A team’s identity is the essence of the franchise. It is the thing that defines the organization and something for fans to use to use to relate to the team.
Steelers Franchise Connected to Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh locals identify with the Steelers because the Steelers own a similar mind-set that has been engraved in the city by its illustrious industrial (steel mills) history.
ESPN.com’s AFC North blogger James Walker said it best, “No team is as woven into the fabric of a city.”
The city of Pittsburgh is a blue-collar industry town and the Steelers play right into that mindset with smash-mouth football. A great defense and a solid running game have been their staple since Chuck Noll took over in 1969.
The first professional football game is believed to have been played 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Latrobe, PA – coincidentally, where the Steelers have held training camp since Art Rooney Sr. started taking the team there.
The Steelers found their identity in the 1970s when Coach Chuck Noll and owner Dan Rooney implemented their current style of play. Steeler teams are known year in and year out for their physicality and their team-first attitude, all conducted in a non-flashy manner.
No Player Is Bigger Than Franchise
The Rooney family treat their players and the game with respect and demand it in return. Instances of turmoil that seem to regularly occur across the NFL do not occur in the Steelers organization.
Instances such as the coach and owner feud between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis in Oakland, the quarterback and coach feud between Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels in Denver or the T.O./Pacman/Vick/Plaxico incidents across the league rarely occur in the Steelers locker room.
When the Steelers let wide receiver Plaxico Burress leave through free agency after the 2004 season because of his me-first behavior, many pundits deemed it a bad move. After all, in each of the previous three years, Burress and Hines Ward combined for more than 1,700 receiving yards, including 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2002.
In 2005, one year removed from Burress, the Steelers won the Super Bowl and Ward was the game’s MVP.
Cowher, Big Ben Put Differences Aside
In 2007, after coach Bill Cowher retired to the broadcast booth, reports were released that franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Cowher did not get along.
However, Roethlisberger and Cowher had been coach and quarterback for three seasons and compiled a 34-6 record together with two AFC Championship game appearances and one Super Bowl win in 2006.
Despite the apparent distance between the legendary coach and the young star, the two put their differences aside for the team’s benefit. Credit the Rooneys and the Steeler tradition.
Split Personalities, Split Franchise
Without one single direction all the egos in the locker room pull the team in different directions. If a team is pulled in too many directions (see: Dallas Cowboys 2006-2008) the team may never reach its destination. Without a set course, an organization wouldn’t know what players to acquire or how those players are supposed to act.
Take Ward, for example. He embodies Steeler Nation. He is the captain/leader of the team and has produced at a high level for a decade while regularly accepting double teams to allow other wide receivers the opportunity to get open. Ward is widely considered one of the most complete football players in the NFL.
Finding the Right Players
The Steelers only draft players or sign free agents who fit their own identity – college standout or not, it doesn’t matter.
In 2007, the Steelers drafted linebackers Lawrence Timmons from Florida State and LaMarr Woodley from Michigan along with wide receiver Limas Sweed from Texas. All three embody the physical prowess the Steelers look for in a player.
During the 2008-2009 season, Woodley became a full time starter and recorded 60 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and one interception. After the season, the Steelers released five-year starter Larry Foote due to Timmons’s development and readiness to take over the starter’s position. Also, the team allowed third receiver Nate Washington, an integral part to its Super Bowl run, to leave via free agency due to Sweed’s progression.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for their physical style of play and non-flashy stance in the public eye since Chuck Noll implemented such qualities in 1969. The city of Pittsburgh identifies with its football team because of the recriprocity the franchise and the fans enjoy in their blue collar, unselfish nature.
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