Steel Curtain

The Steel Curtain were the front four of the defensive line and the linebacker squad of the 1970s American football team Pittsburgh Steelers. This defense was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV), in six years.

The Steelers began their 1976 season 1–4 and lost their quarterback, Terry Bradshaw. For the nine games remaining in the season, the Steelers recorded five shutouts (three of them back to back), and only allowed two touchdowns (both in a single game), and five field goals. The defense allowed an average 3.1 points per game and the team had an average margin of victory of 22 points. Eight of the Steelers' starting eleven defensive players were selected for the Pro Bowl that year, and four would be selected to the Hall of Fame.^[1]

Lineup

The Steel Curtain's famed front four were:

• No. 75 "Mean Joe" Greene – defensive tackle, 1969–1981 (1969 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 1972 and 1974 Defensive Player of the Year; NFL 1970s All-Decade Team; Hall of Fame)
• No. 68 L. C. Greenwood – defensive end, 1969–1981 (NFL 1970s All-Decade Team)
• No. 63 Ernie Holmes – defensive tackle, 1972–1977
• No. 78 Dwight White – defensive end, 1971–1980
• No. 58 Jack Lambert - linebacker, 1974-1984;

(Hall of Fame)

• No. 59 Jack Ham - linebacker, 1971-1982; (Hall of Fame)

Origin of the nickname

The nickname "Steel Curtain", a play on the phrase "Iron Curtain" popularized by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, originated in a 1971 contest sponsored by Pittsburgh radio station WTAE to name the defense. The name was also a play on Pittsburgh's reputation for steel production. The contest was won by Gregory Kronz, a ninth grader at a suburban high school. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "he was just one of 17 people who submitted the 'Steel Curtain' moniker to the WTAE contest, necessitating a drawing for the grand prize," which Kronz won.^[2]

References