" Luv Ya Blue " was a movement by fans of the Houston Oilers of the National Football League in the late 1970s that featured large flashcards, fight songs , pom-poms and other features more reminiscent of the college game than the NFL.
120-612: In the early 1970s, the Houston Oilers had fallen on hard times. In 1975, Bum Phillips was hired as the coach and ushered in a new era for the Oilers. With the help of stars such as Billy "White Shoes" Johnson and Elvin Bethea , the Oilers had their first winning season of the decade in 1975. Three years later, the Oilers drafted one of the most dominant running backs in college football, Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell of
240-634: A divisional playoff game 27–10 against Baltimore, who was the defending Super Bowl champion . During their NFL championship season in 2000 , the Ravens defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh , 16–0, in the season opener with the Steelers later exacting revenge, 9–6, in Baltimore (the Ravens' final loss of the season). During the Steelers 2008 Championship run, they beat the Ravens three times, including
360-683: A " Playoff Bowl " in 1962 as the second-best team in their conference, but this was not considered an official playoff. In 1970 , the year they moved into Three Rivers Stadium and the year of the AFL–NFL merger , the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of three old-guard NFL teams to switch to the newly formed American Football Conference (the others being the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts ), in order to equalize
480-867: A 11–5 record. They lost 30–17 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. The Steelers finished with a 10–6 record and made the playoffs in the 2015 season. They defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round and lost to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. In the 2016 season, the Steelers won the AFC North with a 11–5 record. They defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round and
600-617: A 28-yard field goal to win the game 26–24. In 1992 , the Oilers compiled a 10–6 regular season record, but made history against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card playoffs by blowing an NFL record 35–3 lead and eventually losing 41–38 in overtime, a game now known simply as " The Comeback ". In the 1993 season , the Oilers finished with a 12–4 record, their best record ever in Texas, and another AFC Central title, but lost in
720-664: A 9–31 record in the first 40 games of the series between the two cities, the Steelers have gone 66–27–1 (including 42–6 in games played in Pittsburgh) since 1970 and currently lead the series 75–58–1; The Steelers have particularly dominated the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999 and won twelve straight meetings between 2003 and 2009. Additionally, the Browns posted losing streaks of 16 (1970–85) and 15 (2004–present) games in Pittsburgh. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher coached
840-482: A 9–7 regular season, but the team gained a wild card berth. In a messy, penalty-ridden game, they were beaten by Pittsburgh . The Oilers' resurgence came in the midst of a battle for the franchise's survival. In 1987, Adams threatened to move the team to Jacksonville, Florida (later the home of Jacksonville Jaguars ), unless the Astrodome was "brought up to date". At the time the Astrodome seated about 50,000 fans,
960-675: A bitter 34–31 playoff showdown in 2002 ); the Titans won seven in a row in the 1997–2001 period, the longest win streak by either team in the series. The Steelers have won 47 of 79 career meetings following their 27–24 win at Nissan Stadium in 2020. The Denver Broncos in 2011 broke a tie with the Oakland Raiders for the most playoff meetings versus the Steelers and added yet another meeting in 2015 (the Broncos have met Pittsburgh eight times to Oakland's six). The Steelers' rivalry with
1080-494: A championship. Cowher's career record with Pittsburgh was 149–90–1 in the regular season and 161–99–1 overall, including playoff games. On January 7, 2007, Cowher resigned from coaching the Steelers, citing a need to spend more time with his family. He did not use the term "retire", leaving open a possible return to the NFL as coach of another team. A three-man committee consisting of Art Rooney II, Dan Rooney, and Kevin Colbert
1200-492: A commitment to next year, famously stating that "One year ago, we knocked on the door. This year, we beat on the door. Next year, we're going to kick the son of a b---- in." The Oilers traded for Ken Stabler , but they would lose 27-7 in the Wild Card round on December 31, 1980. Shortly after the game ended, amidst disagreements with Adams over having three head coaches split offensive duties rather than one coordinator, Phillips
1320-473: A domed stadium, when they moved into Houston's Astrodome , then home of MLB 's Houston Astros for the 1968 season . Previously, the Oilers had played at Jeppesen Stadium at the University of Houston (later called Robertson Stadium) from 1960 to 1964, and Rice University's stadium from 1965 to 1967. Adams had intended the team play at Rice from the first, but Rice's board of regents initially rejected
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#17327722159611440-622: A large part of Houston's offense that many fans began referring to the team as the Houston "Earlers". However, this would soon change, as the marketing department of the Houston Oilers under the direction of PR Director Jack Cherry would give Oilers fans another catchphrase to use while cheering for their team. On November 20, 1978 , the Oilers took on the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football . In order to boost team spirit,
1560-409: A new stadium privately, but refused to publicly support the project. Although Houstonians wanted to keep the Oilers, they were wary of investing more money on a stadium so soon after the Astrodome improvements. The city was also still struggling to recover from the oil collapse of the 1980s . Adams, sensing that he was not going to get the stadium he wanted, began shopping the Oilers to other cities. He
1680-453: A passing play. The Bengals players called this a dirty play; the NFL ruled that it was accidental and did not fine von Oelhoffen for the hit. The incident led to an intensifying of the rivalry. The Bengals beat the Steelers in Week 13 of the 2005 season 38–31, and wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh used a Terrible Towel to polish his cleats while walking up the tunnel after the game, fueling
