Little did we know.

So I finally broke out my Steelers calendar that I get for Christmas every year and going through the days and came across something I never knew. Donnie Shell who is in Canton HOF went undrafted. Maybe most of you knew that but I did not. Anybody else have any little known facts about the Steelers. I’d like to hear some.

 

Rocky Bleir fought in Vietnam...

 

Johnny Unitas was drafted by the Steelers and cut without throwing a single pass for us.

 

Lost some of his foot and doctors didn’t believe he would ever walk right again but still went on to play football.

 

len dawson and al bundy were with the steelers at one point. both were cut.

 

I knew about Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill) but didn’t know about Len Dawson.

 

The 1957 Steelers had Jack Kemp, Len Dawson, and Earl Morrall on the roster, and didn’t do much with any of them. All led other teams to championships.

 

What do William Shakespeare, Jessie James, Ed Bradley, and Mike Wallace have in common? All were Steelers at some point.

 

Although most don’t remember it, the Steelers were the first NFL team to have cheerleaders, the Steelerettes.

 

Can’t forget about the Steagles.

 

Here's a little known fact for you, if Chuck Noll had had his way, the Steelers would have had neither Lynn Swann nor Franco Harris. Noll preferred Robert Newhouse over Franco in the 1972 draft and he wanted to draft John Stallworth in the first round instead of Lynn Swann in the 1974 draft. He was finally convinced that Franco was the better choice over Newhouse and that Stallworth would be available later in the draft because somehow the scouting tape that the Steelers had in their possession was "misplaced" and that other teams had not had an opportunity to review it (*wink, wink*). So can you imagine the Steelers with no Franco and no Swann? No Immaculate Reception. No acrobatic catches in Super Bowls. Makes me shudder to think about it!

And, yes, I was aware the Donnie "the Torpedo" Shell was undrafted. He was always one of my favorite players. I loved his tenacity and his willingness to hit (ask Earl Campbell how his ribs feel today). He was from a long line of HBCU players that the Steelers were so adept at scouting thanks in large part to Bill Nunn.

 

Wow. I did not know that about Swann, Stallworth and Franco. There would be a lot less success for this franchise if that didn’t happen the way it did.

 

And he never did walk right again

But strangely he could run ok

 

Since you brought it up.......... . I think they made those outfits in their Home-Ec Class.

 

And I've wanted them back ever since.

 

When I wanted to see Steeler cheerleaders in black and gold I was thinking a lot less clothing material.

 

at least we traded Morrall for a HOF Qb.

 

The Steelers franchise is really the Eagles and the Eagles franchise is really the Pirates/Iron Men/Steelers. The franchises swapped cities in 1941. It is complicated and has nothing to do with the teams being combined in 1943 as the Steagles.

https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/11/5/13514926/philadelphia-eagles-pittsburgh-steelers-history-swap

Art Rooney sold the Steelers to Alexis Thompson, a Boston millionaire. He was going to move the team to Boston. Rooney used money from the sale to buy half of the Eagles. Rooney and Bert Bell renamed the Eagles the Iron Men. They were to play home games in both Philly and Pittsburgh. Thompson decided he liked Philly, and he renamed the Steelers the Eagles and put them there. Rooney and Bell renamed the Iron Men the Steelers and the rest is history……
This article is probably as good an explanation as you will get, although I saw one error. The Eagles were not the Frankford Yellow Jackets.

 

Especially the pregnant one.

 

And a pole?

 

I never knew that. I do have to question it, simply because they spelled Noll's name wrong.

 

They're cheap!!!

 

Add another trophy to the case

 

Jerome Bettis is from Detroit

 

Dan Marino was secretly drafted by the Steelers, but Roger Goodell told the Steelers they couldn't have him due to the dynasty in the 70's.