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Top 50 Pittsburgh Steelers

There are many that feel that the Pittsburgh Steelers really did not begin until the 1970s, but of course, that isn't true.

The origin of the Steelers dates all the way back in 1933, and they are the seventh oldest NFL franchise in existence.  They made the playoffs in 1947, but that was the only time they made it to a post-season from 1933 to 1971.  The Steelers would then become the power of the AFC, winning four Super Bowls in the 1970s, primarily on the strength of their potent "Steel Curtain" defense.

Their 70s success made them one of the most popular teams in the game, a status that they maintain today.  Pittsburgh never had another dynasty, but they did have success winning two more Super Bowls this millennium, giving them six, which is tied with the New England Patriots for the most.


Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

This list is active until the end of the 2022 Season.

Heath Miller was an All-American Tight End at Virginia, and his work as a Cavalier resulted in him being a First Round Pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mike Wagner was drafted in the 11thRound in 1971 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where the team looked at him as a potential Wide Receiver.  They moved the product of Western Illinois to Safety, and it seemed to be the correct decision.
Levon Kirkland played in all 16 Games in his 1992 rookie season, but he was mostly in Special Teams.  In his second year in the National Football League, he became a starter at Left Inside Linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he held that job until he was surprisingly waived in 2000.
An Offensive Tackle for his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jon Kolb played for the Steelers from 1969 to 1981.

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Lawrence Timmons was a First Round Pick (15thOverall) from Florida State in 2007, and he would prove to have a nice career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bill Dudley was an All-American at Virginia, where he was the First Overall Pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942.
Frank Varrichione had a great career at Notre Dame, where he helped them win a version of the National Championship in 1953.  Two years later, the Tackle was a First Round Pick (Sixth Overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If you look at overall popularity in the canon of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rocky Bleier is one of the names that consistently come up.
Kevin Greene played far more games with the Los Angeles Rams and one less as a Carolina Panther, but it was the three seasons in Pittsburgh (1993-95) that arguably got him into Canton.
Elbie Nickel played his college football at the University of Cincinnati after serving his country in World War II. Nickel was a late-round pick (17thRound in 1947), but he parlayed that opportunity into an 11-year pro football career, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Louis Lipps was drafted in the First Round (23rdOverall) in 1984, where the Southern Mississippi star was expected to be the latest offensive weapon for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  That was precisely what he became.
Jerry Shipkey played in the Rose Bowl for USC and UCLA (did anyone else ever do that?), and he was an Eighth Round Pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1948, the team he would play for five years.