen had standout seasons in 1995 and 1997 although injuries marred his 1996 effort, as they did the rest of his career in Tennessee.

Courtney Hawkins
Courtney Hawkins. This is one player who drew his share of ire form the fans because he wasn’t a particularly good starting wide receiver. The rub is that he was never supposed to be a starter. Brought in 1997 from Tampa Bay to replace Andre Hastings, Hawkins performed admirably that year as third down receiver – the role he was brought into play.

In 1998, with Thigpen gone, Charles Johnson under achieving, and Will Blackwell failing to live up to his potential, Hawkins became the number one receiver. Hawkins contributed as a part-time starting in 1999 and took over when injuries ended Plaxico Burress rookie season in 2000.

Jerricho Cotchery
This selection is one of the Steelers most recent free agent selections, arriving during 2011 training camp. He hasn’t compiled a ton of eye catching statistics. He hasn’t started many games. But Jerricho Cotchery has responded when called upon, making tough catches and otherwise coming up with the ball when the team needs him.

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Steelers All Time Free Agents: Tight End

Steelers fans under 30 no doubt only remember Mike Mularkey from his “Inspector Gadget” tour as offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2003. However Mularkey was the Steelers first “Plan B Free Agent” signing in 1989, when Tom Donahoe brought him in from Minnesota. Mularkey only caught 22 passes in the Steelers storybook 1989 season, but that was 20 more than his predecessor had caught.

Mularkey played a strong number two tight end to rookie Eric Green in 1990, but his knees began to get the better of him, and he was out after 1991. Still, Mularkey was a great pick up on Donahoe’s part.

Honorable Mention:  Jonathan Hayes

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Plaxico Burress Return Takes Kevin Colbert Full Circle

Admittedly you can’t see a lot in that video.

And perhaps that’s fitting as its significance has largely been overlooked by Steelers Nation.

In case you’re unable to tell, what you can see is a clip of Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown to Plaxico Burress capping the Steelers season-ending victory over the Cleveland Browns.

• But the pass holds deeper significance because it brought Kevin Colbert’s career with the Steelers full circle.

Dan Rooney named Kevin Colbert as Director of Football operations in January 2000, following a total breakdown in the relationship between Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher.

At the time many questioned the move, pointing to the fact that Colbert came from perennial loser Detroit.

More than a few scribes were suspicious that Colbert had graduated from North Catholic, a Society of Mary established high school in Pittsburgh that both Rooney and Donahoe himself had graduated from. (Full disclosure, I once volunteered for the MVSC, a great volunteer program run by the SM that fell victim to some petty internal Society of Mary politics.)

• No one questions Colbert’s credentials today. Nor should they. 

His resume comprises 13 rosters that have produced victories in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII, an AFC Championship in 2010, 6 division titles, 8 playoff appearances and only one losing effort.

Plex Brings Kevin Colbert Full Circle

Plaxico Burress was Kevin Colbert’s first draft pick with the Steelers, initiating a Colbert’s unparalleled streak of success in the first round of the NFL Draft (OK, after finishing 2010 with a bang Ziggy Hood has been, “inconsistent” to put things charitably.)

• But the drafting of Burress in wasn’t Colbert’s only feat in 2000. 

Dan Kreider joined the team in 2000, starting a line of Colbert unrestricted rookie free agent steals that today includes Willie Parker, James Harrison, and Steve McLendon, to name a few (click here for a full look).

2000 was the year that Marvel Smith became the first rookie to start for the Steelers on the offensive line for the opening day since Tom Ricketts did so for the 1989 Steelers. Smith’s play was solid at right tackle but in rapid succession he fell to injury and then so did his back up Shar Pourdanesh. (Sound familiar…? And they didn’t even have Marcus Gilbert to blame.)

• No worries. In to the breach stepped Larry Tharpe.  

“Who?” you might ask? Excellent question question. "Larry Tharpe" has long been forgotten and wasn't even close to a household word in Steelers Nation in 2000.

Larry Tharpe had played as a part time starter the Detroit Lions in 1992 and 1993, wasn’t on an active roster in 1994 or 1996 but did play for Arizona in 1995, and then returned to Detroit for 1997 and 1998 season after which Detroit did not invite him back.

• Tharpe watched the 1999 NFL season from a couch somewhere, presumable out of football.

But Kevin Colbert thought enough of Tharpe to bring him to Pittsburgh, and during the middle of the Steelers 2000 season Tharpe started four games.

No one was considering Tharpe for Pro Bowl honors, but the blunt truth is that he out played both Chris Conrad and Anthony Brown, who’d rotated the starting right tackle's job throughout 1999 in an effort to to see who was more ineffective.

