1975: Steelers Beat Vikings in Super Bowl IX for First Title

From the time they joined the NFL in 1933 through the 1973 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had not won a championship or even played in a title game. They had been in the postseason on three occasions in 39 years, and two of those were in 1972 and ’73. But in 1974, the Steelers went 10-3-1 to top the AFC Central, triumphed easily in the Divisional playoff round over Buffalo, and then defeated the Raiders in the AFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans on January 12, 1975.

The heart of the Steelers, coached by Chuck Noll, was the strong defense. The “Steel Curtain” line of ends L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White and tackles Joe Greene and Ernie Holmes was outstanding. Outside linebackers Andy Russell and Jack Ham were joined by rookie MLB Jack Lambert, and the backfield led by FS Glen Edwards was talented as well. The ground-oriented offense featured FB Franco Harris (pictured above), who was paired with HB Rocky Bleier. Fifth-year QB Terry Bradshaw was still a work in progress, lost the starting job at the beginning of the season to Joe Gilliam, but regained it halfway through the schedule and showed improvement.

Facing Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl were the Minnesota Vikings, coached by Bud Grant. They had been participants the previous year, losing to the Miami Dolphins, and finished the ’74 season with a 10-4 record to again top the NFC Central. From there, the Vikings had soundly beaten the Cardinals in the Divisional playoff game and then just got past the Rams for the conference title. 34-year-old QB Fran Tarkenton was the key to the offense that also included Pro Bowl WR John Gilliam and multitalented FB Chuck Foreman, who ran for 777 yards and caught 53 passes for 586 more. The veteran defense was sound and featured DE Carl Eller, DT Alan Page, and FS Paul Krause.

There were 80,997 fans in attendance on a chilly and windy day in New Orleans, and they saw a game that featured defense and ball control – especially by the Steelers. The Pittsburgh defense kept the Vikings in poor field position, particularly in the first half. However, the Steelers offense controlled the ball well but couldn’t score points. A possession midway through the first quarter resulted in a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Roy Gerela, and the next time the Steelers had the ball they put together an eight-play drive to the Minnesota 16 that came up empty when, on another field goal attempt, holder Bobby Walden fumbled a bad snap and had to fall on the ball.

The Vikings got a break in the second quarter when Bleier fumbled the ball away at the Pittsburgh 24 yard line. But they went nowhere in three plays and Fred Cox was wide to the right on a 39-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the second quarter, a pitchout to HB Dave Osborn was fumbled and rolled into the end zone. Tarkenton recovered and was pounced upon by the Pittsburgh defense for a safety (pictured below) - the first in Super Bowl history, and the first points of the game.


After a short possession by the Steelers, the Vikings responded with a good drive, but a pass from Tarkenton intended for Gilliam was batted away from the receiver by Edwards and intercepted by CB Mel Blount. The score remained 2-0 in favor of Pittsburgh at the half.

The first touchdown for the Steelers came four plays after FB Bill Brown fumbled the squibbed second half kickoff, which was recovered by LB Marv Kellum at the Minnesota 30. Bleier was stopped for no gain, but then Harris ran for 24 yards. After being thrown for a loss on his next carry, Harris ran nine yards around end for a touchdown.

On the ensuing series, the Vikings picked up nine yards, six on a pass to Foreman, and faced a fourth-and-one situation at their own 37. The offense stayed on the field and Tarkenton went into a long count to try and draw the defense offside. There were indeed flags thrown, but both teams were ruled offside, resulting in offsetting penalties; Bud Grant elected to take no further chances and punted.

On the next series, Tarkenton threw a pass that was batted back to him. Startled, he then tossed to Gilliam for what would have been a 41-yard gain, but drew a penalty for an illegal second forward pass on the play. While Tarkenton later connected with TE Stu Voigt for 28 yards, the drive ended at midfield when another batted pass was intercepted by Greene. The tally remained 9-0 after three periods.

Early in the fourth quarter, after Krause recovered a fumble by Pittsburgh’s Harris near midfield, an interference call on SS Mike Wagner gave the Vikings a first down and goal at the Pittsburgh five. However, on the next play Foreman fumbled and Greene recovered for the Steelers.

