2006 Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a fine regular season in 2005, as shown by their 11 and 5 record, not to mention the number of tickets they sold at Heinz Field, averaging well over 63,000 tickets per game. Ending the season with four wins in a row, they caught up with AFC North rival Cincinnati in all but division wins and losses, then knocked Cinci out of the Playoffs on Wildcard Weekend.

The rest, as they say, was history. The Steelers rolled on past the nearly undefeated Indiana Colts, then the Denver Broncos, and finally, in Detroit at Super Bowl XL, the Seattle Seahawks (21-10). Though these players are a generation beyond the four-time champion Steel Curtain of the 1970s, this Super Bowl ring was proudly proclaimed to be “one for the thumb.”

Coach Bill Cowher knows Pittsburgh didn’t overpower the NFL to get to the championship, but they “played the best at the right time.” Still, young (24) QB Ben Roethlisberger has proven he’s no one-year wonder. Running back Willie Parker is out to prove the same. The Steelers maintain a big, solid offensive line, anchored by Alan Faneca and Jeff Hartings, plus James Farrior, Larry Foote, and Joey Porter among the linebackers. Get your tickets to see the guys everyone wants to dethrone in 2006.

Some Pittsburgh Steelers history: The Pittsburgh Pirates football team was founded in 1933 by Art Rooney. He named the team after Pittsburgh’s National League baseball team, and the two franchises shared Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. In 1938 Rooney signed star running back Byron White. Nicknamed "Whizzer" because of his speed, White led the league in rushing that year, but the Pirates won just two of nine games.

After seven losing seasons, Rooney renamed his team the Steelers in 1940. The club registered only three winning records from 1942 to 1949. From 1950 to 1957 Pittsburgh failed to produce a winning record. The team briefly recovered between 1958 and 1963, culminating with a 9-5 win-loss record in 1962.

The Steelers moved to their new home in Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, the same year Pittsburgh chose quarterback Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech as the number one pick in the NFL draft. In 1972, just three years after a one-win season, head coach Chuck Noll led the Steelers to the team’s first division title ever. The crown marked the beginning of a dynasty that won seven Central Division championships (including six consecutively) and four Super Bowls from 1972 to 1980.

Pittsburgh rolled through the playoffs in both 1974 and 1975 and won the Super Bowls that followed both seasons, holding the Minnesota Vikings (16-6) and Dallas Cowboys (21-17) to a combined 23 points in the two games. Three years later the Steelers again reached the Super Bowl. They defeated the Cowboys 35-31 in what is considered one of the most thrilling championships in NFL history. Bradshaw threw four touchdown passes, and the Steelers led the game 35-17 with just under seven minutes left to play. Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach led his team to two more touchdowns before Pittsburgh recovered a Dallas onside kick and won the game. Pittsburgh earned its fourth title in 1980, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19.

Former NFL linebacker Bill Cowher was hired as head coach in 1992 and built solid teams in the early 1990s with running back Barry Foster, linebacker Greg Lloyd, and quarterback Neil O’Donnell. Cowher led Pittsburgh to three straight division crowns from 1994 to 1996. Following the 1995 season the Steelers again played in the Super Bowl, but they lost to the Cowboys 27-17. Running back Jerome Bettis led the team in the 1996 season as Pittsburgh clinched the AFC Central Division and beat the Indianapolis Colts 42-14 in the playoffs before losing to the New England Patriots, 28-3.