1800-673: A professional American football team based in Pittsburgh . The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933 , the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL, and the oldest franchise in the AFC. In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre- merger NFL, where they were
1920-477: A regular-season streak of 49 consecutive wins ( 1971 – 1979 ) against teams that would finish with a losing record that year. The Steelers suffered a rash of injuries in the 1980 season and missed the playoffs with a 9–7 record. The 1981 season was no better, with an 8–8 showing. The team was then hit with the retirements of all their key players from the Super Bowl years. "Mean" Joe Greene retired after
2040-457: A result, the 1996 season was an unmitigated disaster. Only three games attracted crowds of more than 30,000 people. Games were so quiet that it was possible to hear conversations on the field from the grandstand. Meanwhile, the team's radio network, which once stretched across the state of Texas, was reduced to flagship KTRH in Houston and a few affiliates in Tennessee. By October 1996, KTRH
2160-482: A row. Before the 1980 season Pastorini was traded to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler . 1980 saw the Oilers go 11–5 and achieve a wild card spot for the third year in a row, but they were quickly vanquished by Oakland , 27–7. Bud Adams fired Bum Phillips , who was succeeded by Ed Biles . Afterwards began a long playoff drought as the Oilers fell to 7–9 in 1981 , and 1–8 in
2280-421: A third option during home games only. In 2012, the Steelers introduced a new third uniform, consisting of a yellow jersey with black horizontal lines (making a bumble bee like pattern) with black lettering and black numbers placed inside a white box, to represent the jerseys worn by the Steelers in their 1934 season . The rest of the uniform consists of beige pants, yellow with black horizontal stripped socks, and
2400-541: A win in the AFC Championship game. The two teams complement each other by consistently fielding strong defenses. The Steelers lead the all-time series (including playoffs), 32–24. The teams have met four times in the postseason, with the Steelers owning a 3–1 record. The Steelers' rivalry with the Cincinnati Bengals dates from the 1970 season, when the AFL–NFL merger was completed. In 1976 ,
2520-407: The 1981 season , Lynn Swann and Jack Ham after 1982 's playoff berth, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount after 1983 's divisional championship, and Jack Lambert after 1984 's AFC Championship Game appearance. After those retirements, the franchise skidded to its first losing seasons since 1971. Though still competitive, the Steelers would not finish above .500 in 1985 , 1986 , and 1988 . In 1987 ,
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#17327722159612640-787: The 1995 season an appearance in Super Bowl XXX on the strength of the "Blitzburgh" defense. However, the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, two weeks after a thrilling AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts . Cowher produced the franchise's record-tying fifth Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XL over the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks ten years later. With that victory,
2760-486: The 2015 season. A central figure is Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict , often inflicting brutal hits, resulting in serious injuries to several Steelers on multiple occasions. In the 2015 Wild Card playoff game in Cincinnati, Burfict was the culprit of a late penalty directly responsible for an extremely unlikely 18–16 Steelers comeback victory. The Steelers lead the all-time series, 63–35. The teams have met twice in
2880-472: The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). In fact, it was Cleveland -based Republic Steel that suggested the Steelers adopt the industry logo. It consists of the word "Steelers" surrounded by three astroids ( hypocycloids of four cusps ). The original meanings behind the astroids were, "Steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure, and widens your world." Later, the colors came to represent
3000-552: The Baltimore Ravens has had several memorable match-ups and has escalated into a fierce divisional rivalry. Both teams handed the other their first losses at their current home stadiums. The Steelers won the inaugural game played at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in 1998 , 20–13, and three years later the Ravens handed the Steelers their first-ever loss at Heinz Field , 13–10. Later that season ( 2001 ) Pittsburgh won
3120-560: The Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise. The Oilers were aligned into the AFC Central with the Steelers in 1970 and were division rivals for 32 seasons. The Steelers dominated the rivalry during the Houston era and defeated the Oilers in all three of their playoff matchups. However, since the franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997, the rivalry shifted, with the Titans winning 13 of 22 meetings (including
3240-486: The Houston Texans , which adopted a similar red, white and blue team color tandem, albeit in darker shades and inherited the sports complex the Oilers had played in, but not the Oilers' former home; what is now called NRG Stadium (formerly Reliant Stadium) would be built next door to the Astrodome in 2002. Brad Hopkins was the last player on the Titans who played for the Oilers when he retired in 2005. Jon Runyan
3360-676: The Los Angeles Chargers (2–1), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2–0), and the Broncos (5–3). The Steelers have an all-time regular-season record of 15–13 against the Patriots. In the Bill Belichick era, the main period of the rivalry, the Patriots have a 12–4 record against the Steelers. In their last matchup, the Patriots beat the Steelers 33–3 on Sunday Night Football . Pittsburgh also has a rivalry with
3480-609: The New York Giants . Through the 1930s, the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division, or with a record better than .500 ( 1936 ). Pittsburgh did make history in 1938 by signing Byron White , a future Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court , to what was at the time the biggest contract in NFL history, but he played only one year with the Pirates before signing with the Detroit Lions . Prior to
3600-626: The North Shore neighborhood, which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh Panthers . Built in 2001 as Heinz Field, the stadium replaced Three Rivers Stadium , which had hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons. Prior to Three Rivers, the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and at Forbes Field . The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL first took to the field as the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20, 1933, losing 23–2 to