The Steelers were unable to get a first down and had to punt from their own end zone. The resulting kick by Walden was blocked by LB Matt Blair and recovered by DB Terry Brown for a Vikings touchdown, although Cox missed the extra point when it struck the left upright. Still, Pittsburgh’s lead was narrowed to 9-6.

With ten minutes to play, the Steelers launched a 12-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a four-yard TD pass from Bradshaw to TE Larry Brown. The key play along the way was a pass to Brown for 30 yards to the Pittsburgh 42 in which it appeared that the receiver fumbled the ball away to the Vikings when hit, but the officials ruled that he was down before losing the ball.

Tarkenton was immediately intercepted by Wagner, and the Steelers were able to run the clock down to 37 seconds before Minnesota’s offense got the ball back, by which time it was too late. The Steelers had won their first championship by a score of 16-6.

Pittsburgh dominated the Vikings statistically, outgaining them by 333 yards to 119. In particular, the Steelers gained 249 yards on the ground to a mere 17, on 21 carries, for Minnesota.

While Pittsburgh’s front four didn’t sack Tarkenton, they harassed him all game, forcing him to throw on the run and blocking four passes as well as intercepting three. Dwight White played despite being down with viral pneumonia during the week preceding the game.

Franco Harris was the game’s MVP, keying Pittsburgh’s strong running game with 158 yards on 34 carries with one TD. Rocky Bleier added another 65 yards on 17 attempts, and even Terry Bradshaw outrushed the Vikings with 33 yards on five runs. Bradshaw (pictured below) didn’t throw often but was effective when he did, completing 9 of 14 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Larry Brown caught three passes for 49 yards and a TD and WR John Stallworth also caught three, gaining 24 yards.


For Minnesota, Fran Tarkenton was successful on only 11 of 26 passes for 102 yards with three picked off. Chuck Foreman caught 5 passes for 50 yards and led the club’s anemic running game with 18 yards on 12 attempts. Only one completion was made to a wide receiver, and that was to John Gilliam for 16 yards.

It was an especially sweet win for the long-time owner of the Steelers, Art Rooney, on the cusp of his 74th birthday. “I'm grateful to the players, to Chuck Noll and all the coaches, and to our entire organization,” said an emotional Rooney afterward. “It is great for me and for Pittsburgh. Our players are a great bunch of fellows. I'm not surprised they won.”

“I'm really proud of this football team,” said Chuck Noll. “We came in with the idea of getting the job done and let nothing stand in our way. It's especially fitting that in a championship game our defense shut out the champions of the National Football Conference. 1 can't think of anything more fitting.”

“It wasn't a very good football game,” summed up Bud Grant from the Minnesota perspective. “There were enough chances for both teams to win a number of times with all the penalties, interceptions and official fumbles.”

“We lost to a better team,” admitted Tarkenton. “We had our chances. Pittsburgh has a super defensive team. They controlled the game. We're not frustrated or dejected. We came to win and we couldn't do it.”

The Steelers went on to repeat as NFL champions in 1975, and won twice more before the decade was over. Minnesota continued to dominate the NFC Central, returning to the Super Bowl following the ’76 season but losing once again.

1983: Bradshaw Spurs Steelers to Playoff-Clinching Win in Last Appearance

The Pittsburgh Steelers had gotten off to a 9-2 start in 1983 and appeared to be cruising toward the playoffs. But after winning seven straight games through Week 11, they lost the next three contests. Not only did their record drop to 9-5, but the Steelers were in danger of missing the postseason altogether. Their lead in the AFC Central was down to a game over the Cleveland Browns, and they needed a win to assure a playoff spot.

To start at quarterback against the New York Jets at Shea Stadium on December 10 was Terry Bradshaw, who had led the Steelers to four championships in the 1970s. It would be the 35-year-old veteran’s first start of the season. He had undergone surgery on his right (throwing) elbow in March, which had been considered successful, but aggravated the injury in May and re-injured the elbow in training camp. Placed on injured reserve to start the season, he had been activated the week before, but had not played.

