Steel Curtain

Not to be confused with Iron Curtain.
This article is about the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line. For other uses, see Steel Curtain (disambiguation).
Signatures of Steel Curtain members on a seat from Three Rivers Stadium

The Steel Curtain was the nickname, first for the defensive line, but soon for the entire defensive unit of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers football team of the National Football League (NFL). The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, which won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, and XIV) in six years.[1]

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 uninterrupted), 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.[2]

  1. ^ Battista, Judy (January 31, 2009). "Steelers' Defense Recalls Steel Curtain Memories". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  2. ^ NFL Network (2008-05-28). "Top 10 nicknames in NFL history". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2008-06-24.