3720-527: The Oakland Raiders (which are now the Las Vegas Raiders). From 1978 to 1980 , the Houston Oilers, led by Bum Phillips and in the midst of the Luv Ya Blue campaign, appeared in and lost the 1978 and 1979 AFC Championship Games . The Oilers were a consistent playoff team from 1987 to 1993 , an era that included both of the team's only division titles ( 1991 and 1993 ), as well as
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3840-464: The Oilers had their first winning season of the decade going 10–4 but did not make the playoffs. Injuries and inadequate offense doomed them to a 5–9 season in 1976 , but the team improved to 8–6 the following year, and in 1978 , the Oilers ' fortunes improved when they drafted University of Texas football star Earl Campbell , known as the "Tyler Rose", who was Rookie of the Year that year and led
3960-544: The University of Texas . Campbell went on to become the NFL Rookie of the Year , as well as the Most Valuable Player in 1978. Led by the charismatic Phillips, the team quickly became a sensation in Houston. Many team members, including Campbell, began adopting Phillips' "good ole boy" attitude by wearing cowboy boots and "ten gallon" cowboy hats. As the 1978 season progressed, Campbell contributed such
4080-549: The strike-shortened 1982 season . In 1983 , Houston went 2–14. Biles resigned in Week 6 and was succeeded by Chuck Studley , who served merely as an interim coach until Hugh Campbell was hired in the off-season. In 1984 , the Oilers won a bidding war for free-agent former CFL quarterback Warren Moon (who played for Campbell with the Edmonton Eskimos ), but didn't return to the playoffs that year either, with two wins and fourteen losses. The aging Earl Campbell
4200-487: The " Steagles "; the team's colors at that time were green and white as a result of wearing Eagles uniforms. Originally, the team wore solid gold-colored helmets and black jerseys. The Steelers' black and gold colors are now shared by all major professional teams in the city, including the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball and the Pittsburgh Penguins in ice hockey. The shade of gold differs slightly among teams:
4320-487: The "Carpets"). This team finished 0–10, marking the only winless team in franchise history. The Steelers made the playoffs for the first time in 1947 , tying for first place in the division at 8–4 with the Philadelphia Eagles . This forced a tie-breaking playoff game at Forbes Field , which the Steelers lost 21–0. That would be Pittsburgh's only playoff game in the pre-merger era; they did qualify for
4440-514: The 1940 season, the Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers. During World War II, the Steelers experienced player shortages. They twice merged with other NFL franchises to field a team. During the 1943 season , they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles forming the "Phil-Pitt Eagles" and were known as the " Steagles ". This team went 5–4–1. In 1944 , they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and were known as Card-Pitt (or, mockingly, as
4560-506: The 1980 home games. The song was played to the tune of the Beatle's song " Love Me Do ", which resulted in a copyright lawsuit. Lyrics to another song (Houston Oilers Fight Song), written by Lee Ofman was played until their departure in the NFL in 1996. Look out football, here we come, Houston Oilers, number one. Houston has the Oilers, the greatest football team. We take the ball from goal to goal like no one's ever seen. We're in
4680-496: The 2016 AFC Championship Game . They also won in 2017 when a go-ahead touchdown reception by Steelers' tight end Jesse James was controversially called back. Though they ultimately missed the playoffs, the Steelers defeated the Patriots by a score of 17–10 on December 16, 2018, in Pittsburgh. In the postseason, the Patriots have outscored the Steelers 135–75, with the Patriots maintaining a 4–1 record. The only other franchises with winning AFC playoff records against Steelers include
4800-467: The 2022 season, the team drafted Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett with their first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett started 12 games as the Steelers went 9–8 and missed the postseason in the 2022 season. In the 2023 season, the team finished 10–7 and third in the AFC North. They made the playoffs and were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round 31–17. Prior to the 2024 season,
4920-488: The AFC Championship game after a 15–1 regular season. The Patriots won six of seven meetings over a ten-year period ( 1998 – 2007 ) before the Steelers broke through with a 33–10 victory at Foxborough in 2008 , after Matt Cassel turned the ball over five times. The Patriots in 2013 then made history by becoming the first opponent to score 55 points on the Steelers, winning 55–31. The Patriots won again in 2015 (28–21) and 2016's regular season (27–16), and then won 36–17 in
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5040-408: The Broncos dates from 1970 , but the first notable contest came in 1973 , when Denver dealt Pittsburgh its first regular-season defeat at Three Rivers Stadium , 23–13. The following year, they met in the NFL's first regular-season overtime game, which ended in a 35–35 tie. Denver's first playoff game had them hosting the Steelers in the 1977 divisional round; the Broncos won 34–21. The following year,
5160-401: The Browns special teams and secondary before following Marty Schottenheimer for a brief tenure as Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator, and then hired by Pittsburgh. This has only intensified the rivalry. The teams have met three times in the postseason (1994, 2002, and 2021) with the Steelers winning the first two meetings, but losing the most recent in 2021. Pittsburgh's rivalry with
5280-717: The Century Division of the Eastern Conference in 1967. When the league reformed into the NFC and AFC in 1970, the Steelers were placed in the AFC Central until 2001 when they were realigned into the AFC North Division. The Steelers have used black and gold as their colors since the club's inception, the lone exception being the 1943 season when they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles and formed