Backup Cliff Stoudt was the starting quarterback while Bradshaw was out, and while the team had been winning, it was primarily because of the running game and defense. The passing offense had not kept pace, and Head Coach Chuck Noll decided that, with the postseason on the line, it was time to turn to the most successful quarterback in the franchise’s history.

The Jets, under first-year Head Coach Joe Walton, were 7-7 and entertaining slim playoff hopes of their own. New York had been in the postseason the previous two years, advancing all the way to the AFC Championship game in ‘82. But Walt Michaels had resigned as head coach and Walton, the highly regarded offensive coordinator, was elevated to the top job. The result had been regression as the Jets played inconsistently.

As a side note, the game against the Steelers would be the last for the Jets at Shea Stadium, their home since 1964. They were moving to Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands for the ’84 season, a venue they would share with New York’s other NFL club.

There were 53,996 fans on hand, with 6314 no-shows on a partly sunny and cool day. The teams traded punts on their first possessions. But when Pittsburgh got the ball back after another punt by the Jets, Bradshaw completed a 24-yard pass to TE Bennie Cunningham, followed by a 22-yard run by RB Frank Pollard to the New York 28 yard line. The drive stalled, but on a third-and-ten play, Bradshaw sprinted to his right and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to WR Gregg Garrity, who was wide open in the middle of the end zone. The eight-play possession had covered 77 yards.

The Jets punted again, and again the Steelers moved down the field. After a three-yard run by RB Franco Harris, another aging veteran of the glory years in the ‘70s, Bradshaw threw a pass to Pollard for a 17-yard gain. Harris carried again on a sweep that picked up 18 yards. After two runs by Pollard, a pass interference penalty on New York made it first down on the Jets’ 14. Three plays later, and now into the second quarter, Bradshaw, being blitzed, fired a bullet to WR Calvin Sweeney who caught the ball at the five and ran into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. The Steelers were ahead by 14-0.

That was the end for Bradshaw, however. He suffered a bruise to the injured elbow when throwing the pass to Sweeney and was through for the game (and ultimately for his career). He had been in for a total of 20 plays covering three series, but it was enough to give the Steelers momentum and a lead they would not relinquish.

Stoudt came in at quarterback and the Pittsburgh offense cooled off. However, Jets QB Richard Todd, who couldn’t get his team across midfield in the first half, was intercepted by safety Ron Johnson, and the return was to the New York nine. The result was a 29-yard Gary Anderson field goal. Following another punt by the Jets, the Steelers drove 42 yards in 10 plays and Anderson kicked another field goal, of 40 yards, just prior to the end of the half. The score at halftime was 20-0, and Pittsburgh was very much in command.

After being intercepted twice and sacked three times, Todd was relieved by backup QB Pat Ryan in the third quarter. Ryan’s first pass was intercepted by CB Mel Blount after bouncing off the hands of WR Wesley Walker, setting up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Stoudt to Cunningham.

New York’s best series of the game followed when Ryan moved the team 75 yards in three plays, with two of them passes to WR Johnny “Lam” Jones of 36 yards and 27 yards for a TD. But it was 27-7 after three quarters. Stoudt threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sweeney just over four minutes into the fourth quarter, and that provided the final score of 34-7.

Fans tore up the Shea Stadium turf, as well as some of the temporary seating for football, leading to numerous injuries and arrests. It was an ugly end to both the season and the tenure at the stadium in Queens.

But the big story had been Terry Bradshaw, who launched the big win for the Steelers by completing 5 of 8 passes for 77 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“He was a major factor,” said Coach Noll of Bradshaw. “It was a remarkable performance considering what he's gone through. We saw him work during the week and we felt he was ready and I think he showed it today.”

“When you have a guy like Terry coming back, you have to use him,” said Cliff Stoudt. “And I guess his performance shows why. He wasn't 100 percent but he showed a lot of courage. He was the leader out there and when he got us the two quick scores, that was the ballgame.”

