American Football Wiki
1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head Coach Chuck Noll
Home Field Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record 12–2
Place 1st AFC Central
Playoff Finish Won Super Bowl X
Pro Bowlers
Team MVP Mel Blount
Timeline
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1974 1976

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 1975 season defending their AFC Central and Super Bowl IX titles from the 1974 season. Throughout the 1975 season they not only improved on their 10–3–1 record from the previous year, but once again won the AFC Central Division Title and their second franchise championship, in Super Bowl X.

During the team's divisional round playoff game against the Baltimore Colts, sportscaster Myron Cope urged fans to bring yellow dish towels to the game with them in order to support the team. The gimmick, originally a one-shot deal, was a surprise hit, and a longtime Steeler tradition, the Terrible Towel, was invented.

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

1975 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 26 Dave Brown * CB Michigan Played one season for Steelers; selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the expansion draft
2 51 Bob Barber DE Grambling playing for Packers; 1976-79
3 78 Walter White TE Maryland Traded to Chiefs
4 104 Harold Evans LB Houston
5 130 Brent Sexton DB Elon
6 156 Marvin Crenshaw T Nebraska
7 180 Wayne Mattingly T Colorado
8 208 Al Humphrey DE Tulsa
9 234 Bruce Reimer RB North Dakota State
10 260 Archie Grey WR Wyoming
11 286 Randy Little TE West Liberty
12 312 Greg Murphy DE Penn State
13 337 Bob Gaddis WR Mississippi Valley State played mostly in CFL
14 364 Mike Collier RB Morgan State played one season for Steelers
15 390 Marty Smith DT Louisville
16 415 Miller Bassler TE Houston
17 442 Stan Hegener G Nebraska

Personnel[]

Coaches / Staff[]

1975 Pittsburgh Steelers final staff
Front Office
  • Chairman of the board – Arthur J. Rooney
  • President – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice president – John R. McGinley
  • Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Public relations director – Ed Kiely
  • Traveling secretary – James A. Boston
  • Publicity director – Joe Gordon
  • Controller – Robert P. Quinn
  • Accountant – Dennis P. Thimons
  • Ticket manager – Joseph H. Carr
  • Director of player personnel – Dick Haley
  • Assistant director of player personnel – Bill Nunn
  • Director of professional scouting – V. Timothy Rooney

Head Coaches

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive backfield – Dick Hoak
  • Offensive line – Dan Radakovich
  • Receivers – Lionel Taylor
  Defensive Coaches

Special Teams Coaches


Strength and Conditioning

  • Strength – Louis Riecke
  • Flexibility – Paul Uram
  • Team physician, orthopedic – Dr. John Best
  • Team Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
  • Team dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek
  • Trainer – Ralph Berlin
  • Assistant trainer – Robert Milie
  • Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field manager – Jack Hart
  • Film director – Bob McCartney
  • Photographer – Harry Homa

[1]

Roster[]

1975 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

  • 86 Reggie Garrett
  • 43 Frank Lewis
  • 82 John Stallworth
  • 88 Lynn Swann

Tight ends

  • 87 Larry Brown
  • 84 Randy Grossman
Offensive linemen
  • 50 Jim Clack G
  • 57 Sam Davis G
  • 71 Gordon Gravelle T
  • 55 Jon Kolb T
  • 56 Ray Mansfield C
  • 72 Gerry Mullins G/T
  • 74 Dave Reavis T/G
  • 52 Mike Webster C/G

Defensive linemen

  • 76 John Banaszak DE
  • 64 Steve Furness DT
  • 75 Joe Greene DT
  • 68 L. C. Greenwood DE
  • 63 Ernie Holmes DT
  • 78 Dwight White DE
Linebackers
  • 38 Ed Bradley MLB
  • 59 Jack Ham OLB
  • 54 Marv Kellum OLB
  • 58 Jack Lambert MLB
  • 34 Andy Russell OLB
  • 51 Loren Toews OLB

Defensive backs

  • 45 Jimmy Allen DB
  • 47 Mel Blount CB
  • 36 Dave Brown DB
  • 27 Glen Edwards FS/PR
  • 31 Donnie Shell S
  • 26 J. T. Thomas CB
  • 23 Mike Wagner SS

Special teams

  • 52 Mike Webster LS
  • 10 Roy Gerela K
  • 39 Bobby Walden P/H
Reserve lists
  •    Bob Gaddis WR (IR)


Practice squad [2] [3] [4]


Rookies in italics
43 Active, 1 Inactive, Practice squad



Preseason[]

During the preseason, the Steelers acquired undrafted free-agent, John Banaszak. The Defensive tackle from Eastern Michigan played in three games and later became the 1975 Team ROY (Rookie of the Year).