5400-551: The Houston Oilers in 1978. Then after the ABC Monday Night Football game on December 10, 1979, where 50,000 "Luv Ya Blue" flashcards were distributed and the Houston Oilers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mack Hayes wrote, copyrighted and recorded his song, Luv ya Blue . The song became the Oilers' rallying song the following year and Hayes and the Love Ya Blue band played at the Astrodome for each of
5520-408: The Houston Oilers' team history and records, while the team name was retired by then- NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue , thus preventing a future Houston NFL team from using the Houston Oilers' name. Later Houston-based football teams have paid homage to the Oilers. The Houston Roughnecks , an XFL team founded in 2020, shares their name with the Oilers' old mascot and used a logo that resembled
5640-572: The Houston Oilers' until they changed it under pressure from the NFL. The University of Houston football team wore Oilers-style throwback uniforms during the Cougars' 2023 season opener against UTSA . The Houston Oilers began in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League . They were owned by Bud Adams , a Houston oilman who had made several previous unsuccessful bids for an NFL expansion team in Houston. Adams
5760-529: The Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers… (fade out) While the Oilers would never win an AFC Championship, they reached two AFC title games during the Luv Ya Blue era, which included losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978 and 1979. Despite the tough losses, they were still welcome to thundering roars by crowds in Houston on both returns. During the latter rally, head coach Bum Phillips made
5880-648: The Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round before falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. In the 2017 season, the Steelers won the AFC North with a 13–3 mark. Their postseason was short lived with a 45–42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite a 9–6–1 record in the 2018 season, the Steelers missed the playoffs. The Steelers went 8–8 and missed the postseason in the 2019 season. The 2020 season saw
6000-487: The NFL as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8, 1933. The team was owned by Art Rooney and took its original name from the baseball team of the same name , as was common practice for NFL teams at the time. To distinguish them from the baseball team, local media took to calling the football team the Rooneymen , an unofficial nickname that persisted for decades after the team had adopted its current nickname. The ownership of
6120-710: The NFL in the AFL–;NFL merger of the late 1960s. The Houston Oilers competed in the AFL's East division —along with the Buffalo Bills , the New York Jets and the Boston Patriots —until the merger, when they joined the newly formed AFC Central . The team played home games at Jeppesen Stadium and Rice Stadium during its first eight seasons, and thereafter at the Astrodome . The Houston Oilers were
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#17327722159616240-479: The NFL when they signed LSU's Heisman Trophy winner, All-America running back Billy Cannon . Cannon joined other Oiler offensive stars such as quarterback George Blanda , flanker Charlie Hennigan , running back Charlie Tolar , and guard Bob Talamini . After winning the first-ever AFL championship over the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 , they repeated over the same team (then in San Diego) in 1961 . (In 2012,
6360-462: The NFL. The Steelers have also won eight AFC championships , tied with the Denver Broncos , but behind the Patriots' record 11 AFC championships. The team is tied with the Broncos, Dallas Cowboys , and San Francisco 49ers for the second-most Super Bowl appearances with eight. The Steelers, whose history may be traced to a regional pro team that was established in the early 1920s , joined
6480-508: The Oilers gave each fan a blue and white pompom before the game. The sight of over 50,000 fans waving the pompoms inspired the Oilers to a 35-30 victory behind Earl Campbell's 199 rushing yards and four touchdowns. After the game, Campbell stated, "The display of Blue was a chance for people of all races and backgrounds to come together as a city.” The Luv Ya Blue Era was born. Licensed products began appearing all over Houston. Joske's opened Luv ya Blue retail shops inside their stores. Luv ya Blue
6600-401: The Oilers to their first playoff appearance since the merger. Defeating Miami in the wild-card round, they then trumped New England , leading to immediately rebuilding of the Patriots. But in the AFC Championship, the Steelers routed them 34–5. In spite of the lopsided defeat, the Oilers returned home to a packed Astrodome for a pep-rally uncommon in professional sports. The 1979 season
6720-434: The Patriots was in the 1997 playoffs before he departed to the rival New York Jets . Following the 2001 AFC title upset, the Patriots defeated the Steelers 30–14 at the start of the 2002 season. Pittsburgh did not exact revenge for the two losses until ending the Patriots' record-setting 21-game winning streak in week 6 of the 2004 NFL season . Later that season, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots in
6840-407: The Penguins have previously used "Vegas Gold", a color similar to metallic gold, and the Pirates' gold is a darker mustard yellow-gold, while the Steelers "gold" is more of a bright canary yellow. Black and gold are also the colors of the city's official flag . The Steelers logo was introduced in 1962 and is based on the " Steelmark ", originally designed by Pittsburgh's U.S. Steel and now owned by
6960-414: The Steelers became the third team to win five Super Bowls, and the first sixth-seeded playoff team to reach and win the Super Bowl since the NFL expanded to a 12-team post-season tournament in 1990. He coached through the 2006 season which ended with an 8–8 record, just short of the playoffs. Overall Cowher's teams reached the playoffs 10 of 15 seasons with six AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl berths and
7080-422: The Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since the organization's founding. Art Rooney's son, Dan Rooney , owned the team from 1988 until his death in 2017. Much control of the franchise has been given to Dan Rooney's son, Art Rooney II . The Steelers enjoy a large, widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation . They currently play their home games at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh's North Side in