Other noteworthy performances were turned in by Franco Harris, who rushed for 103 yards on 26 carries, and Frank Pollard, who added 78 yards on 15 attempts as the Steelers rolled up 242 yards on the ground. Johnny “Lam” Jones was one of the few bright spots for New York, catching 7 passes for 146 yards and the team’s lone TD.

Pittsburgh lost the following week, with Stoudt at quarterback, but won the AFC Central with a 10-6 record. They lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs to the Raiders. The Jets, officially eliminated by the loss to the Steelers, also fell again in the season finale to finish at 7-9, tied with the Colts at the bottom of the AFC East.

While Chuck Noll hoped his veteran quarterback would be ready for further action, it was not to be. No one knew at the time, but the appearance against the Jets was the last of Bradshaw’s distinguished career. The damage to his throwing arm was too much to overcome.


The end for Bradshaw came fittingly enough as part of a clutch performance. While he might not always have received the credit he was due for quarterbacking the team to four championships, especially considering the strong supporting cast on offense and the many stars on defense, Bradshaw was an outstanding athlete and leader who was a key to the club’s success. He was selected to the Pro Bowl on three occasions and was a consensus first-team All-Pro choice in 1978, a year in which he led the NFL with 28 touchdown passes and the Steelers won their third Super Bowl. And Bradshaw did receive the ultimate honor – he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

1979: Chargers Defense Keys Romp Over Champion Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers had won the Super Bowl following the 1978 season and looked to be well on their way to repeating as they took on the Chargers at San Diego Stadium on November 18, 1979. Under the guidance of Head Coach Chuck Noll, who had built the club into a winner with three championships since arriving ten years before, they were 9-2. Moreover, they had won their last four games, the previous two by a combined score of 68-10.

The Chargers had been far less successful during the past decade – after regularly contending in the 1960s in the AFL, they had not been in the postseason in 14 years. However, they were in their first full season under Head Coach Don Coryell and, featuring a high-powered passing offense, were 8-3. Eighth-year QB Dan Fouts was flourishing and had an outstanding group of receivers to throw to – most notably, wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner. However, they also had an aggressive and solid defense, as the Steelers would find out.

There were 51,910 loud and enthusiastic fans in attendance as the defense set up San Diego’s first touchdown of the game. LB Ray Preston intercepted a pass by Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw that gave the Chargers possession at the Pittsburgh 37 yard line. Two plays later, Fouts completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson. The score stood at 7-0 after one quarter.


In the second quarter, the Chargers put together a 72-yard drive with Fouts completing a six-yard TD pass to TE Bob Klein to cap it and extend the lead to 14-0. Later in the period, Preston picked off another Bradshaw pass and returned it 35 yards to the three yard line. RB Bo Matthews plunged into the end zone from two yards out and San Diego took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

As for the Steelers, Bradshaw had failed to complete a pass to a wide receiver in the first half. San Diego’s linebackers left the pass-rushing to the linemen and played back, thus forcing Bradshaw to throw short passes to his running backs. Standout wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were both double-covered throughout the game.

Pittsburgh’s only score came at 6:30 in the third quarter on a two-yard carry by RB Rocky Bleier. But Chargers LB Woodrow Lowe (pictured at top) intercepted a deflected Bradshaw pass later in the period that he returned 77 yards for a touchdown and 28-7 score.

CB Mike Williams intercepted another pass by Bradshaw that set up the last San Diego touchdown in the fourth quarter. RB Hank Bauer, the team’s short-yardage specialist (he carried just 22 times for 28 yards all season, but scored eight touchdowns), plowed over from two yards out, and that provided the final tally of 35-7. It was the worst loss for the Steelers in nine years.

San Diego’s offense had a relatively ordinary day, but the defense was superb. The Chargers outgained the Steelers, 218 yards to 191, but the clubs were even in first downs with 14 apiece. Pittsburgh turned the ball over eight times, to four by San Diego, and Bradshaw was sacked four times. Every Charger received a game ball, and Woodrow Lowe and Ray Preston each got two.


