OT-Legendary Coach Chuck Noll Dies At 82
Lombardi, Laundry, Shula, Halas, Walsh, Gibbs and Noll. I am not sure of the order but I know who is in the conversation (Belicheck perhaps once he is done) and Noll was one of the greatest.
Besides great football he instilled great carachter. The steel curtain was the greatest defense of all time. The 85 Bears and 72 Dolphins can be argued had the best defense in a season but the Steelers defense sustained a dominanace over time I have not seen since.
Other then Franco Harris always running out of bounds rather then getting the extra 3 yards the Steelers of the 70's were some of the greatest the NFL has ever seen.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11080732/legendary-pitsburgh-steelers-coach-chuck-noll-dies-82
My dad and his side of the family are from Pennsylvania and big Steelers fans. They're in a period of mourning. Coached the Steelers for over 20 years IIRC. Won't see a guy do that again for a while IMO. Belichick is the only guy I could see doing it, but he'd still have to coach 6 more seasons.
Great coach and a fellow UD Alum. RIP & Go Flyers.
Go Flyers
Chuck Noll definitely left a mark on the NFL. As I recall, 12 postseason trips including 4 Super Bowl wins and nine first place finishes in the AFC Central. He was the architect of the "Steel Curtain", of course, and probably one of the better teachers the game ever had if you listen to the words of those who played under him. The New York Times ran a quote from Tony Dungy which I thought was rather awesome:
“I can remember the first meeting I was ever in as a rookie player, and after 20 minutes feeling like I know what it takes to win a Super Bowl."
That's leaving an impression, I would think. RIP Chuck Noll.
As impressive as it is that Noll is the only 4-time Super Bowl winning HC, what makes it even more amazing is this: When Noll took over the Steelers in '69, the franchise was (for all intents and purposes) the most unsuccessful program in the history of the NFL.
How bad, you might ask? NO TITLES EVER bad. So bad that Noll could only squeeze one victory in '69 out of the roster he inherited. But the turnaround started with his first and 2nd NFL draft, as the first Steeler draft pick in those seasons are names practically everybody will recognize: Mean Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw. Few teams in the NFL can match the long-term success of the Steelers in the years since the hiring of Noll
In comparison, the Lions at that point were only 12 seasons removed from their most recent NFL Championship season (1957). What have the Lions done since?
Those 70's Steeler team were AWESOME. One helluva leader who didn't seem to mind his players ego's becoming bigger than his...
Chuck Noll brought it to Pittsburgh, and I see it everywhere from the Penguins, to Pitt, and every year with the Steelers.
“Pittsburgh knows now how it feels to win. Chuck Noll taught them. That's his legacy.”
Just saying...
RIP Chuck.
Although it was said of all of them, they deserved the right to decide when to quit, we all know this is not true in today's world, quite possibly never was. There are two names that jump out-won't mention them out of respect - but basically had to be fired, undignified ending for two of the games' all-time greats. This wasn't the case with Chuck though. He went out on his terms after overseeing one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Damn, I won a lot of money off that team in the playoffs, especially when they played the Cowboys in the Superbowl. There were far too many people who bought into the self-proclomation of "America's team" and were all too happy to bet on them, but not all that happy to pay when they lost to the Steelers. Truly leader of one of the greatest teams ever assembled on both sides of the wall. The Steel Curtain and those three great lbers certainly garnered the fame but damn, that offensive line with those massive arms, playing in short-sleeves in freezing temps simply bulldozed people. Most HCs at any level will have their army of haters, for whatever reasons. However, and Chuck was there at the top, the list you assembled is comprised of coaches who actually taught the up and comers like Dungy and future greats how to conduct one's self on the sidelines. Like most of those mentioned, possessed the qualities that would have made him great in any profession. It was our luck, as fans, that those named along with Chuck opted for football. They essentially made the game what it is today.
He assembled great players and retained an incredible staff so he gets all of that credit as a coach. He took perhaps the worst franchise in the history of football at that time and left a legacy of winning that permeates today. Besides his record listen to what his peers, former players and rivals say of him and there is no doubt he was one of the all time greats.
I'd have to watch the Noll lead team play when at my freinds house on Sunday afternoons. They loved the Steelers, I hated them because of my friends love for Bradshaw with whom they shared the same last name.