7200-405: The Steelers have franchise-best 11–0 start. However, the team faded at the end of the season to finish 12–4. The team lost in the Wild Card Round to the Cleveland Browns 48–37. The 2021 season saw the team go 9–7–1 and make the postseason. The Steelers lost 42–21 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round. Longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. Through
7320-471: The Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive (they later won the division) with a late-season 7–3 win in snowy Cincinnati. One of the most memorable games was the 2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game , in which the Steelers, en route to a Super Bowl title , won a 31–17 come-from-behind victory after Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer was forced to leave the game with a knee injury. The injury happened when nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen contacted Palmer's knee during
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#17327722159617440-464: The Steelers regular black helmet. The uniforms were used for the Steelers' 80th anniversary season. Much like the previous alternate these jerseys were so popular that they were used up through the 2016 season. The jerseys were nicknamed the "bumblebee jerseys" due to looking like the pattern of a bumblebee. The jerseys were retired after the 2016 season. Also in 2016, the Steelers introduced its alternate black Color Rush uniforms. These were based on
7560-415: The Steelers to their second Super Bowl of this decade, and went on to win 27–23 against the Arizona Cardinals . At age 36, he was the youngest head coach to ever win the Super Bowl, and he is only the second African-American coach to ever win the Super Bowl ( Tony Dungy was the first). In their title defense, the Steelers went 9–7 and missed the postseason in the 2009 season. In the 2010 season, Tomlin led
7680-509: The Steelers traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. The team traded for Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears and signed Russell Wilson, who was released from the Denver Broncos. Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have compiled a regular-season record of 444–282–2 (.635) and an overall record of 480–305–2 (.635) including the playoffs, reached the playoffs 30 times, won their division 22 times, played in 16 AFC championship games, and won six of eight Super Bowls. They are also
7800-439: The Wild Card Round to end the season. The following year, he led the Steelers to a 12–4 mark and a division title. With wins over the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, Tomlin became the third consecutive Steelers Head Coach to go to the Super Bowl, equaling the Dallas Cowboys (Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer) in this achievement. On February 1, 2009, Tomlin led
7920-438: The air, we're on the ground ... always in control And when you say the Oilers, you're talking Super Bowl. 'Cause we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. Yes, we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. We've got the offense. We've got the defense. We give the other team no hope. 'Cause we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, You know we're gonna hold
8040-399: The city for a new stadium, one with club seating and other revenue generators present in recently built NFL stadiums, and he committed to pay for 25% of the cost of a new stadium. His idea called for a downtown domed stadium that could also be reconfigured to accommodate the NBA 's Houston Rockets –similar to San Antonio 's Alamodome . Mayor Bob Lanier initially supported Adams' bid for
8160-416: The divisional round, partly thanks to the play of Vernon Perry (4 INTs and a blocked FG) as well as the outstanding line coached by Joe Bugel . The Oilers returned to the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row, only to get knocked down by the Pittsburgh Steelers again, in spite of a terrific effort by Dan Pastorini—the Steelers had shut the ailing Campbell down, yet Pastorini nearly succeeded with
8280-414: The dubious distinction of being on the losing end of the second largest comeback in NFL history . For the rest of the Oilers' time in Houston, they compiled losing seasons in almost every other year. The Houston Oilers' main colors were Columbia blue and white, with scarlet trim, while their logo was a simple derrick . Oilers jerseys were always Columbia blue for home and white for away. The helmet color
8400-445: The end of the 2021 season, Tomlin's record is 162–94–2 (.632), including playoffs. He is the first Pittsburgh coach to never post a losing season. The 2013–17 seasons were noted for record performances from the " Killer B's ". This trio consisted of Antonio Brown , Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell . Occasionally, the "Killer B's" has also included kicker Chris Boswell due to his ability to hit game-winning field goals. Prior to
8520-430: The final game of the regular season (nationally broadcast on ESPN ) against the New York Jets. After the season ended, Moon was traded to the Minnesota Vikings . Without Moon, the Oilers finished the next season 2–14, the third-worst record for a full season in franchise history. The Oilers would never make the playoffs again in Texas. However, they did draft Steve McNair in 1995 . At the same time, Adams again lobbied
8640-738: The first champions of the American Football League, winning the 1960 and 1961 championships, but never won another. The Houston Oilers appeared in the 1962 AFL Championship , losing in double overtime to their in-state rivals, the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs ); they also won the AFL East Division title in 1967 and qualified for the AFL Playoffs in 1969 , both times losing to
8760-462: The first to start an African-American quarterback (December 3, 1973, with Joe Gilliam ), the first team to boast of an African-American Super Bowl MVP (January 12, 1975, with Franco Harris ), the first to hire an African-American Coordinator (September 2, 1984, with Tony Dungy ), the first owner to push for passage of an "equal opportunity" mandating that at least one minority candidate is given an interview in all head coach hiring decisions throughout
8880-456: The franchise, while two of the brothers – Timothy and Patrick – wanted to further pursue racetracks that they own in Florida and New York. Since 2006, many of the racetracks have added video slot machines , causing them to violate "NFL policy that prohibits involvement with racetrack and gambling interests". Upon Dan Rooney's death in 2017, he and Art Rooney II retained control of
