CHUCK NOLL

'Charles Henry Noll' (born January 5 1932) is a former professional American football player and coach, most notably the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League from 1969 to 1991.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Noll attended Benedictine High School where he played running back and tackle, winning All-State honors. He won a football scholarship to the University of Dayton. Noll was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1953, where he played until his retirement in 1959 at the age of 27.
Noll was an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Colts before becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. He was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Colts (under head coach Don Shula) during their 13-1 season in 1968, in which the team set an NFL record of fewest points allowed (144). The 1968 Colts won the NFL championship by stomping the Cleveland Browns 34-0 in Cleveland, but the heavily favored Colts were shocked by the upstart AFL champion New York Jets, 16-7, in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Noll took the 4-3 defense he ran in Baltimore and implemented a similar defensive system in Pittsburgh, which became the infamous "Steel Curtain" defense.
Noll was named the 14th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 27 1969, after Penn State coach Joe Paterno turned down an offer for the position. Noll is the only head coach to win four Super Bowls, coaching the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl IX (1975), Super Bowl X (1976), Super Bowl XIII (1979), and Super Bowl XIV (1980).
The key to Noll's coaching success during this unprecedented run was the Steelers' skill in selecting outstanding players in the NFL college player draft. Noll's first #1 pick was Joe Greene, a defensive tackle from North Texas State, who went on to become a perennial All-Pro and anchor the defensive line. During the next few years, the Steelers drafted QB Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech) and RB Franco Harris (Penn State) as #1 picks. In the 1974 draft, Noll and the Steelers achieved a level of drafting success never seen before or since, when they selected four Hall of Famers with their first four picks: WR Lynn Swann, MLB Jack Lambert, C Mike Webster, and WR John Stallworth. To this day, no other draft by any team has included more than two future Hall of Famers. The Steelers were so successful at drafting players that the 1979 roster, which won Super Bowl XIV, consisted entirely of players who had never played so much as a down for any other team.
The hallmark of the team during the 1970s was a stifling defense known as the Steel Curtain, loaded with All-Pros. The starting 11 (linemen L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes (later Steve Furness), Dwight White, linebackers Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell (later Loren Toews), DBs Mel Blount, J.T. Thomas, and safeties Glen Edwards (later Donnie Shell) and Mike Wagner had a collective level of talent unseen before in the NFL.
The teams that won Super Bowls IX and X used a run-oriented offense, primarily featuring Franco Harris and blocking back Rocky Bleier. Over the next few years, Terry Bradshaw matured into an outstanding passer, and the teams that won Super Bowls XIII and XIV fully utilized the WR tandem of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
Noll was never a coach who sought a lot of media attention, and his 1970s teams were so talented that his contributions as head coach (and architect of the team) often were over-looked.
In 1989, Noll finally achieved some recognition as NFL Coach of the Year, when he guided the Steelers into the second round of the playoffs. The team was not especially talented, and lost its first two regular season games by scores of 52-0 and 42-10. However, Noll did a remarkable job in keeping the team focused and steadily improving its play, as they made the playoffs and played competitively in two playoff games.
Noll retired as Steelers head coach in 1991 after a record of 209-156-1. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Noll's legacy included providing opportunities for African-Americans. Under Noll, Joe Gilliam became the league's first African American starting quarterback (starting ahead of Terry Bradshaw briefly during the 1973 season). In 1975, Franco Harris, the Steelers Running Back became the first African American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. During the 1980s, Tony Dungy got his start as an NFL assistant coach, initially as the Steelers' Defensive Backs Coach and later Defensive Coordinator. Noll strongly promoted Dungy as a well-qualified head coaching candidate, but it did not happen with the Steelers when Noll retired after the 1991 season. However, Dungy did become head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later became the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl (XLI) with the Indianapolis Colts.
Noll still has a residence in suburban Pittsburgh. However, he spends most of his time at homes in Florida and North Carolina. His mobility has been limited by chronic back problems. Noll holds the ceremonial title of Administration Adviser in the Pittsburgh Steelers' front office, but has had no real role in the team's operations since his retirement.
On August 2, 2007, the field at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania was dedicated and renamed Chuck Noll Field in honor of the former coach. For more than 40 years the Steelers have held their summer camp at St. Vincent College, as it was Noll's idea to take the team away from the distractions in the city to prepare for the season each year.

Contents

Career record

External links

Career record

Chuck Noll's Career Coaching Record

Franchise	Season	Wins	Losses	Ties	Postseason
Pittsburgh Steelers	1969	1	13	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1970	5	9	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1971	6	8	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1972	11	3	0	1-1 record (Won 13-7 VS. OAKLAND RAIDERS(Immaculate Reception game), Lost 17-21 VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1973	10	4	0	0-1 record (Lost 14-33 @ Oakland Raiders)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1974	10	3	1	3-0 record (Won 32-14 VS. BUFFALO BILLS, Won 24-13 @ Oakland Raiders, Won 16-6 vs. Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans : SB IX)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1975	12	2	0	3-0 record (Won 28-10 VS. BALTIMORE COLTS, Won 16-10 VS. OAKLAND RAIDERS, Won 21-17 vs. Dallas Cowboys @ Miami : SB X)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1976	10	4	0	1-1 record (Won 40-14 @ Baltimore Colts, Lost 7-24 @ Oakland Raiders)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1977	9	5	0	0-1 record (Lost 21-34 @ Denver Broncos)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1978	14	2	0	3-0 record (Won 33-10 VS. DENVER BRONCOS, Won 34-5 VS. HOUSTON OILERS, Won 35-31 vs. Dallas Cowboys @ Miami : SB XIII)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1979	12	4	0	3-0 record (Won 34-14 VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS, Won 27-13 VS. HOUSTON OILERS, Won 31-19 vs. Los Angeles Rams @ Pasadena : SB XIV)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1980	9	7	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1981	8	8	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1982	6	3	0	0-1 record (Lost 28-31 VS. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1983	10	6	0	0-1 record (Lost 10-38 @ Los Angeles Raiders)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1984	9	7	0	1-1 record (Won 24-17 @ Denver Broncos, Lost 28-45 @ Miami Dolphins)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1985	7	9	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1986	6	10	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1987	8	7	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1988	5	11	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1989	9	7	0	1-1 record (Won 26-23/OT @ Houston Oilers, Lost 23-24 @ Denver Broncos)
Pittsburgh Steelers	1990	9	7	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	1991	7	9	0
Career Totals	n/a	209	156	1	16-8 record (Four Super Bowl victories)

External links

★ ''Pro Football Hall of Fame:'' Member profile