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Venue
1 August 1 College All-Stars W 21–14 Soldier Field
2 August 9 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–17 Three Rivers Stadium
3 August 17 Oakland Raiders L 21–24 California Memorial Stadium
4 August 22 at Baltimore Colts W 31–10 Memorial Stadium
5 August 30 New York Giants L 7–24 Palmer Stadium
6 September 6 New Orleans Saints W 24–13 Three Rivers Stadium
7 September 13 at Dallas Cowboys L 16–17 Texas Stadium

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Game Site
1 Sunday September 21 at San Diego Chargers W 37–0 San Diego Stadium
2 Sunday September 28 Buffalo Bills L 30–21 Three Rivers Stadium
3 Sunday October 5 at Cleveland Browns W 42–6 Cleveland Municipal Stadium
4 Sunday October 12 Denver Broncos W 20–9 Three Rivers Stadium
5 Sunday October 19 Chicago Bears W 34–3 Three Rivers Stadium
6 Sunday October 26 at Green Bay Packers W 16–13 Lambeau Field
7 Sunday November 2 at Cincinnati Bengals W 30–24 Riverfront Stadium
8 Sunday November 9 Houston Oilers W 24–17 Three Rivers Stadium
9 Sunday November 16 Kansas City Chiefs W 28–3 Three Rivers Stadium
10 Monday November 24 at Houston Oilers W 32–9 Houston Astrodome
11 Sunday November 30 at New York Jets W 20–7 Shea Stadium
12 Sunday December 7 Cleveland Browns W 31–17 Three Rivers Stadium
13 Sunday December 14 Cincinnati Bengals W 35–14 Three Rivers Stadium
14 Saturday December 20 at Los Angeles Rams L 10–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Game summaries[]

Week 1 (Sunday September 21): San Diego Chargers[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 10 10 3 14 37
Chargers 0 0 0 0 0


at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 35,853
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 29 3–0
  • Pittsburgh – Lewis 40 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)10–0
  • Pittsburgh – Mullins recovered fumble in end zone (Gerela kick)17–0
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 25 20–0
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 38 23–0
  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 38 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)30–0
  • Pittsburgh – Collier 7 run (Gerela kick)37–0

Week 2 (Sunday September 28): Buffalo Bills[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Bills 0 10 13 7 30
Steelers 0 0 7 14 21


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 49,438
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers:

O.J. Simpson ran for 227 yards, including an 88 yard touchdown run, as the Bills upset the Steelers. Buffalo also scored on a lateral return after a Terry Bradshaw fumble. The Bills opened the game with 23 unanswered points. The Steelers made a second half comeback behind Joe Gilliam (Bradshaw was benched), but it wasn't enough.

Scoring Drives:

  • Buffalo – Leypoldt 37 yard FG
  • Buffalo – Kadish 26 yard fumble return (Leypoldt kick)
  • Buffalo – Gant 7 yard pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick)
  • Buffalo – Simpson 88 yard run (kick failed)
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 2 yard run (Gerela kick)
  • Buffalo – Chandler 28 yard pass from Ferguson (Leypoldt kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Grossman 20 yard pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 1 yard run (Gerela kick)

Week 3 (Sunday October 5): Cleveland Browns[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 21 0 14 42
Browns 0 0 0 6 6


at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 73,217
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7–0
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 1 run (Gerela kick)14–0
  • Pittsburgh – Collier 1 run (Gerela kick)21–0
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 43 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick)28–0
  • Cleveland – McKinnis 7 run (kick failed)28–6
  • Pittsburgh – Garrett 45 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick)35–6
  • Pittsburgh – Harrison 3 run (Gerela kick)42–6

Week 4 (Sunday October 12): Denver Broncos[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Broncos 3 6 0 0 9
Steelers 7 10 0 6 23


