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1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerArt Rooney
General managerDaniel M. Rooney
Head coachChuck Noll
Home fieldThree Rivers Stadium
Results
Record10–3–1
Division place1st AFC Central
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Bills) 32–14
Won AFC Championship
(at Raiders) 24–13
Won Super Bowl IX
(vs. Vikings) 16–6
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
4
  • Joe Greene (1st team)
  • L. C. Greenwood (1st team)
  • Jack Ham (1st team)
  • Roy Gerela (2nd team)
Team MVPGlen Edwards
Team ROYJack Lambert

The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 42nd in the National Football League (NFL). They improved to a 10–3–1 regular-season record, won the AFC Central division title, sending them to the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and won a Super Bowl championship, the first league title in Steelers' history. This was the first of six consecutive AFC Central division titles for the Steelers, and the first of four Super Bowl championships in the same time period.

The Steelers also made history by playing in the NFL's first-ever regular season overtime game, the league having introduced a 15-minute sudden-death period to break ties. Their Week 2 contest against the Denver Broncos nevertheless ended in a 35–35 tie. As of 2023 no other team has ever won the Super Bowl after recording a tie in the overtime era.

On March 9, 2007, NFL Network aired an episode of America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions that covered the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, with team commentary from Franco Harris, Joe Greene, and Andy Russell, and narrated by Ed Harris.

YouTube Encyclopedic

  • 1/5
    Views:
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  • (1974,75,78,79) Pittsburgh Steelers Team Season Highlights "The Championship Years"
  • 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers Season
  • 1974 AFC Championship Steelers at Raiders - NBC TV Broadcast Dubbed w/Radio
  • 1974 AFC Championship Game | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders
  • 1974 NFL Season Highlights & Super Bowl IX Highlights

Transcription

Offseason

NFL Draft

During the offseason, the Steelers held their training camp in St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

During the 1974 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers would draft WR Lynn Swann in Round 1, LB Jack Lambert in Round 2, WR John Stallworth in Round 4, and C Mike Webster in Round 5, and they also signed S Donnie Shell as an undrafted free agent. All five would later be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As of 2014, the 1974 Steelers are the only team in NFL history to select four Hall of Fame players in one single draft.

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 21 Lynn Swann   WR USC given #88
2 46 Jack Lambert   LB Kent State 1974 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, given #58
4 82 John Stallworth   WR Alabama A&M given #82
4 100 Jimmy Allen  S UCLA given #45
5 125 Mike Webster   C Wisconsin Alternated with Ray Mansfield for the rest of Ray's career, given #52
6 149 Jim Wolf  DE Prairie View A&M given #62
6 150 Rick Druschel  Guard North Carolina State given #46
7 165 Allen Sitterle  T North Carolina State
7 179 Scott Garske  TE Eastern Washington
8 204 Mark Gefert  LB Purdue
9 223 Tommy Reamon  RB Missouri played for the WFL in 1974
9 229 Charlie Davis  DT TCU given #77
10 243 Jim Kregel  G Ohio State
10 254 Dave Atkinson  DB BYU
11 283 Dick Morton  RB Arkansas
12 308 Hugh Lickiss  LB Simpson
13 333 Frank Kolch  QB Eastern Michigan
14 333 Bruce Henley  DB Rice
15 387 Larry Hunt  DT Iowa State
16 412 Octavus Morgan  LB Illinois
17 437 Larry Moore  DE Angelo State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Preseason

In the 1974 preseason, the Steelers went 6–0 and were the only undefeated team in the NFL. However, most of the talk was centered around the NFL's first successful black quarterback, Joe Gilliam. Chuck Noll started Gilliam in the preseason and after it ended, Noll started him for the first few games of the regular season. Gilliam's stellar performance in the preseason sparked a quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh.

