Pittsburgh Steelers stats and facts
Last Updated: 30/01/17 11:00am
Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the original and latterly the most successful members of the NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Established: 1933
- Stadium: Heinz Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Team colours: Black, gold and white
- Head coach: Mike Tomlin
- Super Bowl Championships: 6
- Conference Championships: 8
- Division Championships: 22
- Play-offs appearances: 30 (1 pre-merger)
The pre-merger years, before the AFL and NFL combined in 1970, were almost entirely disappointing for the Pennsylvania outfit; in almost 40 years from their first season in 1933, they reached the playoffs just twice.
In the new-age NFL, however, they sprung to life. A defensively-focused team, powered on by defensive tackle, 'Mean' Joe Greene, who won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969, dominated the 1970s with four Super Bowl victories and two additional appearances in the AFC Conference Championship game.
After powerhouse quarterback Terry Bradshaw was forced to retire through injury in 1983, the Steelers struggled to reach the dizzy heights of the 1970s, but scraped into four post-seasons nonetheless.
The 1990s were significantly more successful with five more divisional titles and another appearance in the Super Bowl, albeit a fruitless one after losing out to Dallas Cowboys.
Remarkably, they have only failed to make the playoffs eight times since 1992 and, better still, their post-millennium form has made them the second-most successful team of the 21 st century after New England Patriots.
Whilst Green Bay Packers have the most championships of all time with 13, the Steelers revel with the record of most Super Bowls in the modern NFL era with a staggering total of six.
Red-hot talents like veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who broke out as Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004, and running back Le'Veon Bell, who shone with the fifth-highest total of rushing yards in the 2016 season, are keeping the Steelers riding high in the NFL today.