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 49,164
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Denver – FG Turner 22 0–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 43 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)7–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)14–3
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 39 17–3
  • Denver – FG Turner 39 17–6
  • Denver – FG Turner 36 17–9
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 28 20–9
  • Pittsburgh- FG ((Roy Gerela)) 30 23–9

Week 5 (Sunday October 19): Chicago Bears[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 0 3 0 0 3
Steelers 0 10 10 14 34


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 47,579
  • Referee: Norm Schachter
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Chicago – FG Thomas 32 0–3
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 37 3–3
  • Pittsburgh – Harrison 1 run (Gerela kick)10–3
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 18 13–3
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run (Gerela kick)20–3
  • Pittsburgh – Bleier 3 run (Gerela kick)27–3
  • Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (Gerela kick)34–3

Week 6 (Sunday October 26): Green Bay Packers[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 10 0 3 16
Packers 0 6 7 0 13


at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 52,258
  • Referee: Fred Silva
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 19 3–0
  • Green Bay – Brockington 2 run (kick blocked)6–3
  • Pittsburgh – Collier 94 kickoff return (Gerela kick)10–6
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 19 13–6
  • Green Bay – Brockington 5 run (Danelo kick)13–13
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 29 16–13

Week 7 (Sunday November 2): Cincinnati Bengals[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 10 13 7 30
Bengals 3 0 0 21 24


at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 58,418
  • Referee: Tommy Bell
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Cincinnati – FG Green 23 0–3
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 42 3–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 37 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 10–3
  • Pittsburgh – Bleier 3 run (Gerela kick) 17–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 25 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed) 23–3
  • Cincinnati – Joiner 34 pass from Anderson (Green kick) 24–10
  • Cincinnati – E. Johnson 3 pass from Anderson (Green kick) 24–17
  • Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 1 run (kick failed) 30–17
  • Cincinnati – Myers 22 pass from Anderson (Green kick) 30–24

Week 8 (Sunday November 9): Houston Oilers[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Oilers 0 7 3 7 17
Steelers 10 7 0 7 24


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 49,460
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 22 3–0
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 8 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 10–0
  • Houston – Coleman 3 run (Butler kick) 10–7
  • Pittsburgh – L. Brown 6 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 17–7
  • Houston – FG Butler 48 17–10
  • Houston – Willis 1 run (Butler kick) 17–17
  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 21 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 24–17

Week 9 (Sunday November 16): Kansas City Chiefs[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 0 3 0 0 3
Steelers 0 7 14 7 28


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 48,803
  • Referee: Bernie Ulman
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Kansas City – FG Stenerud 32 0–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 42 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 7–3
  • Pittsburgh – Harrison 10 run (Gerela kick) 14–3
  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 16 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 21–3
  • Pittsburgh – Collier 21 run (Gerela kick) 28–3

Week 10 (Monday November 24): Houston Oilers[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 2 13 3 14 32
Oilers 0 3 0 6 9


at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – Safety, White tackled Pastorini in end zone 2–0
  • Houston – FG Butler 27 2–3
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 4 run (Gerela kick) 9–3
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed) 15–3
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 30 18–3
  • Pittsburgh – Fuqua 13 run (Gerela kick) 25–3
  • Houston – Burrough 59 pass from Pastorini (kick failed) 25–9
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 13 run (Gerela kick) 32–9

Week 11 (Sunday November 30): New York Jets[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 10 10 0 20
Jets 0 0 0 7 7


at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 52,618
  • Referee: Cal Lepore
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 26 3–0
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 44 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 10–0
  • Pittsburgh – Lewis 8 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 17–0
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 19 20–0
  • New York Jets – Barkum 6 pass from Namath (Leahy kick) 20–7

Week 12 (Sunday December 7): Cleveland Browns[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 3 14 0 0 17
Steelers 7 3 14 7 31


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 47,962
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Cleveland – FG Cockroft 26 0–3
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 3 run (Gerela kick) 7–3
  • Cleveland – Pruitt 1 run (Cockroft kick) 7–10
  • Cleveland – W. Miller 17 fumble return (Cockroft kick) 7–17
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 14–17
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 21–17
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 8 run (Gerela kick) 28–17
  • Pittsburgh-FG Roy Gerela 35 31–17

Week 13 (Saturday December 13): Cincinnati Bengals[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Bengals 0 7 0 7 14
Steelers 14 7 7 7 35


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 12:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: 45°F / 7°C, wind 8 mph
  • Game attendance: 48,889
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers:

Game Summary Pittsburgh swept all 6 games in the AFC central division.

