Finally reading Michael MacCambridge's terrific book Chuck Noll: His Life's Work has me thinking about the great Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970s. The genesis of most NFL teams with titles (especially a team that won four titles in six seasons) can be found in a draft or two. The foundation of the Steelers of the 1970s is found in a string of great drafts. The Steelers hadn't won much in their first 40 years. Then they won a lot. That sudden change started with the hiring of Chuck Noll and their drafting.
Here are those drafts.
1969
1. Joe Greene, DT, North Texas
2. Terry Hanratty, QB, Notre Dame
2. Warren Bankston, RB, Tulane
3. John Kolb, T, Oklahoma State
4. Bob Campbell, WR, Penn State
7. Chuck Beatty, DB, North Texas
7. Chadwick Brown, T, Texas A&M-Commerce
8. Joe Cooper, WR, Tennessee State
9. John Sodaski, LB, Villanova
10. L.C. Greenwood, DE, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
11. Clarence Washington, DT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
12. Doug Fisher, LB, San Diego State
None of the picks from rounds 13-17 made the team.
Joe Greene is in the Hall of Fame. Many think that Greenwood should be. Terry Hanratty was the backup quarterback, and sometime starter, through the first two Super Bowl wins. John Kolb was a mainstay on the offensive line.
1970
1. Terry Bradshaw, QB, Louisiana Tech
2. Ron Shanklin, WR, North Texas
3. Mel Blount, CB, Southern
4. Ed George, T, Wake Forest
4. Jim Evenson, RB, Oregon
5. John Staggers, WR, Missouri
6. Manuel Barrera, LB, Kansas State
6. Clarence Kegler, T, South Carolina State
7. Danny Griffin, RB, Texas-Arlington
8. Dave Smith, WR, Waynesburg
9. Carl Crennel, LB, West Virginia
10. Isaiah Brown, DB, Stanford
11. Calvin Hunt, C, Baylor
12. Rick Sharp, T, Washington
13. Billy Main, RB, Oregon State
14. Bert Askson, DE, Texas Southern
None of the picks from rounds 15-17 made the team.
Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount are in the Hall of Fame. Receivers Ron Shanklin and Dave Smith had some nice moments.
1971
1. Frank Lewis, WR, Grambling State
2. Jack Ham, LB, Penn State
3. Steve Davis, RB, Delaware State
4. Gerry Mullins, G, USC
4. Dwight White, DE, Texas A&M-Commerce
5. Larry Brown, T, Kansas
5. Mel Holmes, G, North Carolina A&T
6. Craig Hanneman, DE, Oregon State
7. Worthy McClure, T, Mississipi
8. Larry Crowe, RB, Texas Southern
8. Paul Rogers, K, Nebraska
8. Ernie Holmes, DT, Texas Southern
9. Mike Anderson, LB, LSU
10. Jim O'Shea, TE, Boston College
11. Mike Wagner, DB, Western Illinois
13. Al Youny, WR, South Carolina State
None of the picks from rounds 14-17 made the team.
Another Hall of Famer in Jack Ham. This draft brought quantity. Frank Lewis was solid pass-catcher. Gerry Mullins and Larry Brown became offensive line fixtures. Brown also played a few seasons at tight end. Half of the Steel Curtain's defensive line came in this draft: Dwight White and Ernie Holmes. Mike Wagner became an important part of the Steelers defense.
1972
1. Franco Harris, RB, Penn State
2. Gordon Gravelle, T, BYU
3. John McMakin, TE, Clemson
4. Lorenzo Brinkley, DB, Missouri
4. Ed Bradley, LB, Wake Forest
5. Steve Furness, DT, Rhode Island
6. Dennis Meyer, DB, Arkansas State
Only quarterback Joe Gilliam (11th round) made a significant contribution of the players drafted in rounds 7-17. By this point he Steelers had accumulated significant talent across the roster. That made it difficult for players to make the team.
Franco Harris is the second consecutive Hall of Famer that the Steelers found at Penn State. Steve Furness was a valuable backup defensive lineman throughout the dynasty.
1973
1. J.T. Thomas, DB, Florida State
2. Ken Phares, DB, Mississippi State
3. Roger Bernhardt, G, Kansas
4. Gail Clark, LB, Michigan State
5. Dave Reavis, T, Arkansas
5. Larry Clark, LB, Northern Illinois
6. Ron Bell, RB, Illinois State
6. Glen Skolnik, WR, Indiana
7. Nate Dorsey, WR, Mississippi Valley State
8. Loren Toews, LB, California
None of the picks from rounds 8-17 made the team.
No Hall of Famers here. J.T. Thomas started opposite Mel Blount at corner. Loren Toews contributed when needed on the defense.
1974
1. Lynn Swann, WR, USC
2. Jack Lambert, LB, Kent State
4. John Stallworth, WR, Alabama A&M
4. Jimmy Allen, DB, UCLA
5. Mike Webster, C, Wisconsin
The Steelers didn't get much from the picks that they made in rounds 6-17. They didn't need it.
This is the ridiculous draft that gets all of the attention. Poor Jimmy Allen. He's a trivia question: Who broke up the Steelers run of Hall of Fame selections in the 1974 NFL Draft? Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster are all honored in Canton.
From 1969-74 the Pittsburgh Steelers selected nine players that went on to Hall of Fame careers. One of the most interesting aspects of that drafting success is that they found these players at colleges like North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Southern, Kent State, and Alabama A&M. They found Hall of Famers at Penn State, USC, and Wisconsin but they also found them at places that a lot of scouts didn't visit much. The Steelers were one of the first teams to scour the historically black colleges. They found Hall of Famers, stars, and solid contributors. Of course, it didn't take long for the other teams to follow the Steelers to these remote places. Success will do that. There wasn't free agency back then. Teams had to build through the draft. The Steelers built a dynasty.
No comments:
Post a Comment