9000-414: The front and back of the helmets. The current uniform designs were introduced in 1968 . The design consists of gold pants and either black jerseys or white jerseys, except for the 1970 and 1971 seasons when the Steelers wore white pants with their white jerseys. In 1997 , the team switched to rounded numbers on the jersey to match the number font ( Futura Condensed ) on the helmets, and a Steelers logo
9120-404: The ingredients used in the steel-making process: yellow for coal, red for iron ore, and blue for scrap steel. While the formal Steelmark logo contains only the word "Steel", the team was given permission to add "ers" in 1963 after a petition to AISI. The Steelers are the only NFL team that puts its logo on only one side of the helmet (the right side). Longtime field and equipment manager Jack Hart
9240-790: The league (the Rooney Rule in the early 2000s), and the first to hire a female as full-time athletic trainer ( Ariko Iso on July 24, 2002). The Steelers were a part of the NFL Eastern Division from 1933 to 1943 and were briefly in the Western Division in 1944, before returning to the Eastern Division until 1949. The team was then in the American Conference from 1950 to 1952, and the Eastern Conference from 1953 to 1966. They were then placed in
9360-408: The modest receiving corps of Mike Renfro, Rich Caster, and Ronnie Coleman venturing into the Steelers excellent defense. A controversial out-of-bounds call nullified a touchdown by wide receiver Mike Renfro resulting in a 27–13 victory for Pittsburgh. Once again, after a tough loss, the Oilers returned to their then-adoring fans who packed the Astrodome for an impromptu pep-rally for the second year in
9480-503: The most conference championship games (11), and is tied with the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl appearances (8). The Steelers have the best winning percentage (including every expansion team), earned the most All-Pro nominations, and have accumulated the most Super Bowl wins (6) since the modern game started in 1970. In 2017, they became the first team to reach 450 victories in
9600-658: The move. After the Astrodome opened for business, Adams attempted to move there, but could not negotiate an acceptable lease with the Houston Sports Association (owners of the Houston Astros ) from whom he would sublease the Dome. The 1969 season , the last as an AFL team, saw Houston begin 3–1, but tumble afterwards. They qualified for the playoffs , but were defeated by the Raiders 56–7, to finish
9720-426: The number of teams in the two conferences of the newly merged league. The Steelers also received a $ 3 million ($ 23.5 million today) relocation fee, which was a windfall for them; for years they rarely had enough to build a true contending team. The Steelers' history of bad luck changed with the hiring of coach Chuck Noll from the NFL champion Baltimore Colts for the 1969 season . Noll's most remarkable talent
9840-479: The oldest team never to have won a league championship, the Steelers of the post- merger (modern) era are among the most successful NFL franchises, especially during their dynasty in the 1970s. The team is tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles at six, and they have both played in (16 times) and hosted (11 times) more conference championship games than any other team in
9960-475: The only NFL team not to have a season with 12 or more losses since the league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978. Since 2008, the Rooney family has brought in several investors for the team while retaining control of the team itself. This came about so that the team could comply with NFL ownership regulations. Dan Rooney , and his son, Art Rooney II , president of the franchise, wanted to stay involved with
10080-592: The other league, when wide receiver Willard Dewveall left the Bears to join the champion Oilers. Dewveall that year caught the longest pass reception for a touchdown in professional American football history, 99 yards, from Jacky Lee , against the San Diego Chargers . The Oilers won the AFL Eastern Division title again in 1967 , then became the first professional football team to play in
10200-469: The past ten seasons, while winning their division four times. In the NFL's "modern era" (since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970) the Steelers have posted the best record in the league. The franchise has won the most regular-season games, the most playoff games (33 playoff wins; the Dallas Cowboys are second with 32), won the most divisional titles (20), has played in the most conference championship games (15), hosted
10320-509: The past, most notably the Las Vegas Raiders , Dallas Cowboys , Denver Broncos , New England Patriots , and Tennessee Titans . They also have an intrastate rivalry with the Philadelphia Eagles , but under the current scheduling the teams play each other only once every four years. The Steelers and Cleveland Browns have been divisional rivals since the two cities' teams began playing against each other in 1950. After posting
10440-481: The postseason with a 12–4 record. They lost in overtime to the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round. The Steelers recorded their 400th victory in Week 8 of the 2012 season after defeating the Washington Redskins . Overall, the Steelers went 8–8 and missed the postseason in 2012. In the 2013 season, the Steelers went 8–8 and missed the postseason. In the 2014 season, the Steelers won the AFC North with
10560-548: The postseason, with the Steelers winning both times. The New England Patriots emerged as a prominent rival in league circles when the Patriots upset the Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field , though the two teams had met in the postseason twice before; the Patriots defeated the Steelers in 1996 28–3 while the Steelers won 7–6 in 1997 ; both times, the Patriots fielded players with Pittsburgh-area roots in Ty Law and Curtis Martin . Martin's final game with
10680-509: The regular season since the 1970 merger. The Steelers are 36–26 (.580) in the postseason, with all but one (the 1947 playoff) having been played since the merger. The franchise, along with the Rooney family have for generations been strong advocates for equality of opportunity for both minorities and women. Among these achievements of the Steelers was the first to hire an African-American assistant coach (September 29, 1957, with Lowell Perry ),
10800-427: The retail outlet Old Navy earned infamy for selling a shirt that misidentified the 1961 AFL champions as the Houston Texans , which did not exist until 2002.) The Oilers lost to the Dallas Texans in the classic 1962 double-overtime AFL championship game , at the time the longest professional football championship game ever played. In 1962 , the Oilers were the first AFL team to sign an active NFL player away from