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – Swann 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 7–0
  • Pittsburgh – Thomas 21 lateral from Lambert after fumble recovery (Gerela kick) 14–0
  • Cincinnati – Fritts 1 run (Green kick) 14–7
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 10 run (Gerela kick) 21–7
  • Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 7 run (Gerela kick) 28–7
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 2 run (Gerela kick) 35–7
  • Cincinnati – Curtis 1 pass from Anderson (Green kick) 35–14

Week 14 (Saturday December 20): Los Angeles Rams[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 0 0 0 3
Rams 0 3 0 7 10


at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Game time:
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 69,389
  • Referee: Tommy Bell
  • TV announcers:

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 20 3–0
  • Los Angeles – FG Dempsey 26 3–3
  • Los Angeles – Jaworski 5 run (Dempsey kick) 3–10

Standings[]

AFC Central
Team W L T PCT PF PA
Pittsburgh Steelers 12 2 0 .857 373 162
Cincinnati Bengals 11 3 0 .786 340 246
Houston Oilers 10 4 0 .714 293 226
Cleveland Browns 3 11 0 .214 218 372

Postseason[]

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Game Site
Divisional Saturday December 27 Baltimore W 28–10 Three Rivers Stadium
Championship Sunday January 4 Oakland W 16–10 Three Rivers Stadium
Super Bowl X Sunday January 18 Dallas W 21–17 Miami Orange Bowl

Game summaries[]

AFC Divisional Playoff (Saturday December 27): vs. Baltimore Colts[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Colts 0 7 3 0 10
Steelers 7 0 7 14 28


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 12:30 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 49,557
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers: (NBC)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – Harris 8 run (Gerela kick) 7–0
  • Baltimore – Doughty 5 pass from Domres (Linhart kick) 7–7
  • Baltimore – FG Linhart 21 7–10
  • Pittsburgh – Bleier 7 run (Gerela kick) 14–10
  • Pittsburgh – Bradshaw 2 run (Gerela kick) 21–10
  • Pittsburgh – Russell 93 fumble return (Gerela kick) 28–10
  • Franco Harris gained 152 yds rushing, one yard less than the Baltimore Colts offense. Andy Russell set a record for elapsed time on a fumble return.

AFC Championship (Sunday January 4): vs. Oakland Raiders[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Raiders 0 0 0 10 10
Steelers 0 3 0 13 16


at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 12:30 PM EST
  • Game weather: 16 degrees
  • Game attendance: 50,609
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Curt Gowdy (play by play), Al DeRogatis & Don Meredith (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 36 3–0
  • Pittsburgh – Harris 25 run (Gerela kick) 10–0
  • Oakland – Siani 14 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) 10–7
  • Pittsburgh – Stallworth 20 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed) 16–7
  • Oakland – FG Blanda 41 16–10

Pittsburgh won the game, despite giving up eight turnovers.[5]

Super Bowl X (Sunday January 18): vs. Dallas Cowboys[]

Team 1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 7 3 0 7 17
Steelers 7 0 0 14 21


at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

  • Game time: 2:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 80,187
  • Referee: Norm Schachter
  • TV announcers: (CBS) Pat Summerall (play by play), Tom Brookshier (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Dallas – D. Pearson 29 pass from Staubach (Fritsch kick) 0–7
  • Pittsburgh – Grossman 7 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) 7–7
  • Dallas – FG Fritsch 36 7–10
  • Pittsburgh – Safety, Harrison blocked punt through end zone 9–10
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 36 12–10
  • Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 18 15–10
  • Pittsburgh – Swann 64 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed) 21–10
  • Dallas – P. Howard 34 pass from Staubach (Fritsch kick) 21–17 Lynn Swann earns MVP award catching 4 receptions for 161 yards.

The Pittsburgh Steelers won their 2nd of their 4 Super Bowl championships.

Awards, honors, and records[]

  • Mel Blount, National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award
  • Lynn Swann, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

References[]

  1. 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide,. ISBN .
  2. 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide,. ISBN .
  3. 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide,. ISBN .
  4. 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers.
  5. Number three. Three Rivers top Greatest Play and Game. PittsburghSteelers.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved on 2008-08-07.

External links[]