Regular season

Following playoff appearances in both of the two previous seasons, the Steelers appeared to be in great shape after finishing the preseason as the only undefeated team in the NFL. After the first two regular season games, the Steelers had scored a total of 65 points and were 1–0–1, but then lost to the Oakland Raiders at home. The play of the Steelers' starting quarterback at the time, Joe Gilliam, continually deteriorated. By week 7, the Steelers were 4–1–1 and Gilliam was benched for Terry Bradshaw during a win against the Atlanta Falcons. Bradshaw won the next two games, but after a loss in Cincinnati, Noll benched Bradshaw again, this time in favor of Terry Hanratty (who had been selected in the 1969 Draft). However, Hanratty played horribly in Cleveland. The offense was struggling, but the Steelers had won those tough games behind the still-maturing Steel Curtain defense. When Bradshaw was brought back into the starting lineup, the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints (in a game in which Bradshaw ran for more yards than he passed for). After a loss to Houston, the Steelers played the most important game of their regular season in New England. A win over the Patriots would clinch the AFC Central division title for the Steelers and put them in the playoffs for the third straight year. The Steelers defeated the Patriots, then beat the Cincinnati Bengals, and awaited the playoffs.

Playoffs

In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Steelers played the Buffalo Bills. Sports Illustrated's Dan Jenkins wrote that Pittsburgh was "the only team to reach the playoffs without a quarterback".[1] However, the Steelers dominated Buffalo and held its star running back O. J. Simpson to 49 yards rushing (it was Simpson's only playoff game appearance).

In the 1974 AFC Championship game, the Steelers played an old foe, the Oakland Raiders. Each year, their rivalry was escalating: they had met in the playoffs the previous two seasons. In 1972, the Steelers won in Pittsburgh; in 1973, the Raiders returned the favor in Oakland. In this third playoff meeting, the Steelers were ready for anything the Raiders could throw at them. Using the new "Stunt 4–3 defense" the Steelers held the Raiders to 29 yards rushing as the Steelers themselves ran for over 200 yards in Oakland. After a Franco Harris touchdown run, the Steelers clinched their first Super Bowl appearance in club history (and their first league championship game appearance).

Super Bowl IX

The Steelers met the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX. Both teams had a hard time in the rough weather conditions at old Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. After many exchanges of punts, the Steelers finally scored a safety on a bobbled handoff by Viking quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The score at the half was 2–0. The Steel Curtain continually dominated the Vikings. Vikings coach Bud Grant tried to run at the strength of the Steel Curtain, but they were shut down. The only points Minnesota scored came from a blocked punt that the Vikings recovered in the end zone for a touchdown; the subsequent extra point attempt was blocked. After the MVP performance by running back Franco Harris (34 carries for a then-Super Bowl-record 158 yards and a touchdown), the Steelers came away with a 16–6 victory. It was the first league title in Steelers history.

Personnel

Staff

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

Front office

  • President – Arthur J. Rooney
  • Vice president – John R. McGinley
  • Vice president – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Public relations director – Ed Kiely
  • Traveling secretary – James A. Boston
  • Controller – Robert P. Quinn
  • Accountant – Dennis P. Thimons
  • Publicity director – Joe Gordon
  • Ticket manager – Joseph H. Carr
  • Director of player personnel – Dick Haley
  • Assistant director of player personnel – Bill Nunn
  • Director of professional scouting – V. Timothy Rooney

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Strength – Louis Riecke
  • Flexibility – Paul Uram
  • Team physician, orthopedic – Dr. John Best
  • Team Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
  • Team dentist – Dr. Robert Gray
  • Trainer – Ralph Berlin
  • Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field manager – Jack Hart

[2]

Roster

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad [3] [4] [5]
Rookies in italics
48 active, 1 inactive

1974 schedules

Preseason schedule

Week Date Game Site Opponent Result Record
1 August 3 Tulane Stadium at New Orleans Saints W 26–7 1–0
2 August 12 Three Rivers Stadium Chicago Bears W 50–21 2–0
3 August 17 Veterans Stadium at Philadelphia Eagles W 33–30(OT) 3–0
4 August 24 Three Rivers Stadium New York Giants W 17–7 4–0
5 August 30 RFK Stadium at Washington Redskins W 21–19 5–0
6 September 5 Texas Stadium Dallas Cowboys W 41–15 6–0