10920-534: The rivalry. The Steelers and Bengals finished 2005 and 2006 with identical records (11–5 and 8–8 respectively), splitting both regular-season series, the Bengals winning the tiebreaker both years due to having a superior division record. The Steelers also are responsible for ending the Bengals' season in Cincinnati two years in a row, eliminating them from the playoffs in 2005 and taking them out of contention in 2006 . The rivalry has become more intense again since
11040-541: The rope. Yes, we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. Yes, we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. 'Cause we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. Five - Seven - Eight, we're the best from the Lone Star State! Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. 'Cause we're the Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Houston Oilers, Number One. Yes we're
11160-465: The season to 15 games, three by substitute players. After ending 9–6, the team achieved its first winning record and playoff berth in seven years. After beating the Seahawks in overtime, they fell to Denver in the divisional round. Going 10–6 in 1988 , the Oilers again got into the playoffs as a wild card, beat Cleveland in a snowy 24–23 match, and then lost to Buffalo a week later. 1989 saw
11280-521: The second round to the Chiefs. However, the 1993 season is best remembered as being a turbulent season for the team, as internal conflict plagued the team with a 1–4 start before they eventually won their final 11 games of the season. One notable part of the turbulence was a brawl between offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan (who did not get along very well at all) on
11400-506: The smallest capacity in the NFL. Not willing to lose the Oilers, Harris County responded with $ 67 million in improvements to the Astrodome that included new AstroTurf, 10,000 additional seats and 65 luxury boxes. These improvements were funded by increases in property taxes and the doubling of the hotel tax, as well as bonds to be paid over 30 years. However, Adams' increasing demands for greater and more expensive accommodations to be funded at taxpayer expense sowed seeds of tension that assisted
11520-432: The smallest crowd in franchise history. Adams, the city and the league were unwilling to see this continue for another season, so a deal was reached on May 8, 1997 to let the Oilers out of their lease a year early and move to Tennessee. The Oilers lost their final game in Houston 21–13. In 1999, Robert McNair was awarded, at a cost of $ 1 billion, an expansion team which replaced the Oilers in Houston. The franchise became
11640-728: The team in the late 1980s, and finally did so after the 1996 season. He moved the team to Tennessee , where they played as the Tennessee Oilers in Memphis for the 1997 season, then in Nashville for the 1998 season. In 1999, to coincide with the opening of their new stadium , Adams changed the team name to the Tennessee Titans and the color scheme from Columbia Blue, Scarlet, and White to Titans Blue, Navy, White, and Silver with scarlet accents. The franchise retained
11760-664: The team owners were approached by then- Iowa Hawkeyes Head Coach Hayden Fry about designing his fading college team's uniforms in the image of the Steelers. Three days later, the owners sent Fry the reproduction jerseys (home and away versions) of then quarterback Terry Bradshaw . Today, the Hawkeyes still retain the 1979 Steelers uniforms as their home, and away colors. The Pittsburgh Steelers have three primary rivals, all within their division: ( Cleveland Browns , Baltimore Ravens , and Cincinnati Bengals ). They also have rivalries with other teams that arose from post-season battles in
11880-545: The team to a 12–4 record and an AFC North title. The team defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round and the New York Jets in the AFC Championship. Tomlin became the only coach to reach the Super Bowl twice before the age of 40 as he took the team to Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011. However, the Steelers were defeated by the Green Bay Packers , 31–25. In the 2011 season, the Steelers made
12000-405: The team with the league-minimum 30%, the following made up the other investors at the time: Three minority investors in the Steelers have since became majority owners of other NFL teams: Through the end of the 2023 season , the Steelers have an all-time record of 707–606–22, including playoffs. In recent seasons the Steelers have generally performed well, qualifying for the playoffs six times in
12120-425: The team's departure from Houston. The Oilers briefly rose to become a league power once again in the first half of the 1990s. In 1991 , the Oilers won their first division title in 25 years, and their first as an NFL team. However, only two minutes away from their first conference title game in 13 years, they were the victims of an 80-yard march by John Elway and the Denver Broncos before David Treadwell kicked
12240-471: The uniforms they wore from 1946 to 1965, but with black pants in place of either gold or white pants. In 2018, the Steelers unveiled a third uniform based on those worn from 1968 to 1997, coinciding with the Steel Curtain teams of the 1970s. It is similar to the current uniforms but without the Steelers logo on the left chest and use block lettering and numbers in place of Futura Condensed. In 1979,
12360-457: The year of the players' strike , the Steelers finished with a record of 8–7, but missed the playoffs. In 1989 , they would reach the second round of the playoffs on the strength of Merrill Hoge and Rod Woodson before narrowly missing the playoffs in each of the next two seasons, Noll's last seasons. Noll's career record with Pittsburgh was 209–156–1. In 1992, Chuck Noll retired and
12480-612: The year with a record of 6–7–2. The years immediately after the AFL-NFL Merger were not as kind to the Oilers, who sank to the bottom of the AFC Central division. After going 3–10–1 in 1970 , they went 4–9–1 in 1971 , and then suffered back-to-back 1–13 seasons in 1972 – 73 . But by 1974 , the Oilers led by Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman brought the team back to respectability by reaching .500 at season's end. The next year , Bum Phillips arrived and with talented stars like Elvin Bethea and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson ,
