Chuck Noll
The head coach who built the Steelers into a four-time Super Bowl champion.
Chuck Noll was the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 to 1991, the only head coaching job he ever held. He took over a team that had played in only one playoff game in its previous 36 years and turned it into a perennial contender. Noll won four Super Bowls, four AFC titles, and nine Central Division championships, compiling a 209–156–1 overall record and a 16–8 playoff mark. His tenure was defined by the dominant "Steel Curtain" defense and a potent offense led by Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth. Noll was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Guard, linebacker
- Born
- 5 January 1932
- Birthplace
- Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
- Died
- 13 June 2014
- Place of death
- Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- High school
- Benedictine (Cleveland)
- College
- Dayton (1949–1952)
- Draft year
- 1953
Lore & Background
When Noll was hired in 1969 at age 37, he was the youngest head coach in the NFL. He inherited a struggling team that had never recorded a postseason victory. In his first season, the Steelers finished 1–13, their worst record to date, which gave them the first overall pick in the 1970 draft. Noll used that pick to select Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
Prior to the 1970 season, Noll cut much of the roster, telling the team, "The reason you've been losing is you're not any good. You're not fast enough, you're not strong enough, you're not quick enough, you're not smart enough. I'm going to have to get rid of most of you." Only 14 players from the 1969 roster returned in 1970.
Noll built the team through astute drafting and meticulous tutoring, focusing on fundamentals like the three-point stance. His four Super Bowl victories rank second behind Bill Belichick for the most of any head coach in NFL history, and are the most ever by a head coach without a Super Bowl loss.
Reader's Guide
Chuck Noll served as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 until his retirement in 1991. When Noll retired after 23 years, only three other head coaches in NFL history had longer tenures with one team. He compiled a 209–156–1 (.572) overall record and a 16–8 playoff record. Noll had winning records in 15 of his final 20 seasons.
Did You Know?
- Noll was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 20th round of the 1953 NFL draft (239th overall).
- During his playing career with the Browns, Noll was used by Coach Paul Brown as a 'messenger guard' to send play calls to the quarterback, beginning with Otto Graham.
- Noll was paid only $5,000 per season with the Browns and worked as a substitute teacher and sold insurance on the side.
- Noll attended Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at night but decided against becoming a lawyer because 'he didn't really like the constant confrontation and arguments that come with being a lawyer.'
- Noll was the first coach in franchise history to start a black quarterback and hired one of the first black assistant coaches in league history.
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