Regular season schedule

Week Date Game Site Opponent Result Record TV
1 September 15 Three Rivers Stadium Baltimore Colts W 30–0 1–0 NBC
2 September 22 Mile High Stadium at Denver Broncos T 35–35(OT) 1–0–1 NBC
3 September 29 Three Rivers Stadium Oakland Raiders L 0–17 1–1–1 NBC
4 October 6 Astrodome at Houston Oilers W 13–7 2–1–1 NBC
5 October 13 Arrowhead Stadium at Kansas City Chiefs W 34–24 3–1–1 NBC
6 October 20 Three Rivers Stadium Cleveland Browns W 20–16 4–1–1 NBC
7 October 28 Three Rivers Stadium Atlanta Falcons W 24–17 5–1–1 ABC
8 November 3 Three Rivers Stadium Philadelphia Eagles W 27–0 6–1–1 CBS
9 November 10 Riverfront Stadium at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–17 6–2–1 NBC
10 November 17 Cleveland Municipal Stadium at Cleveland Browns W 26–16 7–2–1 NBC
11 November 25 Tulane Stadium at New Orleans Saints W 28–7 8–2–1 ABC
12 December 1 Three Rivers Stadium Houston Oilers L 10–13 8–3–1 NBC
13 December 8 Schaefer Stadium at New England Patriots W 21–17 9–3–1 NBC
14 December 14 Three Rivers Stadium Cincinnati Bengals W 27–3 10–3–1 NBC
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason schedule

Week Date Game Site Opponent Result Record TV
Divisional December 22 Three Rivers Stadium Buffalo Bills W 32–14 11–3–1 NBC
AFC Championship December 29 Oakland Coliseum Oakland Raiders W 24–13 12–3–1 NBC
Super Bowl IX January 12 Old Tulane Stadium Minnesota Vikings W 16–6 13–3–1 NBC

Standings

AFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Pittsburgh Steelers 10 3 1 .750 4–2 7–3–1 305 189 W2
Houston Oilers 7 7 0 .500 4–2 7–4 236 282 W1
Cincinnati Bengals 7 7 0 .500 3–3 5–6 283 259 L3
Cleveland Browns 4 10 0 .286 1–5 3–8 251 344 L2

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday, September 15, 1974): vs. Baltimore Colts

Week 1: Baltimore Colts (0–1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts (0–1) 0 0 000
Steelers (1–0) 3 13 7730

at Three Rivers StadiumPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 15, 1974
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 72 °F or 22.2 °C, relative humidity 69%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn) (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 48,890
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph (play by play) and Paul Maguire (color commentator)
  • [6]
Team Category Player Statistics
BAL Passing Bert Jones 8/17, 100 YDS, 2 INTs
Rushing Lydell Mitchell 9 CAR, 44 YDS
Receiving Glenn Doughty 3 CAR, 58 YDS
PIT Passing Joe Gilliam 18/37, 289 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Franco Harris 13 CAR, 49 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving Randy Grossman 3 REC, 52 YDS
Colts Game Statistics Steelers
11 First downs 18
34–118 Rushes–yards 29–103
102 Passing yards 289
9–20–2 Passes 18–37–1
6–54 Sacked–yards 0–0
48 Net passing yards 289
166 Total yards 392
98 Return yards 73
8–33.3 Punts 4–45.5
3–2 Fumbles–lost 3–1
3–20 Penalties–yards 4–32

In week 1, the Steelers started #17 Joe Gilliam as he completed 17 of his 31 passes for 257 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception. Gilliam became the first African-American quarterback in league history to play in a game as the designated opening-day starter. The defense held Baltimore to 166 total yards and forced 4 turnovers in the shutout win.

Week 2 (Sunday, September 22, 1974): at Denver Broncos

Week 2: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–0–1) at Denver Broncos (0–1–1)
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Steelers (1–0–1) 7 7 147035
Broncos (0–1–1) 21 0 77035

at Mile High StadiumDenver, Colorado

  • Date: September 22, 1974
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 57 °F or 13.9 °C, relative humidity 48%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 51,068
  • Referee: Tommy Bell
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph (play by play) and Paul Maguire (color commentator)
  • [7]
Team Category Player Statistics
PIT Passing Joe Gilliam 31/50, 348 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing Franco Harris 20 CAR, 70 YDS
Receiving Franco Harris 9 REC, 84 YDS
DEN Passing Charley Johnson 6/15, 129 YDS, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Otis Armstrong 19 CAR, 131 YDS
Receiving Otis Armstrong 5 REC, 86 YDS, 2 TDs
Steelers Game Statistics Broncos
33 First downs 20
40–160 Rushes–yards 37–156
348 Passing yards 191
31–50–2 Passes 12–27–2
3–24 Sacked–yards 3–15
324 Net passing yards 176
484 Total yards 332
121 Return yards 145
6–41.7 Punts 7–44.4
3–2 Fumbles–lost 1–1
12–91 Penalties–yards 7–61

In week 2, the Steelers were carried to a 35–35 OT tie with #32 Franco Harris' running game and #17 Joe Gilliam's 348 passing yards. It was the first regular season overtime game in NFL history. Denver coach John Ralston said of Gilliam that "it was possibly the finest performance I have ever seen by a quarterback."

Week 3 (Sunday, September 29, 1974): vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 3: Oakland Raiders (2–1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1–1–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders (2–1) 7 10 0017
Steelers (1–1–1) 0 0 000

at Three Rivers StadiumPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 29, 1974
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 66 °F or 18.9 °C (Light Rain)
  • Game attendance: 48,304
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV: NBC

Stats

Passing

Passing
Player Pos G GS QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD TD% Int Int% Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Lng Rate Sk Yds NY/A ANY/A Sk% 4QC GWD
Gilliam QB 9 6 4–1–1 96 212 45.3 1274 4 1.9 8 3.8 61 6.0 4.7 13.3 141.6 55.4 7 79 5.46 4.18 3.2 1 1
Bradshaw QB 8 7 5–2–0 67 148 45.3 785 7 4.7 8 5.4 56 5.3 3.8 11.7 98.1 55.2 10 104 4.31 2.92 6.3
Hanratty QB 3 1 1–0–0 3 26 11.5 95 1 3.8 5 19.2 35 3.7 -4.2 31.7 31.7 15.5 1 13 3.04 -4.56 3.7 1 0
Team Total 14 10–3–1 166 386 43 2154 12 3.1 21 5.4 61 5.6 3.8 13.0 153.9 48.9 18 196 4.5 4.85 3.10 2 1
Opp Total 14 147 339 43.4 1872 14 4.1 25 7.4 5.5 3.03 12.7 133.7 44.3 52 406 13.3 3.7 1.6

Rushing

Rushing
Player Pos G GS Att Yds TD Lng Y/A Y/G A/G

Receiving

Receiving
Player Pos G GS Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G Ctch%

Kicking

Kicking
Games 0–19 20–29 30–39 40–49 50+ Scoring
Player Pos G GS FGA FGM FGA FGM FGA FGM FGA FGM FGA FGM FGA FGM Lng FG% XPA XPM XP%

Punting

Punting
Player Pos G GS Pnt Yds Lng Blck Y/P

Kick Return

Kick Return

Punt Return

Punt Return

Sacks

Sacks
Player Pos G GS Sk

Interceptions

Interceptions

Fumbles

Fumbles

Tackles

Tackles

Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary

Team

Team
Total Yds & TO Passing Rushing Penalties
Player PF Yds Ply Y/P TO FL 1stD Cmp Att Yds TD Int NY/A 1stD Att Yds TD Y/A 1stD Pen Yds 1stPy
Team Stats 305 4375 950 4.6 40 19 251 166 386 1958 12 21 4.8 98 546 2417 19 4.4 136 104 978 17
Opp. Stats 189 3074 863 3.6 47 22 200 147 339 1466 14 25 3.7 83 472 1608 7 3.4 87 76 575 30
Lg Rank Offense 6 8 24 25 9 10 21 15 14 20 4 2 5 4
Lg Rank Defense 2 1 1 1 3 6 1 13 3 1 12 6 2 4

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
Team 1 2 3 4 OT T
Steelers 69 102 78 56 0 305
Opponents 41 74 44 30 0 189

Postseason summary

Divisional

AFC Divisional Playoff: Buffalo Bills (9–5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10–3–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 0 7014
Steelers 3 26 0332

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game information

AFC Championship Game (Sunday, December 29, 1974): at Oakland Raiders

AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (12–3–1) at Oakland Raiders (13–3)
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers (12–3–1) 0 3 02124
Raiders (13–3) 3 0 7313

at Oakland–Alameda County ColiseumOakland, California

Awards, honors and records

References

  1. ^ Jenkins, Dan (December 23, 1974). "For Openers, Super Bowl VIII½". Sports Illustrated.
  2. ^ 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  3. ^ 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  4. ^ 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  5. ^ "1974 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  6. ^ Pro Football Reference; Baltimore Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 15th, 1974
  7. ^ Pro Football Reference; Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos – September 22nd, 1974

External links

This page was last edited on 24 February 2024, at 13:15
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