The Wearing of the Black and Gold

In the days following the 1972 draft, the sports pages in Pittsburgh newspapers used words such as “skepticism” and “surprise” when talking about the Steelers’ first-round pick: Franco Harris.

In December 1947, Pittsburgh stepped in to host the 1948 NFL Draft—the first and only time the event was held in the city until this year.

Professional football was born on the North Side in November 1892, fueled by an intense rivalry between the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Association. Both believed themselves the best; both sought to assuage the sting of playing to a tie score on Columbus Day. And both were willing to use whatever means it took to win, including money. 

The recent choice of defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt with the 46th overall pick, 14th choice of round two, in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers is part of…

Three Rivers Stadium is gone now, but the memory of what happened there on Dec. 23, 1972, lives on. 

It goes back a long way, this tradition of quarterbacks as a natural resource in western Pennsylvania.
-Roy McHugh, The New York Times, 1991

It’s said that Pittsburghers bleed black and gold and, at least metaphorically, it seems true. We adorn our homes, our cars, and ourselves in all manner of the chosen colors.…

Franco’s Italian Army, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan group that cheered on rookie running back Franco Harris, recruited an Italian “army of support” to cheer on the Black and Gold in 1972.

There are certain moments in sports that define a team, an era, or an individual. The Immaculate Reception is one of those defining moments – separating the same old Steelers from the Super Bowl Steelers.

Muscle and sweat. Strength and determination. Civic bragging rights that cross generations. As one of the oldest rivalries in professional football, annual games between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh…