1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head coach	Chuck Noll
General manager	Dick Haley
Owner	The Rooney Family
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	5–11
Division place	4th in AFC Central
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	OT Tunch Ilkin
AP All-Pros	none
Team MVP	David Little Rod Woodson
Team ROY	Warren Williams

The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers began the season with the death of Hall of Fame team founder & owner Art Rooney at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the season on August 25. The team would wear AJR patches on the left shoulder the entire season in memory of "The Chief".

The team finished the season at 5–11, their worst record since finishing an NFL-worst 1–13 in 1969. As of 2015, the 5–11 mark remains the team's worst record since 1969, and have only finished with ten losses twice since, in 1999 and 2003.

Personnel

Staff

1988 Pittsburgh Steelers staff
	Front office Chairman of the Board – Arthur J. Rooney President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice President – John R. McGinley Vice President – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Business Manager – Joe Gordon Controller – Ralph Meacham Chief Negotiator – James A. Boston Office Manager - Stadium – Dan Ferens Publicity Director – Dan Edwards Assistant Publicity Director – Pat Hanlon Director of Ticket Sales – Geraldine Glenn Computer Director - Accounting – Jim Ellenberger Director of Player Personnel – Dick Haley Director of Pro Scouting – Tom Modrak Talent Scout – East – Tom Donahoe Talent Scout – Midwest – Jesse Kaye Talent Scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz Head coaches Head Coach – Chuck Noll Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Tom Moore Offensive Line: Tackles/Tight Ends – Ron Blackledge Offensive Backfield – Dick Hoak Offensive Line: Centers/Guards – Hal Hunter Special Teams/ Offensive Assistant – Jon Kolb Receivers – Dwain Painter			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Tony Dungy Special Teams/ Defensive Assistant – Dennis Fitzgerald Defensive Line – Joe Greene Linebackers – Jed Hughes Strength and conditioning Conditioning & Training Coach – Walt Evans Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek Ophthalmologist – Dr. Phillip Buzzelli Physician, Orthopedic – Dr. Thomas W. Cowan Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber Neurological Surgery Consultant – Dr. Joseph C. Maroon Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze Physician, Consultant – Dr. Abraham J.Twerski Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates Trainer – Ralph Berlin Trainer – Fran Feld Equipment Manager – Anthony Parisi Field Manager – Rodgers Freyvogel Video & Film Director – Bob McCartney Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci [1]

Roster

1988 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster
	Quarterbacks 14 Todd Blackledge 13 Steve Bono  6 Bubby Brister Running backs 24 Rodney Carter 33 Merril Hoge FB 43 Earnest Jackson FB 30 Frank Pollard 20 Dwight Stone PR 42 Warren Williams Wide receivers 88 Joey Clinkscales 85 Troy Johnson 83 Louis Lipps 89 Charles Lockett 87 Weegie Thompson Tight ends 86 Preston Gothard 81 Mike Hinnant 88 Jeff Markland		Offensive linemen 60 Brian Blankenship G 77 Jim Boyle T 63 Dermontti Dawson C/G 62 Tunch Ilkin T 65 John Jackson T 51 Chuck Lanza C 74 Terry Long G 79 John Rienstra G 52 Mike Webster C 73 Craig Wolfley G Defensive linemen 68 Lorenzo Freeman NT/DT 92 Keith Gary DE 78 Tim Johnson DT/DE 97 Aaron Jones DE/LB 76 Rollin Putzier DT 64 Jerry Reese DE 69 Ben Thomas DE/NT 98 Gerald Williams DE		Linebackers 91 Gregg Carr ILB 96 Anthony Henton OLB 53 Bryan Hinkle OLB 55 Darin Jordan OLB 50 David Little ILB 95 Greg Lloyd, Sr. OLB 54 Hardy Nickerson ILB 56 Tyronne Stowe ILB Defensive backs 27 Thomas Everett FS 29 Cornell Gowdy SS 22 Larry Griffin CB 35 Delton Hall CB 21 Greg Lee CB 28 Lupe Sanchez CB 49 Dwayne Woodruff CB 26 Rod Woodson CB/KR-PR Special teams 63 Dermontti Dawson LS-P 52 Mike Webster LS  1 Gary Anderson K 18 Harry Newsome P/H		Reserve lists 93 Keith Willis DE/NT (IR) Practice squad [2] [3] [4] Rookies in italics 53 Active, 1 Inactive, Practice squad

Offseason

The Steelers saw two of its last three remaining players who won all four Super Bowls retire in wide receiver John Stallworth and strong safety Donnie Shell, who were both from the team's famous Class of 1974 that saw four players go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (although Shell was undrafted, he was still from the same rookie class), and in the case of Stallworth, retired as the team's all-time leading receiver. (Stallworth's record was surpassed by Hines Ward in 2005.)

