Chuck Noll, the coach that turned the Pittsburgh Steelers from a struggling franchise into the preeminent team of the 1970s, died Friday night of natural causes in his home of Sewickley, Pa. He was 82 years old.
USA TODAY Sports reported Noll's passing. He took charge of the Steelers in 1969. To that point, the Steelers played 37 seasons and had 16 head coaches. The team never won a division title and appeared in the playoffs just twice - in 1947 and 1962 - and lost both.
Noll had a 209-156-1 record in 23 seasons. The Steelers won nine AFC Central Division titles and four Super Bowls - 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.
Noll was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1993, two years after his last season with the Steelers.
"Hiring Chuck Noll was the best decision we ever made for the Steelers," team owner Dan Rooney wrote in his autobiography. "... To become world champions, we needed a coach with the right combination of vision, intelligence and leadership: someone who could teach us how to win."
Noll's popularity never approached that of contemporaries Don Shula of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins or Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys. Noll never wrote an autobiography and declined endorsement deals. One deal, USA TODAY Sports reported, was an offer from Nestle to use his photo on a candy bar.
Noll was a defensive backs coach for Shula with the Colts, who were stunned by the New York Jets and Joe Namath in Super Bowl III. Shula recommended Noll to the Steelers.
He built the roster through a fantastic series of draft picks that started with Mean Joe Greene out of North Texas State. He then selected Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount the next season, added Jack Ham in 1971 and a quartet of future Hall of Famers in 1974 in wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, linebacker Jack Lambert and center Mike Webster.
"Chuck Noll was one of the greatest leaders that I've ever been around," Tony Dungy, who played and coached for Noll with the Steelers said before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Dungy went on to win the Super Bowl with the Colts.
"His best quality was being able to get everyone to buy into the program. ... 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."
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