Former Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Chuck Noll -- RIP

Chuck Noll
(Image: espn.go.com)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently among the NFL's glamor teams, a franchise with a national following. It wasn't always that way. The Steelers historically had fielded bad teams and were overshadowed by their nearby nemesis, Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns. The Steelers' fortunes changed with the hiring of Chuck Noll as head coach in 1969, from Don Shula's Baltimore Colts.

Pittsburgh was the only pro team Noll head coached. His twenty-two year tenure included four championships and enough also-rans to bring the Steelers into high, national profile. He was known as something of a football teacher, in that he insisted that his collection of brutes learn and execute sound technique. Noll's way, similar to Vince Lombardi's approach, was to do simple things well and beat the opponent physically. That led the Steelers into street fights with the gang-uniformed Oakland Raiders, who followed a similar philosophy in terms of intimidating play. Those contests were not for the faint of heart, even by NFL standards.

Noll's best move was to draft Joe Greene from North Texas State. In 1974, the Steelers drafted four future Hall of Fame players (Greene was also an HOF standout.). Raider-Steeler and Cowboy-Steeler games featured fistfuls of Hall of Famers, all of whom were intense, merciless, and dedicated to winning.

The Pittsburgh's coach's most appealing attribute was his modesty. He never thought he was a genius, that he had reinvented the wheel, or that he commanded unique insights into human psychology. Noll kept pro football in the brutal, primitive world where it truly existed (quite possibly the only shared link with the Raiders).

In a way, Noll was fortunate to have coached in a small market such as Pittsburgh. Had he coached in New York, the media would have eaten him up. Instead, Noll could enjoy life's pleasures (he was something of a wine connoisseur) without swatting away reporters like so many gnats. He was a modest, self-assured man, whose run of championships will be difficult to surpass.

Noll passed away last week in western Pennsylvania. He was 82 years old. His obit in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette captures some of Noll's flavor and how he profoundly impacted everyone -- everyone -- in western Pennsylvania.