Mike Webster, who was also from the Class of 1974, entered the season as the sole remaining member of all four Super Bowl teams. However, change appeared to be imminent when the team drafted Kentucky guard Dermontti Dawson in the second round of the 1988 draft. Although Dawson would be playing guard his rookie season alongside Webster, it was apparent that Dawson was drafted to be groomed as Webster's eventual replacement at center. Webster would be released by the Steelers in the following offseason, officially ending the team's link to all four Super Bowl clubs.

To the delight of Steelers fans, and even most of the players, the Mark Malone era officially ended in the offseason as well. Malone, who had lost the starting quarterback job to Bubby Brister the previous year, was traded to the San Diego Chargers during the offseason. Malone had also become hugely unpopular with fans and teammates for blaming his mistakes on other players and acting as if he were the "heir" to the QB position after the retirement of Terry Bradshaw. At one point, a locker room fight between Malone and the rest of the team ensued before being broken up by veteran offensive tackle Tunch Ilkin.

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Game Site	Time (ET)	TV	Result	Record
1	Fri. Aug. 5	at Washington Redskins	RFK Stadium	8:00 p.m.	WTAE	W 44–31	1–0
2	Sun. Aug. 14	Philadelphia Eagles	Three Rivers Stadium	8:00 p.m.	WTAE	W 21–16	2–0
3	Sat. Aug. 20	at New York Giants	Giants Stadium	8:00 p.m.	WTAE	L 28–17	2–1
4	Sat. Aug. 27	at New Orleans Saints	Louisiana Superdome	12:30 p.m.	ABC	W 31–28	3–1

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Game Site	Time (ET)	TV	Result	Record
1	Sun. Sep. 4	Dallas Cowboys	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	CBS	W 24–21	1–0
2	Sun. Sep. 11	at Washington Redskins	RFK Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 30–29	1–1
3	Sun. Sep. 18	Cincinnati Bengals	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 17–12	1–2
4	Sun. Sep. 25	at Buffalo Bills	Rich Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 36–28	1–3
5	Sun. Oct. 2	Cleveland Browns	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 23–9	1–4
6	Sun. Oct. 9	at Phoenix Cardinals	Sun Devil Stadium	4:00 p.m.	NBC	L 31–14	1–5
7	Sun. Oct. 16	Houston Oilers	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 34–14	1–6
8	Sun. Oct. 23	Denver Broncos	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	W 39–21	2–6
9	Sun. Oct. 30	at New York Jets	Giants Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 24–20	2–7
10	Sun. Nov. 6	at Cincinnati Bengals	Riverfront Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 42–7	2–8
11	Sun. Nov. 13	Philadelphia Eagles	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	CBS	L 27–26	2–9
12	Sun. Nov. 20	at Cleveland Browns	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	L 27–7	2–10
13	Sun. Nov. 27	Kansas City Chiefs	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	W 16–10	3–10
14	Sun. Dec. 4	at Houston Oilers	Astrodome	8:00 p.m.	ESPN	W 37–34	4–10
15	Sun. Dec. 11	at San Diego Chargers	Jack Murphy Stadium	4:00 p.m.	NBC	L 20–14	4–11
16	Sun. Dec. 18	Miami Dolphins	Three Rivers Stadium	1:00 p.m.	NBC	W 40–24	5–11

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 7 0 7 7 21 • Steelers 10 0 7 7 24 Date: September 4 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 56,813 Game weather: 70 °F (Cloudy) Referee: Gordon McCarter TV announcers (CBS): Tim Brant and Hank Stram

Scoring Drives:

• Dallas – Newsome 3 run (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – Jackson 15 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32
• Pittsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Dallas – Irvin 35 pass from Pelluer (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – Jackson 29 run (Anderson kick)
• Dallas – Alexander 8 pass from Pelluer (Zendejas kick)