Dan Fouts completed just 11 of 24 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. John Jefferson (pictured at right) was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 106 yards and a TD. The Chargers running attack was ordinary (at best) throughout the year and RB Mike Thomas was the leading rusher in this game with 53 yards on 13 carries (the team ended up ranking 27th in the league in rushing).

Terry Bradshaw, who was relieved by backup QB Mike Kruczek in the fourth quarter, was successful on 18 of 36 pass attempts for 153 yards with no TDs and five interceptions (two each by Preston and Lowe). RB Franco Harris, who led the club with just 44 yards on 20 attempts, was also the leading receiver with 7 catches, for 50 yards. John Stallworth gained 55 yards on four receptions while Lynn Swann was held to two catches for 28 yards.

“We have to credit San Diego with beating us,” said Chuck Noll, a former Chargers assistant coach in the 1960s. “They had a lot to say about what went on. They made it happen. Bradshaw was 100 percent, but the only receivers that were open were linebackers.”

“I got real acquainted with the defense today,” Bradshaw added. “They played awesome. They put on the best rush I've ever seen all year, by far. We ran into a team ready to play a lot more than we were. We were bad, and when we're bad, we're really bad.”

San Diego lost just once more to finish the regular season on top of the AFC West with a 12-4 record. However, they were upset by the Houston Oilers in the Divisional playoff. The Steelers also ended up with a 12-4 tally but were far more successful in the postseason, beating the Rams to win a second straight Super Bowl (their fourth in six years).

While the Chargers were best known for their league-leading passing offense that ended up tied with New England for second in the NFL with 411 points scored (the Steelers were first with 416), they also surrendered the fewest points of any AFC club (246) and were second in the conference in passes intercepted (28).

Dan Fouts didn’t have a strong performance against Pittsburgh, but he went on to set a new passing yardage record with 4082. Terry Bradshaw wasn’t far behind with a career-high 3724 yards (the Hall of Fame quarterback also had another career-high figure by throwing 25 interceptions).

1976: Steelers Top Cowboys in Super Bowl X

The Pittsburgh Steelers had won the first championship in franchise history in 1974 and put together an even better season in ’75. Under Head Coach Chuck Noll, who had carefully constructed the team since taking over in 1969, the Steelers went 12-2 in winning the AFC Central. The defense, built around DT “Mean Joe” Greene, DE L.C. Greenwood, linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, and CB Mel Blount, who led the league with 11 interceptions, was superb. The offense was outstanding as well, as QB Terry Bradshaw matured into an outstanding performer, second-year WR Lynn Swann became a starter and caught 49 passes with 11 TDs, and durable FB Franco Harris gained 1246 yards on the ground.

Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Colts in the Divisional round and Oakland Raiders for the conference title, which put them in the Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had missed the postseason in 1974 for the first time after eight straight appearances, but bounced back in ’75 with a 10-4 record. It wasn’t enough to beat out Washington for the NFC East title, but did provide the Cowboys with a wild card berth. There had been key retirements in the previous offseason, most notably DT Bob Lilly, FB Walt Garrison, and defensive back Cornell Green, plus the loss of RB Calvin Hill to the World Football League. But newcomers like FB Robert Newhouse and defensive ends Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin joined the veteran core of QB Roger Staubach, WR Drew Pearson, DT Jethro Pugh, LB Lee Roy Jordan, and CB Mel Renfro allowing the team to perform better than anticipated.

The Cowboys won a thrilling Divisional playoff game at Minnesota and then dominated the Rams in the NFC Championship game to advance to the Super Bowl – the first wild card team to do so.

Super Bowl X was played on January 18, 1976 on a cool, clear day with 80,187 fans present at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Steelers were heavily favored, but it was Dallas getting the first break of the game that in turn led to the initial score. Pittsburgh was forced to punt after its initial series, but punter Bobby Walden bobbled the snap, recovered at the Steelers 29 yard line, and was tackled by Dallas TE Billy Joe DuPree. On the next play, Staubach threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson.

