Jump to content

Chuck Noll

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Blue67ccm (talk | contribs) at 04:00, 14 June 2014 (Adds date and cause of death with reference.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Chuck Noll
No. 65
Position:Head Coach
Guard
Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1932-01-05) January 5, 1932 (age 92)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Career information
College:Dayton
Career history
Cleveland Browns
Record at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll (born January 5, 1932 -- died June 13, 2014) is a former professional American football player, assistant coach and head coach. His sole head coaching position was for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991. Noll has more Super Bowl wins (4) than any other head coach in NFL history, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Biography

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.

Coaching career

Assistant coaching career

Noll was an assistant coach for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and the NFL Baltimore Colts before becoming the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach. He is considered part of Sid Gillman's coaching tree. Noll 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).[1] 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.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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. Steelers owner Art Rooney would later credit Don Shula as the person that recommended Noll as a head coach.[2] Noll implemented a defensive system in Pittsburgh that became the legendary "Steel Curtain" defense. His coaching style earned him the nickname of The Emperor Chaz by sports announcer Myron Cope.[3] 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 round one 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 quarterback Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech) and running back Franco Harris (Penn State) as round one picks. In the 1974 draft, Noll and the Steelers achieved a level of drafting success never seen before or since, when they selected four future Hall of Fame players with their first five picks: wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, middle linebacker Jack Lambert, and center Mike Webster. To this day, no other draft by any team has included more than two future Hall of Famers.

A very meticulous coach, Noll was well-known to coach players on fundamentals in practice, such as the three-point stance, that players were already expected to know. For instance, Andy Russell, already a Pro Bowl linebacker before Noll arrived and one of the few players Noll kept after purging the roster his first year, was told by Noll that he didn't have his feet positioned right.[4] Russell went on to become a key member for the first two Super Bowl teams and started the linebacker tradition that continues today in Pittsburgh as a result of Noll's attention to detail.

While most of his contemporaries (as well as current NFL head coaches) enforced strict curfew rules on its players, Noll was very lax on off-the-field behavior. This was shown at Super Bowl IX. While Noll's counterpart — Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant — strictly kept his team in their hotel rooms except for practice before the game, Noll told his team upon arriving in New Orleans to go out on Bourbon Street "and get the partying out of your system now."[5] It can be argued that Noll allowing his players to go out while in New Orleans helped them be more relaxed when they played the Vikings and allowed them to win 16-6.

The hallmark of the team during the 1970s was a stifling defense known as the Steel Curtain, loaded with All-Pros. The starting eleven (linemen L. C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes (later Steve Furness), Dwight White, linebackers Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Andy Russell (later Loren Toews), defensive backs 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 receiving 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 overlooked.

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 51–0 and 41–10. 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.

Post-coaching life

Noll retired as Steelers head coach after the 1991 season with a record of 209–156–1, regular season and postseason combined. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

His last team he coached gave him a gift of a stationary bicycle, which he still avidly uses.

Noll still has a residence in suburban Pittsburgh. However, he spends most of his time at his home in Florida. 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. He spends about half the year in Pittsburgh, with his wife Marianne. They have a son named Chris who is a teacher in a private high school in Connecticut. [6]

Legacy

Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College. Here, Saint Vincent returns to college football in a game against Gallaudet University.

Noll's legacy included providing opportunities for African Americans. Under Noll, Joe Gilliam became the league's first African American starting quarterback, just a few seasons after the AFL started Marlin Briscoe and James Harris (Gilliam started ahead of Terry Bradshaw briefly during the 1974 season). In 1975, Franco Harris became the first African American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. During the 1980s, Tony Dungy (who briefly played under Noll in the late 1970s) got his start as an NFL assistant coach, initially as the Steelers' Defensive Backs Coach and later the first African-American Coordinator in the NFL. 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.

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.

Chuck Noll was honored on October 7, 2007 at Heinz Field during the pre-game ceremonies.

On September 30, 2011 Pittsburgh honored Noll by naming a new street after him. Chuck Noll Way connects North Shore Drive to West General Robinson St. The street runs along Stage AE, on the North Shore of Pittsburgh.[7]

Noll passed away at his home of natural causes on June 13, 2014 at the age of 82.[8]

Career record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
PIT 1969 1 13 0 .071 4th in NFL Century - - - -
PIT 1970 5 9 0 .357 3rd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1971 6 8 0 .429 2nd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1972 11 3 0 .786 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost 17-21 vs. Miami Dolphins
PIT 1973 10 4 0 .714 2nd in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost 14-33 @ Oakland Raiders
PIT 1974 10 3 1 .769 1st in AFC Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl IX Champions
PIT 1975 12 2 0 .857 1st in AFC Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl X Champions
PIT 1976 10 4 0 .714 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost 7-24 @ Oakland Raiders
PIT 1977 9 5 0 .643 1st in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost 21-34 @ Denver Broncos
PIT 1978 14 2 0 .875 1st in AFC Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl XIII Champions
PIT 1979 12 4 0 .750 1st in AFC Central 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl XIV Champions
PIT 1980 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1981 8 8 0 .500 2nd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1982 6 3 0 .667 2nd in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost 28-31 VS. San Diego Chargers
PIT 1983 10 6 0 .625 1st in AFC Central 0 1 .000 Lost 10-38 @ Los Angeles Raiders
PIT 1984 9 7 0 .563 1st in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost 28-45 @ Miami Dolphins
PIT 1985 7 9 0 .438 2nd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1986 6 10 0 .375 3rd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1987 8 7 0 .533 3rd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1988 5 11 0 .313 4th in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1989 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC Central 1 1 .500 Lost 23-24 @ Denver Broncos
PIT 1990 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC Central - - - -
PIT 1991 7 9 0 .438 2nd in AFC Central - - - -
Total[9] 193 148 1 .566 16 8 .667

See also

References

  1. ^ Since broken by the 1977 Atlanta Falcons (129)
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (2007-01-06). "Cowher not universally adored in hometown". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-07-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5493709
  5. ^ America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions. The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers
  6. ^ The lessons of Chuck Noll
  7. ^ http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/09/30/chuck-noll-gets-his-way/
  8. ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/breaking/2014/06/13/Former-Steeler-coach-Chuck-Noll-is-dead/stories/201406130225
  9. ^ Chuck Noll Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com

Template:NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Chuck_Noll&oldid=612848679"