Chuck Noll, the coach who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles, dies at age 82

The late Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Chuck Noll being carried off the field by two of the Steelers Hall of Famers, Running Back Franco Harris and Defensive Lineman Mean Joe Greene, after winning one of the four Super Bowl wins by the 1970's tandum.

Story by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Written by Gerry Dulac

Success was never a destination for Chuck Noll. It was not a road that had an ending, rather always a new beginning. It was a journey, a path that never allowed for complacency or made room for satisfaction. Along the way, the lesson he instructed was always the same, whether it was life or football: Getting to the top is not nearly as difficult as staying there.

No head coach in National Football League history has ever enjoyed as much success as Charles Henry Noll, the only coach to win four Super Bowl trophies. And he did it in a six-year span of the 1970s in which the Steelers, the franchise he transformed from doormat to dynasty, became one of the most dominating teams of any NFL era.

Mr. Noll died in his sleep from natural causes Friday night at his Sewickley home, leaving behind a legion of admirers that includes former players, coaches and thousands of black-and-gold worshipers. He was 82 and had been in ill health for a number of years with Alzheimer’s disease, a heart condition and back problems.

“He will go down as the guy who helped create the mystique that exists now with the Steelers,” said former coach Bill Cowher, who replaced Mr. Noll in 1992 and accumulated 161 victories and one Super Bowl title in 15 seasons with the Steelers, second only to Mr. Noll’s 209 victories in 23 seasons.

Indeed, the late broadcaster Myron Cope once dubbed him the “Emperor,” the leader of what eventually would morph into Steelers nation. And his professional journey eventually landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside nine of the players he coached in their Super Bowl halcyon days...

...Mr. Noll was 37, the youngest head coach in NFL history, when the Steelers hired him on Jan. 27, 1969, after Penn State coach Joe Paterno turned down an offer to coach the team. At the time, Mr. Noll was in his third season as a defensive coach with the Baltimore Colts under Don Shula. Before that, he spent six seasons with the San Diego Chargers under coach Sid Gillman.

Even as a player, Mr. Noll was so smart that former Cleveland Browns Coach Paul Brown employed him as a messenger guard who relayed the plays to the quarterback. But, at age 27, Mr. Noll retired as a player because he wanted to coach.

After winning his first game and losing 13 in a row his rookie season with the Steelers, Mr. Noll slowly transformed the hapless franchise into winners, going 5-9 in 1970 and 6-8 in 1971 before leading the Steelers to their first-ever playoff appearance in 39 years in 1972. And their first-ever playoff game even had a magical ending – Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception that beat the Oakland Raiders, 13-7.

Two years later, the Steelers won their first of four Super Bowls under Mr. Noll, beating the Minnesota Vikings, 16-6.

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