Pittsburgh came right back on the next possession, driving 67 yards on eight plays, including a 32-yard pass from Bradshaw to Swann, and concluding with Bradshaw hitting TE Randy Grossman with a seven-yard TD toss to even the score. The Cowboys countered with a 46-yard, 11-play drive that resulted in a 36-yard field goal by Toni Fritsch that put them back in the lead, 10-7.


The score remained the same until early in the fourth quarter, with Steelers placekicker Roy Gerela missing two field goal attempts along the way. After the second, Dallas FS Cliff Harris patted Gerela on the helmet and mockingly congratulated him, which enraged Pittsburgh LB Jack Lambert, who flung Harris to the ground (and came close to being ejected). What was already an intense contest moved to a higher level, especially the Steelers defense and in particular Lambert (pictured at right), who played like a man on fire the rest of the way (he totaled 14 tackles for the day).

With just over thirteen minutes remaining in the game, Walden boomed a 59-yard punt (making up for his earlier miscue) that backed the Cowboys to their own 19 yard line. Dallas tried a flea-flicker play, with Staubach handing off to RB Preston Pearson who faked a run and then lateraled back to the quarterback. However, CB J.T. Thomas didn’t bite on the fake run and Drew Pearson, the primary target, remained covered; Staubach tried to run and lost a yard. The next two plays also resulted in lost yardage, and Dallas had to punt. Steelers RB Reggie Harrison blocked the kick by Mitch Hoopes, which bounced back through the end zone for a safety.

Now down by a point, the Steelers received the free kick following the safety and moved 25 yards in six plays for Gerela to kick a 36-yard field goal that put them ahead for the first time, 12-10. Dallas got the ball back and Staubach, again throwing for Drew Pearson, was intercepted by SS Mike Wagner, who returned the pickoff 19 yards (pictured below). The result of the turnover was an 18-yard field goal by Gerela to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 15-10.


After Dallas failed to move in its possession, the Steelers got the ball back with 4:25 remaining on the clock. Shortly thereafter, in the biggest play of the game, Bradshaw instructed Swann to run a deep pattern. The Cowboys were guessing pass and blitzed heavily, with the quarterback just getting rid of the ball before being knocked unconscious by Harris and DT Larry Cole. What he didn’t get to see was Swann streaking beyond CB Mark Washington to gather in the pass that traveled 59 yards in the air as the play ended up covering 64 yards for a touchdown.

Gerela missed the extra point, and so the score stood at 21-10 as the Cowboys got the ball back on their 20 yard line with just under three minutes remaining. Dallas, especially with Staubach at quarterback, had gained a reputation for exciting comebacks, and sought to do it again as they drove quickly downfield. WR Percy Howard caught a 34-yard TD pass to narrow Pittsburgh’s margin to four points.

The Cowboys attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Steelers guard Gerry Mullins at the Dallas 42. Pittsburgh’s offense ran down the clock, and on fourth-and-nine Coach Noll chose not to punt, avoiding a possible block or fumble, and having supreme confidence in his defense. RB Rocky Bleier was held to a two-yard gain and Dallas took over with no time outs remaining. They made it to the Pittsburgh 38, but any possibility of a miracle finish was snuffed out as FS Glen Edwards intercepted Staubach’s pass into the end zone. The final score was 21-17.


Lynn Swann was the game’s MVP, catching 4 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Terry Bradshaw (pictured at left) completed 9 of 19 passes for 209 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Franco Harris led the running game with 82 yards on 27 carries. Overall, the Steelers outgained the Cowboys 339 yards to 270 and, most importantly, had no turnovers to Dallas’ three.

Roger Staubach completed 15 of his 24 passes for 204 yards, but had three interceptions in addition to two touchdown passes. Robert Newhouse was the team’s leading ground gainer with 16 carries for 56 yards. Preston Pearson caught the most passes, with 5 (for 53 yards), while Drew Pearson was held to just two receptions for a team-leading 59 yards with the one score.

At the time, the game was widely considered to have been the most exciting and intensely played of the Super Bowls to date. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a second consecutive championship; they would go on to win the AFC Central the next four seasons and achieve two more championships in that time span. Dallas also remained a contender, making it to the postseason in each of the next eight years; they would make it back to the Super Bowl twice.