12600-416: Was Columbia blue with a white derrick from 1960 through 1965 , silver with a Columbia blue derrick from 1966 through 1971 , and Columbia blue with a white-and-scarlet derrick from 1972 through 1974 , before changing to a white helmet with a Columbia blue derrick beginning in 1975 and lasting the remainder of the team's time in Houston. The team was owned by Bud Adams , who began threatening to move
12720-480: Was a near rerun of 1978 as the Oilers finished 11–5 with Campbell gaining 1,600 yards in the regular season, and again earned a wild card spot. Beating the Broncos in the first home playoff game in Houston in over a decade, the Oilers' performance suffered with injuries to Campbell, quarterback Dan Pastorini and top receiver Ken Burrough . They did manage to edge past the high-flying San Diego of Dan Fouts in
12840-418: Was a sports promotion that captured the connection of a city to its team. After that night, blue-clad fans began to bring "Luv Ya Blue" signs to the Astrodome . Face painting also became popular, with many fans sporting the Oilers' logo painted on their cheek. Pep rallies were often organized and the Astrodome was regularly sold out as the entire city went wild for the Oilers. Houston's energy-based economy
12960-433: Was added to the left side of the jersey. The 2007–2011 third uniform, consisting of a black jersey with gold lettering, white pants with black and gold stripes, and a gold helmet were first used during the Steelers' 75th anniversary season in 2007 . They were meant to evoke the memory of the 1963 – 1964 era uniforms. The uniforms were so popular among fans that the Steelers' organization decided to keep them and use them as
13080-456: Was also booming at the time due to rising fuel prices, and this gave a large sense of optimism that boosted Oilers fans. Additionally, many thousands of new Houstonians had recently moved in from other parts of the US due to the surging economy, and the Oilers became a common cause for new and established citizens to feel civic pride. Local singer/songwriter Mack Hayes wrote and recorded the song, We’re
13200-430: Was an influential member of the eight original AFL owners, since he, Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and Buffalo Bills founder Ralph Wilson were more financially stable than the other five. (All three would go on to own their franchises for over forty years, whereas the others pulled out by the 1980s.) The Oilers appeared in the first three AFL championships. They scored an important victory over
13320-411: Was cutting off games prior to their finish in favor of Houston Rockets preseason games. The Oilers got off to a 5–2 start, but a stretch of four losses in five games took them out of playoff contention. The team went 8–8, finishing 6–2 in road games and only 2–6 in home games. The team's final game in Houston, against the Bengals on December 15, attracted just over 15,000 people—by at least one estimate,
13440-498: Was fired. http://www.luvyablue.net (Jim Schmidt co-creator marketing dept Houston Oilers) Houston Oilers National Football League ( 1970 – 1996 ) The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas from its founding in 1960 to 1996 . The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and won two AFL championships before joining
13560-404: Was in his draft selections, taking Hall of Famers "Mean" Joe Greene in 1969 , Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount in 1970 , Jack Ham in 1971 , Franco Harris in 1972 , and finally, in 1974, pulling off the incredible feat of selecting five Hall of Famers in one draft year, Lynn Swann , Jack Lambert , John Stallworth , Donnie Shell and Mike Webster . The Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 draft
13680-419: Was instructed to do this by Art Rooney as a test to see how the logo appeared on the gold helmets; however, its popularity led the team to leave it that way permanently. A year after introducing the logo, they switched to black helmets to make it stand out more. The Steelers, along with the New York Giants , are one of only two teams in the National Football League to have the players' uniform numbers on both
13800-426: Was particularly intrigued by Nashville, and opened secret talks with mayor Phil Bredesen . On November 16, 1995 , Adams announced that the Oilers would be moving to Nashville for the 1998 season . City officials there promised to contribute $ 144 million toward a new stadium, as well as $ 70 million in ticket sales. After the move was announced, support for the Oilers in the Houston area dried up almost overnight. As
13920-421: Was set up to conduct interviews for the head coaching vacancy. On January 22, 2007, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin was announced as Cowher's successor as head coach. Tomlin is the first African-American to be named head coach of the team in its 75-year history. In his first season, he led the Steelers to a 10–6 record and AFC North title. The team fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31–29 in
14040-482: Was succeeded by Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bill Cowher , a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton . Cowher led the Steelers to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons, a feat that had been accomplished only by legendary coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns . In those first six seasons, Cowher coached them as deep as the AFC Championship Game three times and following
14160-558: Was the last active NFL player to have played for the Oilers when he retired in 2009. Bud Adams established the Titans/Oilers Hall of Fame after the 40th season of the franchise to honor past players and management. Pittsburgh Steelers 1943 due to loss of players during World War II (temporary merger with Philadelphia Eagles ): 1944 due to loss of players during World War II (temporary merger with Chicago Cardinals ): The Pittsburgh Steelers are
14280-435: Was their best ever; no other team has ever drafted five future Hall of Famers in one year, and only very few (including the 1970 Steelers) have drafted two or more in one year. The players drafted in the early 1970s formed the base of an NFL dynasty, making the playoffs in eight seasons and becoming the only team in NFL history to win four Super Bowls in six years, as well as the first to win more than two. They also enjoyed
14400-465: Was traded to New Orleans during the off-season and was replaced by Mike Rozier , a refugee from the USFL . In week 14 of the 1985 season , Campbell was replaced by Jerry Glanville , who saw the team through the last two games to finish 5–11. A 31–3 rout of Green Bay in the 1986 season opener looked promising, but in the end Houston only managed another 5–11 record. Another strike in 1987 reduced
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