Steel Curtain
Encyclopedia
The Steel Curtain was the nickname given to the front four of the famous defensive line of the American football
team Pittsburgh Steelers
during their 1970s dynasty years. This defense was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won 4 Super Bowls (IX
, X
, XIII
, and XIV
). Over the years, the nickname evolved into a reference to the entire defensive squad.
In the 1976 season, the Steelers' defense was a juggernaut, arguably the greatest defense of all time. After the Steelers started 1-4 and lost their quarterback, Terry Bradshaw
, the Steelers' defense took over for the remaining nine games. The Steelers recorded five shutouts, including three in a row, during this stretch. During this nine-game stretch the Steelers allowed a total of two touchdowns (in the same 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. Four would be selected to the Hall of Fame.
" popularized by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
, originated in a 1971 contest sponsored by Pittsburgh
radio station WTAE
to name the defense. The contest was won by Gregory Kronz, then 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.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
during their 1970s dynasty years. This defense was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won 4 Super Bowls (IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
, X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
, XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
, and XIV
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
). Over the years, the nickname evolved into a reference to the entire defensive squad.
In the 1976 season, the Steelers' defense was a juggernaut, arguably the greatest defense of all time. After the Steelers started 1-4 and lost their quarterback, Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, the Steelers' defense took over for the remaining nine games. The Steelers recorded five shutouts, including three in a row, during this stretch. During this nine-game stretch the Steelers allowed a total of two touchdowns (in the same 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. Four would be selected to the Hall of Fame.
Lineup
The Steel Curtain's famed front four were:- #75 "Mean" Joe GreeneJoe Greene (American football)Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he was the one of most dominant defensive players in the National Football League...
- defensive tackle, 1969-1981 (1969 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 1972 & 1974 Defensive Player of the YearNFL Defensive Player of the Year AwardThe NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since 1971. Multiple-award winners include Lawrence Taylor, who won it three times, and Joe Greene, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, Reggie...
; NFL 1970s All-Decade TeamNFL 1970s All-Decade TeamThis is a list of all NFL players who have had outstanding performances throughout the 1970s and have been compiled onto this fantasy group. The team was selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
; Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
) - #68 L. C. GreenwoodL. C. GreenwoodL.C. Henderson Greenwood is a former American football defensive end for the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.-College career:...
- defensive endDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, 1969-1981 (NFL 1970s All-Decade TeamNFL 1970s All-Decade TeamThis is a list of all NFL players who have had outstanding performances throughout the 1970s and have been compiled onto this fantasy group. The team was selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
) - #63 Ernie HolmesErnie HolmesEarnest Lee "Ernie" Holmes, also nicknamed "Fats" was an American football player who was most famous for his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972-77. He was part of the famous Steel Curtain and played at defensive lineman. His fellow linemen during this period were Joe Greene, Dwight...
- defensive tackle, 1972–1977 - #78 Dwight WhiteDwight WhiteDwight Lynn White was an American football defensive end who played for ten seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League and was a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense....
- defensive endDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, 1971–1980
Origin of the nickname
The nickname "Steel Curtain", a play on the phrase "Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
" popularized by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, originated in a 1971 contest sponsored by Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
radio station WTAE
WEAE
WDDZ is an AM radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, broadcasting at 1250 kHz with a power level of 5,000 watts. The station is an ABC owned and operated station and serves as the Pittsburgh affiliate of Radio Disney...
to name the defense. The contest was won by Gregory Kronz, then a ninth grader at a suburban high school. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
, "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.