With the selection of Burress in the draft, insight in bringing in players that no one else wanted such as Kreider and Tharpe, Kevin Colbert showed himself as an NFL personnel man who was both smart enough and able enough to add quality contributors wherever he found them.

Plaxico Burress had a decent season for the New York Jets in 2011, but he was out of football for the first three months of the 2012 NFL season. No one wanted him.

When injures robbed the Steelers of Antonio Brown and Jerricho Cotchery’s services, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert did not hesitate to bring back Burress.

Now Burress only played in three games for Pittsburgh and only caught 3 passes.

• But one of those was for a touchdown. 

A touchdown that sealed victory for the Steelers, a victory the Steelers needed to avoid a losing season.

Not bad for an NFL street free agent. Kevin Colbert couldn’t have scripted it any better.

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Steelers Nation: "Generation Immaculate Reception" Celebrates 40 Years

Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris connected through the Immaculate Reception on December, 23rd 1972, combining to make the most spectacular play in football history.

The play happened precisely a week before my 4 month birthday, making me a member of Steelers Nation’s post Immaculate Reception generation.

Comprehending what that means requires knowing what came before, experiencing what followed, and appreciating the almost super natural aspect of what occurred on that day. Scroll down or click on the links below to reach each thread of this incredible story.

The Post Immaculate Reception Steelers
The Pre-Immaculate Reception Pittsburgh Steelers
The Immaculate Reception – A Franchises’s Fortunes Change

The Post Immaculate Reception Steelers

While the Steelers lost in the following week to Don Shula’s perfect 1972 Dolphins team, the Immaculate Reception ushered in an unheralded era of pro football prosperity. Since that fateful the Pittsburgh Steelers have:

• Won 6 Super Bowls, more than any other team
• Played in 8 Super Bowls, tying the mark for championship appearances
• Achieved a winning record in 32 of those 40 years, again, more than anyone else
• Posted an overall winning percentage that is better than any other NFL team
• Sent 64 players on the NFL's All Pro Teams, more than any other franchise
• Never once did they win fewer than 5 games something that no one else in the NFL can say 

These stats come courtesy of Tim Gleason, author of From Black to Gold, whose article on the Immaculate Reception on Behind the Steel Curtain is simply one of the best articles on the Pittsburgh Steelers I have ever read (full disclosure - I also writer for BTSC.)

Pittsburgh measures success in Super Bowls. Few other NFL cities can make that claim. Its often said that Steelers fans are spoiled, and to a large extent that’s true.

No other NFL franchise can match the Steelers record of success, stability and sustained since that day in December 1972.

The Pre-Immaculate Reception Steelers

The Immaculate Reception was also the Steelers first playoff victory.

• That’s hard for many fans to fathom, just as it was hard for me to grasp as a child.

The morning after the Penguins most recent Stanley Cup victory, I declared that Pittsburgh was once again the City of Champions.

In doing so, I shared memories of seeing framed copies of the Sports Illustrated cover featuring Terry Bradshaw and Willie Stargell adorning walls that overlooked barbershop counters where Iron City Steelers Championship cans were proudly displayed.

An unremarkable memory, until you consider the fact that Dino’s barbershop lay in Aspen Hill, Maryland, which is about 10 miles from the DC border.

But to a 7 year old all of this was "normal." Neither of my parents followed sports closely, but as a child I naturally asked them if they’d similarly been Steelers fans growing up.

“You don’t understand, the Steelers and Pirates were terrible when we were growing up,” was the response.

The Pirates did have their moments in the sun, but the Pittsburgh Steelers were a paragon to futility for 40 years. Aside from failing to win a playoff game, the pre-Immaculate Reception Steelers could “boast” of:

• A single playoff appearance (a 1962 loss to Detroit)
• A mere 8 winning seasons and 5 more seasons at .500
• Not even allowing Johnny Unitas, perhaps the best quarterback ever to play, to throw a pass in practice before giving him his walking papers
• Cutting Len Dawson, future Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Famer
• Trading Bill Neilson away for nothing to the arch-rival Cleveland Browns where he’d appear in two NFL Championships
• Passing on future Hall of Famers Bill Schmidt and Lenny Moore opting to pick dud Gerry Glick in the later case
• Stubbornly sticking to the obsolete Single Wing formatting deep into the 50’s

The pre-Immaculate Reception Pittsburgh Steelers also suffered their share of bad luck.

Legendary Pitt coach Jock Sutherland coached the Steelers two winning seasons following World War II, but unfortunately died after the 1947 season on a scouting trip. Joe Bach was also making progress towards building a winner, until health problems forced him form the game.

