1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head coach	Chuck Noll
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	10-3-1
Place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Super Bowl IX
Pro Bowlers	Joe Greene L.C. Greenwood Jack Ham Franco Harris Andy Russell Ron Shanklin Bruce Van Dyke Dwight White
Team MVP	Glen Edwards
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1973	1975

Contents 1 Offseason 1.1 NFL Draft 2 Preseason 2.1 Schedule 2.2 Game summaries 3 Regular season 3.1 Schedule 3.2 Game summaries 3.2.1 Week 1 (Sunday September 15, 1974): Baltimore Colts 3.2.1.1 Game summary 3.2.2 Week 2 (Sunday September 22, 1974): Denver Broncos 3.2.2.1 Game summary 3.2.3 Week 3 (Sunday September 29, 1974): Oakland Raiders 3.2.3.1 Game summary 3.2.4 Week 4 (Sunday October 6, 1974): Houston Oilers 3.2.4.1 Game summary 3.2.5 Week 5 (Sunday October 13, 1974): Kansas City Chiefs 3.2.5.1 Game summary 3.2.6 Week 6 (Sunday October 20, 1974): Cleveland Browns 3.2.6.1 Game summary 3.2.7 Week 7 (Monday October 28, 1974): Atlanta Falcons 3.2.7.1 Game summary 3.2.8 Week 8 (Sunday November 3, 1974): Philadelphia Eagles 3.2.8.1 Game summary 3.2.9 Week 9 (Sunday November 10, 1974): Cincinnati Bengals 3.2.9.1 Game summary 3.2.10 Week 10 (Sunday November 17, 1974): Cleveland Browns 3.2.10.1 Game summary 3.2.11 Week 11 (Monday November 25, 1974 Week 11 ): New Orleans Saints 3.2.11.1 Game summary 3.2.12 Week 12 (Sunday December 1, 1974): Houston Oilers 3.2.12.1 Game summary 3.2.13 Week 13 (Sunday December 8, 1974): New England Patriots 3.2.13.1 Game summary 3.2.14 Week 14 (Saturday December 14, 1974): Cincinnati Bengals 3.2.14.1 Game summary 3.3 Division standings 4 Postseason 4.1 Schedule 4.2 Game summaries 4.2.1 AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday December 22, 1974): vs. Buffalo Bills 4.2.1.1 Game summary 4.2.2 AFC Championship (Sunday December 29, 1974): at Oakland Raiders 4.2.2.1 Game Summary 4.2.3 Super Bowl IX (Sunday January 12, 1975): vs. Minnesota Vikings 4.2.3.1 Game summary 5 Awards, Honors and Records 6 References

Offseason

NFL Draft

rd.1.Lynn Swann U.S.C. WR rd.2 Jack Lambert LB Kent State rd.3 John Stallworth WR Alabama A&M.rd.4 C Mike Webster

Preseason

Schedule

Game summaries

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV	Game Site
1	Sunday September 15	Baltimore Colts	W 30-0	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium
2	Sunday September 22	at Denver Broncos	T 35-35 (OT)	NBC	Mile High Stadium
3	Sunday September 29	Oakland Raiders	L 17-0	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium
4	Sunday October 6	at Houston Oilers	W 13-7	NBC	Astrodome
5	Sunday October 13	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 34-24	NBC	Arrowhead Stadium
6	Sunday October 20	Cleveland Browns	W 20-16	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium
7	Monday October 28	Atlanta Falcons	W 24-17	ABC	Three Rivers Stadium
8	Sunday November 3	Philadelphia Eagles	W 27-0	CBS	Three Rivers Stadium
9	Sunday November 10	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 17-10	NBC	Riverfront Stadium
10	Sunday November 17	at Cleveland Browns	W 26-16	NBC	Cleveland Municipal Stadium
11	Monday November 25	at New Orleans Saints	W 28-7	ABC	Tulane Stadium
12	Sunday December 1	Houston Oilers	L 13-10	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium
13	Sunday December 8	at New England Patriots	W 21-17	NBC	Schaefer Stadium
14	Saturday December 14	Cincinnati Bengals	W 27-3	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 15, 1974): Baltimore Colts

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	3	13	7	7	30

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 48,890
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

• Top Passer: Joe Gilliam (PIT): 257 Yds
• Top Rusher: Franco Harris (PIT): 49 Yds
• Top Receiver: Lynn Swann (PIT): 94 Yds

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 31 3-0
• Pittsburgh - Swann 54 pass from Gilliam (kick failed)9-0
• Pittsburgh - Lewis 4 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick)16-0
• Pittsburgh - Harris 4 run (Gerela kick)23-0
• Pittsburgh - Fuqua 4 run (Gerela kick)30-0

Week 2 (Sunday September 22, 1974): Denver Broncos

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Steelers	7	7	14	7	0	35
Broncos	21	0	7	7	0	35

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 50,858
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

• Top Passer: Joe Gilliam (PIT) 348Yds
• Top Rusher: Otis Armstrong (DEN) 131Yds
• Top Receiver: Otis Armstrong (DEN) 86Yds

Scoring Drives:

• Denver - Armstrong 45 pass from Johnson (Turner kick)0-7
• Pittsburgh - Davis 61 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick)7-7
• Denver - Moses 7 pass from Johnson (Turner kick)7-14
• Denver - Keyworth 1 run (Turner kick)7-21
• Pittsburgh - Gilliam 1 run (Gerela kick)14-21
• Pittsburgh - Davis 1 run (Gerela kick)21-21
• Denver - Odoms 3 pass from Ramsey (Turner kick)21-28
• Pittsburgh - Davis 1 run (Gerela kick)28-28
• Pittsburgh - Fuqua 1 run (Gerela kick)35-28
• Denver - Armstrong 23 pass from Ramsey (Turner kick)35-35

Week 3 (Sunday September 29, 1974): Oakland Raiders

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	7	10	0	0	17
Steelers	0	0	0	0	0

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 48,304
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Oakland - Stabler 1 run (Blanda kick)0-7
• Oakland - Branch 19 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)0-14
• Oakland - FG Blanda 35 0-17

Week 4 (Sunday October 6, 1974): Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	3	3	7	13
Oilers	0	7	0	0	7

at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 30,049
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Houston - B. Johnson 47 run (Butler kick)0-7
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 37 3-7
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 27 6-7
• Pittsburgh - Pearson 9 run (Gerela kick)13-7

Week 5 (Sunday October 13, 1974): Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	17	10	0	34
Chiefs	3	7	7	7	24

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 65,517
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Kansas City - FG Stenerud 31 0-3
• Pittsburgh - Bleier 2 run (Gerela kick) 7-3
• Kansas City - Pearson 13 pass from Livingston (Stenerud kick)7-10
• Pittsburgh - Pearson 3 run (Gerela kick)14-10
• Pittsburgh - Edwards 49 interception return (Gerela kick)21-10
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 32 24-10
• Kansas City - Taylor 10 pass from Livingston (Stenerud kick)24-17
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 45 27-17
• Pittsburgh - Lewis 31 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick) 34-17
• Kansas City - Wright 13 pass from Livingston (Stenerud kick)34-24

Week 6 (Sunday October 20, 1974): Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	13	0	3	16
Steelers	7	7	3	3	20

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 48,100
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Pearson 6 run (Gerela kick)7-0
• Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)14-0
• Cleveland - Phipps 18 run (Cockroft kick)14-7
• Cleveland - Morin 9 pass from Phipps (kick blocked)14-13
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 31 17-13
• Cleveland - FG Cockroft 21 17-16
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 26 20-16

Week 7 (Monday October 28, 1974): Atlanta Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	14	0	3	17
Steelers	14	0	3	7	24

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 48,094
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Bleier 10 run (Gerela kick)7-0
• Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick)14-0
• Atlanta - Dodd 9 pass from Lee (Mike-Mayer kick)14-7
• Atlanta - Burrow 24 pass from Lee (Mike-Mayer kick)14-14
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 33 17-14
• Pittsburgh - Harris 7 run (Gerela kick)24-14
• Atlanta - FG Mike-Mayer 32 24-17