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 3 10 6 10 29 • Redskins 7 3 7 13 30 Date: September 11 Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,083 Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Merlin Olsen

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 33
• Washington – Clark 55 pass from Williams (Lohmiller kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 24
• Washington – FG Lohmiller 37
• Pittsburgh – Lipps 80 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Brister 6 run (kick failed)
• Washington – Morris 1 run (Lohmiller kick)
• Washington – FG Lohmiller 46
• Pittsburgh – Stone 72 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43
• Washington – Bryant 7 pass from Williams (Lohmiller kick)
• Washington – FG Lohmiller 19

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 0 7 3 7 17 Steelers 2 0 7 3 12 Date: September 18 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 56,647 Game weather: 73 °F (Mostly Cloudy) Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Reggie Rucker

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Safety, Montoya penalized for holding in end zone
• Cincinnati – Wilson 13 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)
• Pittsburgh – Lipps 9 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• CIncinnati – FG Breech 32
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 19
• Cincinnati – Brown 65 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)

Week 4

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 14 0 14 28 • Bills 10 6 14 6 36 Date: September 25 Location: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 78,735 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis

Scoring Drives:

• Buffalo – FG Norwood 38
• Buffalo – Burkett 26 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)
• PIttsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Buffalo – FG Norwood 39
• Pittsburgh – W. Williams 5 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Buffalo – FG Norwood 39
• Buffalo – Riddick 1 run (Norwood kick)
• Buffalo – Riddick 5 blocked punt return (Norwood kick)
• Buffalo – FG Norwood 48
• Buffalo – FG Norwood 49
• Pittsburgh – Brister 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Thompson 42 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total • Browns 0 7 6 10 23 Steelers 6 3 0 0 9 Date: October 2 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 56,410 Game weather: 67 °F (Overcast) Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Reggie Rucker

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 49
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 35
• Cleveland – Manoa 1 run (Bahr kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45
• Cleveland – FG Bahr 22
• Cleveland – FG Bahr 21
• Cleveland – Washington 75 interception return (Bahr kick)
• Cleveland – FG Bahr 40

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 0 0 7 14 • Cardinals 7 17 7 0 31 Date: October 9 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 53,278 Game weather: 94 °F (Sunny) Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Jon Morris

Scoring Drives:

• Phoenix – Awalt 32 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick)
• Pittsburgh – Woodson 92 kickoff return (Anderson kick)
• Phoenix – FG Del Greco 19
• Phoenix – Jordan 1 run (Del Greco kick)
• Phoenix – J. T. Smith 13 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick)
• Phoenix – J. T. Smith 3 pass from Lomax (Del Greco kick)
• Pittsburgh – Hoge 12 pass from Bono (Anderson kick)

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total • Oilers 6 12 7 9 34 Steelers 0 7 0 7 14 Date: October 16 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 52,229 Game weather: 69 °F (Mostly Cloudy) Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Reggie Rucker

Scoring Drives:

• Houston – Rozier 2 run (pass failed)
• Houston – FG Zendejas 50
• Houston – Safety, Seale blocked punt out of end zone
• Houston – Givins 43 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – Lockett 9 pass from Blackledge (Anderson kick)
• Houston – Pinkett 1 run (Zendejas kick)
• Houston – FG Zendejas 27
• Houston – Hill 24 pass from Moon (kick failed)
• Pittsburgh – Hoge 1 run (Anderson kick)

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 0 7 14 21 • Steelers 14 13 3 9 39 Date: October 23 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 49,811 Game weather: 50 °F (Mostly Cloudy) Referee: Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Dave Lapham

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Carter 64 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Blackledge 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
• Pittsburgh – Carter 10 pass from Blackledge (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 32
• Denver – Kay 17 pass from Kubiak (Karlis kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 37
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22
• Denver – Kay 14 pass from Kubiak (Karlis kick)
• Denver – Nattiel 74 pass from Karcher (Karlis kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 10 0 0 10 20 • Jets 0 10 7 7 24 Date: October 30 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 64,862 Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Paul Maguire