Then there was Gene Lipscomb aka “Big Daddy” tragic death to heroin in 1963. Former Colorado stand out Byron White led the NFL in scoring, rushing, and total offense in 1938, but decided to study for a year at Oxford and played for Detroit in 1940. (White later went on to the US Supreme Court.)

The Steelers just couldn't seem to get a break.

The Immaculate Reception -- A Franchise's Fortunes Change

The root of many if not all of the Steelers ills for those 40 years was the simple fact that Art Rooney Sr., for as decent and honorable of a man he was, was as bad at picking coaches as he was good at handicapping horses.

Dan Rooney began to take over control of the Steelers in the 1960’s while Art Rooney Jr. began building the scouting department. Rooney in fact influenced his father’s decision to fire the mercurial Buddy Parker, yet could not persuade The Chief to ignore Vince Lombardi’s advice to hire Bill Austin.

Austin failed after just two seasons, and Art Rooney Sr. finally relented in allowing Dan to conduct a thorough coaching search. Then, things began to change for the Pittsburgh Steelers:

• Rooney hired Chuck Noll, the first and as yet only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls
• The city of Pittsburgh agreed to build Three Rivers Stadium, giving the Steelers a modern home
• Noll selected future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Greene with his first pick in 1969 NFL Draft
• Terry Bradshaw, a future Hall of Famer, came to Steelers in the next year as the number one overall pick in the 1970s NFL Draft
• Jack Ham, another future NFL Hall of Famer followed in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft

Chuck Noll entered the 1972 NFL Draft actually wanting to draft Robert Newhouse. But Art Rooney Jr. and Dan Radakvoich and prevailed on him to ignore Newhouse and instead take Penn State fullback Franco Harris.

• Finally, reason intervened in the draft room and tipped the scales in the Steelers favor to another Hall of Famer.

Still, when Harris first joined the Steelers, team capital Andy Russell feared he wouldn’t make it, as Harris seemed to shy from hitting holes.

Yet, in his first exhibition game start off tackle to the left, found nothing, planted his foot, and cut back to the right, exploding for a 75 yard touchdown. After the play Noll offered his running backs coach, Dick Hoak a simple instruction:

• “Dick, don’t over coach him.”

At 6’2” 220 lbs., Franco Harris was a big back for his day. Yet he was fast. He was also cerebral.

According to The Ones Who Hit the Hardest Harris once confided to NFL Films that “The art of running is being able to change and do things because what you thought would be there is not there.”

• That ability served Franco Harris, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Steelers Nation extremely well on December 23rd 1972.

The Raiders and Steelers staged the first of many hard-fought battles those two teams would fight throughout the 1970’s. The score stood at 0-0 at the half, and the fourth quarter found the Steelers clinging to a 3 point lead.

John Madden benched starter Daryl Lamonica for of “The Snake” Ken Stabler. With just over a minute to play, Stabler exploited the weakness of a the Steeler Curtain without Dwight White, and ran 30 yards for a touchdown.

• Art Rooney Sr. had waited 40 years to taste playoff victory, and the Chief concluded he’d have to wait one more, heading to the locker room to console his team.

The Steelers got the ball back, but only advanced to their 40 by the time 22 seconds remained. The call was “66 Circle Option Play” to Barry Pearson.

Terry Bradshaw faded back. The Raiders laid in the blitz. Bradshaw evaded. Bradshaw stepped up. Bradshaw fired a missile downfield to Frenchy Fuqua. The ball soared downfield carrying with the momentum of 40 years of losing.

As the ball reached about the 30 it slammed into a wall created by a hellacious collision between Jack Tatum and Frency Fuqua ricocheting it backwards.

And in that instant, the fortunes of the Pittsburgh Steelers changed (available as of 12/31/12):


Certainly no one diagrammed “66 Circle Option Play” to end that way.

Was it luck or did a divine hand intervene to push the ball in Franco’s? I’ll lean towards the later, but you decide that question for yourself.

But there was nothing super natural about Franco being in the right place at the right time.

Franco Harris role in “66 Circle Option Play” was to block the outside linebacker. He wasn’t even supposed to be downfield. But when the linebacker didn’t appear, Franco took off feeling he might contribute elsewhere.

• As Chuck Noll explained, “Franco hustled on every play.” 

Fortune’s hand, in one form or fashion, opened the door between winning and losing for Pittsburgh, but it was Franco’s dedication and determination that drove the Steelers through it.

• And for 40 years the franchise has continued moving forward. 

Since then more Steelers seasons have ended at the Super Bowl than have ended as losing efforts.

Since that fateful day, “Steelers” has been synonymous with success, winning, and championships for an entire generation within Steelers Nation.

You can simply call us Generation Immaculate Reception.

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