Week 8 (Sunday November 3, 1974): Philadelphia Eagles

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	7	10	10	0	27

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 47,996
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Lewis 8 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7-0
• Pittsburgh - Harris 5 run (Gerela kick)14-0
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 35 17-0
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 28 20-0
• Pittsburgh - Blount 52 interception return (Gerela kick)27-0

Week 9 (Sunday November 10, 1974): Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	3	0	7	10
Bengals	0	10	7	0	17

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 57,532
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Cincinnati - Williams 2 run (Muhlmann kick)0-7
• Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 30 0-10
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 24 3-10
• Cincinnati - Williams 1 run (Muhlmann kick)3-17
• Pittsburgh - Pearson 1 run (Gerela kick)10-17

Week 10 (Sunday November 17, 1974): Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	6	0	13	26
Browns	3	3	10	0	16

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 77,195
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

This was the Pittsburgh Steelers' first win in Cleveland since 1964.

Scoring Drives:

• Cleveland - FG Cockroft 44 0-3
• Pittsburgh - Shanklin 28 pass from Hanratty (Gerela kick)7-3
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 32 10-3
• Cleveland - FG Cockroft 35 10-6
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 32 13-6
• Cleveland - Green 36 interception return (Cockroft kick)13-13
• Cleveland - FG Cockroft 18 13-16
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 23 16-16
• Pittsburgh - Thomas 14 fumble recovery return (Gerela kick) 23-16
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 22 26-16

Week 11 (Monday November 25, 1974 Week 11 ): New Orleans Saints

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	7	14	0	28
Saints	0	0	7	0	7

at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 69,010
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Lewis 31 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 7-0
• Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 18 run (Gerela kick)14-0
• Pittsburgh - Swann 64 punt return (Gerela kick)21-0
• New Orleans - Seal 10 pass from Scott (McClard kick)21-7
• Pittsburgh - Brown 1 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)28-7

Week 12 (Sunday December 1, 1974): Houston Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	7	3	3	13
Steelers	3	7	0	0	10

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 41,195
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 44 3-0
• Houston - Willis 6 pass from Pastorini7-3
• Pittsburgh - Harris 31 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)10-7
• Houston - FG Butler 42 10-10
• Houston - FG Butler 34 10-13

Week 13 (Sunday December 8, 1974): New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	12	7	2	24
Patriots	7	3	0	7	17

at Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 52,107
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• New England - Herron 17 pass from Plunkett (Smith kick)0-7
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 40 3-7
• Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (kick blocked) 9-7
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 27 12-7
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 20 15-7
• New England - FG Smith 20 15-10
• Pittsburgh - Swann 7 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 22-10
• Pittsburgh - Safety, Greenwood tackled Plunkett in end zone 24-10
• New England - Herron 5 run (Smith kick)24-17

Week 14 (Saturday December 14, 1974): Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	3	0	3
Steelers	7	10	7	3	27

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time:
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 42,878
• Referee:
• TV announcers:

Game summary

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Stallworth 5 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7-0
• Pittsburgh - Mullins 7 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)14-0
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 26 17-0
• Cincinnati - FG Muhlmann 32 17-3
• Pittsburgh - Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick)24-3
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 42 27-3

Division standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	3	1	.750	305	189	W-2
Cincinnati Bengals	7	7	0	.500	283	259	L-3
Houston Oilers	7	7	0	.500	236	282	W-1
Cleveland Browns	4	10	0	.286	251	344	L-2

Postseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV	Game Site
Divisional	Sunday December 22	Buffalo Bills	W 32-14	NBC	Three Rivers Stadium
Championship	Sunday December 29	Oakland Raiders	W 24-13	NBC	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Super Bowl IX	Sunday January 12	Minnesota Vikings	W 16-6	NBC	Tulane Stadium

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoff (Sunday December 22, 1974): vs. Buffalo Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	7	0	14
Steelers	3	26	0	3	32

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Game time: 12:30 PM EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 48,321
• Referee:
• TV announcers: (NBC)

Game summary

O. J. Simpson was held to 49 yds. rushing.It was the only playoff game of O.J.'s career

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 21 PIT 3-0
• Buffalo - Seymour 22 pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick) BUF 7-3
• Pittsburgh - Bleier 27 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked) PIT 9-7
• Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) PIT 16-7
• Pittsburgh - Harris 4 run (kick blocked) PIT 22-7
• Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Gerela kick) PIT 29-7
• Buffalo - Simpson 3 pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick) PIT 29-14
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 22 PIT 32-14

