Chuck Noll’s 1972 Steelers: How a Rookie and a Defense Built a Legacy

From 1933 (their first season in the NFL) through 1971, the Pittsburgh Steelers had only eight winning seasons and had never played in the Championship game. From 1964 to 1968, the team had a dismal record of 18–49–3. Changes were needed. In 1969, the Steelers replaced Head Coach Bill Austin with Chuck Noll, an assistant … Read more

Super Bowl X: A Retrospective on the Thrilling Final Drive

We have finished reviewing the first 50 Super Bowls, and if you want to relive those games, I suggest to you some homework: Ed Benkin’s The First 50 Super Bowls. Great stuff there that you’ll want to relive over and over. But for now, we’re going to do something a little different. I’m going to take … Read more

Super Bowl XLIII (Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals): An Ultimate Recount of the Game

Today we have Super Bowl XLIII, which was held on February 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, between the seven-time AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the first-time NFC champion Arizona Cardinals. As always, we have a pop quiz, and then homework at the end of the episode. The pop quiz question for … Read more