As one of the NFL’s most successful and storied franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers have played in one of every six Super Bowls since the league began the championship tradition, winning six titles in eight appearances overall. With Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday featuring two teams not hailing from the Steel City, we reminisce on some of the best moments in the team’s superb history:
# 5 – In 1975 at Tulane Stadium, the Steel Curtain was in full force when the Steelers took a mere 2-0 lead to halftime on the first safety in a Super Bowl. A scoring opportunity for the Vikings late in the first half was thwarted when a Fran Tarkenton pass popped into the air after a hit on the receiver by safety Glen Edwards. Mel Blount intercepted the pass, the Steelers maintained their lead, and never lost it en route to a 16-6 victory in Super Bowl IX, the franchise’s first.
# 4 – Big plays highlighted Super Bowl XL (2005) in Detroit, including a 75-yard TD run by Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker and a 76-yard interception return by Kelly Herndon that set up a quick Seattle score. After those punches were exchanged, the Steelers landed the biggest blow on a brilliant trick play engineered by offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Antwaan Randle El became the first receiver to throw a TD pass in a Super Bowl when QB Ben Roethlisberger pitched to RB Willie Parker, and Parker handed it to Randle El. Randle El, a former college QB, aired one out 43 yards to Hines Ward for a fourth quarter score that put the game out of reach.
# 3 – Four Super Bowls in six years is pretty good, right? Four in four tries is also impressive, and in 1979 the Steelers achieved that feat with a comeback victory against the Rams in Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl. Trailing 19-17 with about 13 minutes left, Terry Bradshaw launched a 73-yard TD pass to John Stallworth to take a lead they would not relinquish. The play cemented Pittsburgh’s football dominance in the 1970s.
# 2 – Lynn Swann had himself a game in Miami during Super Bowl X (1976), recovering from a concussion in the previous week’s AFC Championship in time to not only play, but play well enough to be the difference and the first receiver to be named Super Bowl MVP. He caught four passes for a whopping 161 yards, including a 64-yard TD that put Pittsburgh ahead 21-10 in the fourth quarter. Earlier on, he had a 53-yard grab that is considered by many as one of the most athletic catches in NFL history. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys 21-17, and probably would not have without Swann’s efforts.
# 1b – Super Bowl XLIII (2009) in Tampa featured two of the most incredible plays in the history of football’s championship game. Fortunately, they were both positive for Pittsburgh. NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison intercepted a Kurt Warner pass as the Arizona Cardinals attempted to take a lead in the final seconds before halftime. He improbably returned it 100 yards from one goal-line to the other, making it the longest scoring play in Super Bowl history. The touchdown, scored with 0:00 on the clock, put Pittsburgh ahead 17-7 and provided a significant 14-point swing. The Steelers went on to produce a record sixth Super Bowl title when…
#1a – Santonio Holmes had an out-of-body experience. He followed in the footsteps of Swann and Ward as the team’s third receiver to win the game’s MVP award. After Warner connected on a 64-yard shocker to Larry Fitzgerald late in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger and Holmes mounted a perfect two-minute drill to erase the 23-20 deficit and earn a 27-23 victory. Holmes caught a six-yard dart from Roethlisberger in the back corner of the end zone, managing to keep both feet in-bounds. The play survived an official replay and is perhaps the most clutch play in Super Bowl history.