AFC Championship (Sunday December 29, 1974): at Oakland Raiders

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	3	0	21	24
Raiders	3	0	7	3	13

at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Game time: 4:00 PM EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 53,515
• Referee:
• TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), Al DeRogatis & Don Meredith (color commentators)

Game Summary

The Oakland Raiders were held to 29 yds. rushing by the new "stunt 4-3" defense . Franco Harris ran for 111 yds rushing and two touchdowns and Rocky Blier ran for 98 yds.

Scoring Drives:

• Oakland - FG Blanda 40 OAK 3-0
• Pittsburgh - FG Gerela 23 3-3
• Oakland - Branch 38 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) OAK 10-3
• Pittsburgh - Harris 8 run (Gerela kick) 10-10
• Pittsburgh - Swann 6 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) PIT 17-10
• Oakland - FG Blanda 24 PIT 17-13
• Pittsburgh - Harris 21 run (Gerela kick) PIT 24-13

Super Bowl IX (Sunday January 12, 1975): vs. Minnesota Vikings

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	2	7	7	16
Vikings	0	0	0	6	6

at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 3:00 PM EST
• Game weather:
• Game attendance: 80,997
• Referee: Bernie Ulman
• TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), Al DeRogatis & Don Meredith (color commentators)

Game summary

Minnesota was held to 17 yds rushing and Franco Harris was named MVP running for 158 yds and a touchdown.This was the 1st of 4 super bowl championships for the Steelers.

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh - Safety: Dwight White downed Fran Tarkenton in end zone 2-0 PIT
• Pittsburgh - TD: Franco Harris 9 yard run (Roy Gerela kick) 9-0 PIT
• Minnesota - TD: Terry Brown recovered blocked punt in end zone (kick failed) 9-6 PIT
• Pittsburgh - TD: Larry Brown 4 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) 16-6 PIT

Awards, Honors and Records

• Joe Greene, National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award
• Franco Harris, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

References

v • d • e Pittsburgh Steelers Founded in 1933 · Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Franchise Franchise · History · Seasons · Logos and Uniforms · Coaches · Players · Quarterbacks · First-round draft picks · Statistics Stadiums Forbes Field · Pitt Stadium · Three Rivers Stadium · Heinz Field Culture Terrible Towel · Rooney family · Myron Cope · Steeler Nation · "Here We Go" Lore Immaculate Reception · Steel Curtain · Blitzburgh · 1974 Draft Class · The Comeback II · Immaculate Redemption · Bengals rivalry · Browns rivalry · Ravens rivalry · The Steagles · Card-Pitt · Pennsylvania Keystoners · Steelerettes Head coaches Douds · DiMelio · Bach · McNally · Kiesling · Bell · Donelli · Kiesling · Leonard · Sutherland · Michelosen · Bach · Kiesling · Parker · Nixon · Austin · Noll · Cowher · Tomlin Division championships (19) 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 Super Bowl appearances (7) IX · X · XIII · XIV · XXX · XL · XLIII League championships (6) 1974 · 1975 · 1978 · 1979 · 2005 · 2008 Hall of Fame members Players - Blount · Bradshaw · Dudley · Greene · Ham · Harris · Johnson · Lambert · Layne · Stallworth · Stautner · Swann · Webster · Woodson Coaches and administration - Bell · Kiesling · Noll · Art Rooney · Dan Rooney Seasons 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 Current league affiliations League: National Football League · Conference: American Football Conference · Division: North Division

1974 NFL season v • d • e
AFC	East	Central	West	NFC	East	Central	West
	Baltimore	Cincinnati	Denver		Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
	Buffalo	Cleveland	Kansas City		NY Giants	Detroit	Los Angeles
	Miami	Houston	Oakland		Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
	New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego		St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
	NY Jets				Washington
1974 NFL Draft • NFL Playoffs • Pro Bowl • Super Bowl IX

Preceded by Miami Dolphins 1973

Super Bowl champion 1974

Succeeded by Pittsburgh Steelers 1975