A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Chuck Noll |
| Home field | Pitt Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–13 |
| Division place | 4th NFL Century |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 4
|
| AP All-Pros | Roy Jefferson (1st team) |
| Team MVP | Roy Jefferson |
The 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 37th in the National Football League. It would mark a turning point of the Steelers franchise. 1969 was the first season for Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll, the first season for defensive lineman "Mean Joe" Greene and L. C. Greenwood, the first season for longtime Steelers public relations director Joe Gordon, and the team's last season in Pitt Stadium before moving into then-state-of-the-art Three Rivers Stadium the following season.
Although considered a turning point in the team's history, the results were not immediate; after winning the season opener against the Detroit Lions, the Steelers lost every game afterwards to finish 1–13. The Steelers became the first team in NFL history since the 1936 Philadelphia Eagles to win its season opener and lose every remaining game. This feat would later be matched by the 2001 Carolina Panthers and the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars, both teams won their season openers but went on to lose their remaining games. The Steelers finished 1969 4th in the NFL Century Division and tied with the Chicago Bears for last in the NFL. With the Steelers finishing 1–6 at Pitt Stadium, it marked the last time the Steelers finished the season with a losing record at home until 1999.
As a result of their 1–13 records, Art Rooney of the Steelers won a coin toss with George Halas of the Bears to determine who would select Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw (the consensus number 1 selection among league teams) with the number one pick in the 1970 draft. By modern NFL tiebreaking rules, the Steelers would have automatically been given the first pick anyway, as the Bears' one win came against the Steelers in Week 8.
Offseason
In the 1969 offseason, the Steelers hired former defensive coordinator Chuck Noll from the Baltimore Colts days after his loss to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Noll became the team's 14th head coach in the franchise's history. While it took 36 seasons to go through the first 13, Noll stayed through 1991, establishing coaching stability for the Steelers not seen in other NFL franchises for the next 46. Since Noll's retirement, only Bill Cowher and current head coach Mike Tomlin have served as head coach of the Steelers.
According to Linebacker Andy Russell and other Steelers present, Noll assembled the team for their first meeting and plainly stated his thoughts on why the Steelers had lost so often for so long.
"So Coach Noll's first meeting, I'll never forget the speech he gave," said Russell, who became a highly successful businessman after retiring from football in 1976. "He gets up and says, 'I've been watching the game film since I took the job, and I can tell you guys why you've been losing.' You could have heard a pin drop in that room. He says, 'The reason you have been losing is you're not any good.'" he said, 'I'm going to get rid of most of you.' Five of us made it from that room to the Super Bowl in '74."[1]
Only a handful of players were carried over from the 1968 squad to the 1974 Super Bowl Squad, most notably veterans Andy Russell, Rocky Bleier, Ray Mansfield, Sam Davis and Bobby Walden. Additionally, Dick Hoak, who retired before the 1972 season, became the team's running backs coach and remained with the team in that capacity through the 2006 season. Bleier, who played his rookie season the year before and later became a major contributor to the Super Bowl championship teams, was fighting in Vietnam during this time and was wounded in combat just before the start of the season.[2]
1969 NFL Draft
| 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Joe Greene * † | DT | North Texas | #75 |
| 2 | 30 | Terry Hanratty | QB | Notre Dame | #5 |
| 2 | 42 | Warren Bankston | RB | Tulane | #46 |
| 3 | 56 | Jon Kolb | C | Oklahoma State | #55 |
| 4 | 82 | Bob Campbell | RB | Penn State | |
| 7 | 160 | Chuck Beatty | DB | North Texas | #37 |
| 8 | 186 | Joe Cooper | WR | Tennessee State | |
| 9 | 212 | John Sodaski | DB | Villanova | #49 |
| 10 | 238 | L. C. Greenwood * | DE | Arkansas AM&N | #68 |
| 11 | 264 | Clarence Washington | DT | Arkansas AM&N | |
| 12 | 290 | Doug Fisher | LB | San Diego State | |
| 13 | 315 | John Lynch | LB | Drake | |
| 14 | 342 | Bob Hourman | RB | Ohio | |
| 15 | 368 | Ken Liberto | WR | Louisiana Tech | |
| 16 | 394 | Dock Mosley | WR | Alcorn A&M | |
| 17 | 420 | Bill Eppright | PK | Kent State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers missed out on Heisman Trophy winner O. J. Simpson, Chuck Noll used the 1st Round pick wisely by drafting North Texas State Defensive tackle, Joe Greene. Noll said years later that Greene would've been selected even if they had the top overall pick, passing over Simpson. Although Simpson went on to a Hall of Fame career before legal troubles overshadowed his NFL accomplishments, Steeler scouting set the standard with their excellent NFL scouting in the draft for years to come.
Greene's selection was not without controversy. The front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the next morning had a headline posted Who's Joe Greene?, owing to his relative obscurity despite being named a consensus All-American selection his senior year. The team also drafted Greene's defensive line mate, Arkansas AM&N defensive end L. C. Greenwood, in the tenth round. Greene and Greenwood formed the core of the famed Steel Curtain defensive line and played their entire career as teammates, with both retiring at the end of the 1981 season. The following year, Noll switched the team to a 3–4 defense, partially as a result of the retirement of two of his best defensive players.
Selecting Greene was wise. He was the 1969 Defensive Rookie of the Year at season's end.[3]
Joe Gordon was hired as the team's public relations director. Though his role was more behind-the-scenes, he would remain with the team in that capacity through the 1998 season, second only to Dick Hoak in terms of tenure with the team outside of the Rooney family, third counting Steelers radio commentator Myron Cope, who was not employed by the team but was associated with it through WTAE Radio and later WDVE on the official Steelers radio network.
Among the more notable undrafted free agents on the training camp roster was defensive lineman Ed O'Neill from Youngstown State. Although he didn't make the team, O'Neill would go on to fame as an actor, most notably as Al Bundy on the TV series Married... with Children, which locally aired on WPGH-TV.[4][5]
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
Regular season
Summary
The 1969 Season started off well for the Steelers. After defeating the Detroit Lions 16–13, much of the roster believed they were on a Super Bowl run. However, after losing three straight times, first at Philadelphia 41–27, then at home against the Cardinals 27–14, and at New York against the Giants 10–7, team morale plummeted. The Steelers then lost the next 10 games and became the first team in league history since the 1936 Philadelphia Eagles to win their season opener but then lose every other game until the 2001 Carolina Panthers. Though after these losses, Art Rooney Sr. still had faith in Chuck Noll, and retained him for 1970. With the 1–13 record, the Steelers won a coin toss against the Chicago Bears (who were also 1-13) and for the first time since 1956, the Steelers got the 1st Pick in the NFL Draft. With the pick, the team's draft brought improvement with #1 pick Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw.