1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season

The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 42nd in the National Football League. They improved to a 10-3-1 record and culminated in a Super Bowl championship. The team became the first in the Steelers' 42-year history to win a league title following the franchise's greatest playoff run to that point.

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerArt Rooney
Head coachChuck Noll
General managerDaniel M. Rooney
Home fieldThree Rivers Stadium
Results
Record10–3–1
Division place1st AFC Central
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 32–14
Won AFC Championship (at Raiders) 24–13
Won Super Bowl IX (vs. Vikings) 16–6
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
Team MVPGlen Edwards
Team ROYJack Lambert

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

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. All four would later be inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. By 2014, the 1974 Steelers are the only team in history to select four such players in one single draft alone.

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

Season

After 2 playoff appearances, the Steelers appeared to be in great shape after finishing the preseason as the only undefeated team in the NFL. After two straight games, the Steelers scored over 50 points and were 1-0-1; but they couldn't beat the Raiders at home. The Steelers starting quarterback at the time, Joe Gilliam's play continually deteriorated. By Week 7, the Steelers were 4-1-1 and Gilliam was benched for Terry Bradshaw during a win against the Falcons. Bradshaw won the next two games, but after a loss in Cincinnati, Noll benched Bradshaw again. This time he was benched in favor of Terry Hanratty (who was selected in the 1969 Draft). Hanratty however, played horribly in Cleveland. The offense was in a struggle, but the Steelers had won those tough games behind the still-maturing Steel Curtain defense. When Bradshaw was brought back into the lineup, the Steelers beat the Browns and the Saints (in a game that Bradshaw ran for more yards than he passed). After a loss to Houston, the Steelers would play the most important game of the season in New England. With a win against the Patriots, the Steelers would clinch the AFC Central and make their third straight playoff appearance. The Steelers dominated the Pats, then beat the Bengals, and awaited the playoffs.

Playoffs

In the Divisional Round Playoff Game, the Steelers would play the Bills. Sports Illustrated's Dan Jenkins felt that Pittsburgh was "the only team to reach the playoffs without a quarterback".[1] However, the Steelers would dominate Buffalo and hold O.J. Simpson to 49 yards rushing (it was O.J.'s only playoff game appearance).

In the 1974 AFC Championship Game, the Steelers would play an old foe, the Raiders. Each year, the rivalry was escalating: in 1972, the Steelers won in Pittsburgh; in 1973, the Raiders returned the favor in Oakland. However, 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 appearance).

Super Bowl IX

In Super Bowl IX, the Steelers and the Vikings had a hard time in the rough conditions at old Tulane Stadium. After many exchanges of punts, the Steelers finally scored a safety on a bobbled handoff by Fran Tarkenton. The score at the half was 2–0. The Steel Curtain continually dominated the Vikings. While coach Bud Grant tried to run at the strength of the Steel Curtain, they were shut down. The only points Minnesota managed to squeeze off was a blocked punt (the extra point was blocked). After the MVP performance by Franco Harris, the Steelers came away with a 16-6 victory over the Vikings. 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

Preseason

In the 1974 Preseason, the Steelers became 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 did start Gilliam in the preseason and after it ended, Chuck Noll would start him for the 1974 season. Gilliam's stellar performance in the '74 preseason did however spark the quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh.

1974 schedules

Preseason schedule

WeekDateGame SiteOpponentResultRecord
1Sat. August 3Tulane Stadium@New Orleans SaintsW 26–71–0
2Mon, August 12Three Rivers StadiumChicago BearsW 50–212–0
3Sat. August 17Veterans Stadium@Philadelphia EaglesW 33–30 (OT)3–0
4Sat. August 24Three Rivers StadiumNew York GiantsW 17–74–0
5Fri. August 30RFK Stadium@Washington RedskinsW 21–195–0
6Thu. September 5Texas Stadium@Dallas CowboysW 41–156–0

Regular season schedule

WeekDateGame SiteOpponentResultRecordTV
1Sun. September 15Three Rivers StadiumBaltimore ColtsW 30–01–0NBC
2Sun. September 22Mile High Stadium@Denver BroncosT 35–35 (OT)1–0–1NBC
3Sun. September 29Three Rivers StadiumOakland RaidersL 0–171–1–1NBC
4Sun. October 6Astrodome@Houston OilersW 13–72–1–1NBC
5Sun. October 13Arrowhead Stadium@Kansas City ChiefsW 34–243–1–1NBC
6Sun. October 20Three Rivers StadiumCleveland BrownsW 20–164–1–1NBC
7Mon. October 28Three Rivers StadiumAtlanta FalconsW 24–175–1–1ABC
8Sun. November 3Three Rivers StadiumPhiladelphia EaglesW 27–06–1–1CBS
9Sun. November 10Riverfront Stadium@Cincinnati BengalsL 10–176–2–1NBC
10Sun. November 17Cleveland Municipal Stadium@Cleveland BrownsW 26–167–2–1NBC
11Mon. November 25Tulane Stadium@New Orleans SaintsW 28–78–2–1ABC
12Sun. December 1Three Rivers StadiumHouston OilersL 10–138–3–1NBC
13Sun. December 8Schaefer Stadium@New England PatriotsW 21–179–3–1NBC
14Sat. December 14Three Rivers StadiumCincinnati BengalsW 27–310–3–1NBC

Postseason schedule

WeekDateGame SiteOpponentResultRecordTV
DivisionalSun. December 22Three Rivers StadiumBuffalo BillsW 32–1411-3-1NBC
AFC ChampionshipSun. December 29Oakland ColiseumOakland RaidersW 24–1312-3-1NBC
Super Bowl IXSun. January 12Old Tulane StadiumMinnesota VikingsW 16–613-3-1NBC

Game summaries

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

Stats

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

Rushing

Receiving

Kicking

Punting

Kick Return

Punt Return

Defense & Fumbles

Scoring Summary

Team

Quarter-by-quarter

Quarter-by-quarter
1234OTT
Steelers6910278560305
Opponents417444300189

Postseason game summaries

Awards, honors and records

References

  1. "FOR OPENERS, SUPER BOWL VIII½". SI.com.
  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 2014-12-17.
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