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 25
• Pittsburgh – Carter 24 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• New York Jets – FG Leahy 41
• New York Jets – Shuler 2 pass from O'Brien (Leahy kick)
• New York Jets – Hector 2 run (Leahy kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21
• New York Jets – McNeil 5 run (Leahy kick)
• PIttsburgh – Jackson 17 run (Anderson kick)

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 0 0 0 7 • Bengals 14 7 14 7 42 Date: November 6 Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 56,403 Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Joe Namath

Scoring Drives:

• Cincinnati – Brown 86 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)
• Pittsburgh – Brister 9 run (Anderson kick)
• Cincinnati – McGee 5 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)
• Cincinnati – Brooks 3 run (Breech kick)
• Cincinnati – Brooks 2 run (Breech kick)
• Cincinnati – Brown 6 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)
• Cincinnati – Brooks 9 run (Breech kick)

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total • Eagles 0 14 3 10 27 Steelers 10 6 7 3 26 Date: November 13 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 46,026 Game weather: 47 °F (Overcast) Referee: Fred Wyant TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Dan Jiggetts

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 52
• Pittsburgh – Hoge 13 pass from Lipps (Anderson kick)
• Philadelphia – Byars 1 run (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 21
• Philadelphia – Cunningham 7 run (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29
• Philadelphia – FG Zendejas 34
• Pittsburgh – Lipps 89 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Philadelphia – Cunningham 12 run (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 41
• Philadelphia – FG Zendejas 18

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 7 0 0 7 • Browns 3 14 7 3 27 Date: November 20 Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 77,131 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover and Jon Morris

Scoring Drives:

• Cleveland – FG Bahr 32
• Cleveland – Tennell 2 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
• Cleveland – Minnifield 11 blocked punt return (Bahr kick)
• Pittsburgh – Carter 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Cleveland – Langhorne 77 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
• Cleveland – FG Bahr 34

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 7 0 3 10 • Steelers 6 7 3 0 16 Date: November 27 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 42,057 Game weather: 63 °F (Mostly Cloudy) Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Reggie Rucker

Scoring Drives:

• PIttsburgh – FG Anderson 23
• PIttsburgh – FG Anderson 20
• Kansas City – Paige 4 pass from DeBerg (Lowery kick)
• Pittsburgh – Hoge 10 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22
• Kansas City – FG Lowery 26

Week 14

1 2 3 4 Total • Steelers 3 14 7 13 37 Oilers 0 13 14 7 34 Date: December 4 Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 47,791 Game weather: Indoors (Dome) Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 45
• Houston – FG Zendejas 36
• Pittsburgh – Stone 92 kickoff return (Anderson kick)
• Houston – Rozier 6 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick)
• Houston – FG Zendejas 41
• Pittsburgh – Lipps 80 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – 65 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Houston – White 90 kickoff return (Zendejas kick)
• Houston – Moon 2 run (Zendejas kick)
• Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick)
• Houston – Moon 3 run (Zendejas kick)
• PIttsburgh – Hoge 16 pass from Brister (kick failed)

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 0 0 14 14 • Chargers 0 14 0 6 20 Date: December 11 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 33,816 Referee: Fred Silva TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Reggie Rucker

Scoring Drives:

• San Diego – Flutie 6 pass from Malone (DeLine kick)
• San Diego – Malone 1 run (DeLine kick)
• San Diego – FG DeLine 24
• Pittsburgh – Gothard 3 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – Brister 3 run (Anderson kick)
• San Diego – FG DeLine 42

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 10 7 0 7 24 • Steelers 7 13 7 13 40 Date: December 18 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 36,051 Game weather: 21 °F (Snow) Referee: Fred Wyant TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Joe Namath

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Woodruff 78 interception return (Anderson kick)
• Miami – Hampton 4 run (Reveiz kick)
• Miami – FG Reveiz 20
• Pittsburgh – Lipps 39 run (Anderson kick)
• Miami – Hampton 1 run (Reveiz kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43
• Pittsburgh – Carter 1 run (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 34
• Pittsburgh – Jordan 28 interception return (Anderson kick)
• Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 22
• Miami – Clayton 13 pass from Jaworski (Reveiz kick)

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cincinnati Bengals(1)	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	448	329	W1
Cleveland Browns(4)	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	304	288	W1
Houston Oilers(5)	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	424	365	L1
Pittsburgh Steelers	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	336	421	W1

References