Pittsburgh Steelers Winningest Franchise
'Steeler Nation' named Top Fans
On January 21, 2009, ESPN The Magazine senior writer David Fleming posted an article on ESPN.com’s Page 2 asking if the Pittsburgh Steelers are the best franchise in all of American sports.
Fleming argues: since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, (something Art Rooney Sr. – founder of the Steelers - helped orchestrate), “no team has been better.” The Steelers have six Super Bowl titles in seven attempts, 30 postseason wins, seven AFC Championship game appearances in the last 14 years, 20 Hall of Famers, and “the dynasty of the 1970s that includes probably the greatest, baddest football team ever assembled.”
What Fleming fails to include is that since the merger the Steelers also own the best record, most games won, most division titles, best winning percentage and the most All-Pro nominations. They are second in playoff wins, and by adding their sixth title on Feb. 1 they have now won more Super Bowls than any other franchise.
Steelers Own Top Fans
All the success has earned the Steelers the right to call their fan base the best according to ESPN. In August 2008 the eight NFL division bloggers for ESPN.com ranked the NFL fan bases. The Steelers came out on top. Matt Mosley (NFC East blogger) explained the love affair:
“The decline of the steel industry in the 1970s coincided with the rise of the Steelers dynasty. At a time when the city's collective psyche was taking a major blow, the local football team offered a weekly respite. A generation of young people left the city to find work elsewhere, but they remained passionate about their hometown team. And that's why your local stadiums are often invaded by a black-and-gold army.”
[The Steelers also lay claim to one of the most recognizable traditions in all of sports: The Terrible Towel. The Towel was created by legendary Steelers radio-analyst Myron Cope and it can be seen waving in full force wherever the Steelers play.]
Achievements are Product of System
Those statistics, records, awards, and numbers are not merely words on paper, however. They do more than collect dust in filing cabinets in NFL offices, piece together puzzles scrawled across journalists’ notepads, or electronically charge the egos of their owners. Long after players, coaches and pundits depart the numbers and words will still be here. They set precedence for a system.
That precedent set is the badge of honor. It is because of that standard the Steelers have set that they have the creditability. It shows they’ve been to the top and know what they’re doing.
The system the Steelers have in place was cemented by Art Rooney I and his son Dan Rooney in the mid-1960s and firmly implemented by Chuck Noll. It has survived the test of time through Bill Cowher, Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin and thousands of players.
From the team’s inception in1933 to Noll’s hiring before the 1969 season, the Steelers hold a 156-241-18 (.419) record with one playoff berth and 13 different head coaches.
Comparatively, since Noll’s hire, Pittsburgh owns a 369-255-2 (.606) record, 24 playoff appearances and three head coaches. These numbers are a product of the system and have set the precedent.
The Steelers System
1) Continuity
2) Identity
3) Depth
The Steelers have enjoyed lasting success in a business where longevity and success are not typically synonymous with one another. However, because the Rooney family utilize the above three characteristics, the Steelers are in contention for a title year in and year out.
Dan Rooney summed up the franchise when he answered Fleming's question of what is the Steelers' secret. Rooney responded, "We try to put a team on the field every year that can win a championship. And we never take a year off."
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