When I first heard about the passing of Chuck Noll, it felt like a loss of a family patriarch. I will be the first to admit that my understanding of how great Chuck Noll was as a coach came from reading and research more than first hand experience.\u00a0The coaching resume\u00a0speaks for itself; First Ballot Hall of Famer, Four Super Bowl Championships, .566 Winning percentage a\u00a0great\u00a0“Coaching Tree”. But that doesn’t even remotely tell the story of what Coach Noll meant to the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
As a quiet dignified man, he never believed in self promotion and was quick to deflect to the players when they succeeded. His\u00a0complicated relationship with Terry Bradshaw and prickly relationship with\u00a0the press has hurt him in the “all-time”\u00a0coaches discussion. That isn’t something that I\u00a0think ever bothered him.\u00a0I wrote once before, “He knew he was smarter than you were, he just didn’t care if you knew it.”<\/p>\n
Much like\u00a0the\u00a0designation of BC in the Julian calendar, the Steelers have a BC as well; Before Chuck, when they wandered\u00a0in the wilderness for over 30+ years, as footballs laughing stock. The Steelers Won 156 games, lost 240 and tied 18. Coach Noll, showed up,\u00a0first he changed the culture, then he\u00a0built a winner, then a Dynasty,\u00a0and eventually\u00a0a foundation\u00a0that the entire Steelers organization is built on to this day.<\/p>\n
“The Standard is the Standard,” is\u00a0the common theme from\u00a0Coach Tomlin.\u00a0Chuck Noll established that standard. They weren’t the\u00a0same old Steelers anymore.\u00a0Since that day he showed up as coach, the Steelers have won 413 games, lost 279 and tied 2.\u00a0While the Rooney family\u00a0are the most important people in Steeler history, Coach Noll is a very close second.<\/p>\n
What is lost on a generations of fans is that his\u00a0Coaching legend\u00a0was so much more than just the 1970 Steelers, while his\u00a080’s teams didn’t win the Super Bowl, he did some of his best coaching. He churned out six\u00a0winning teams with a crumbling\u00a0dynasty,\u00a0thin talent and a limited budget. In 1989\u00a0coming off one of the worst seasons he ever had as a coach, he\u00a0started the season\u00a00-2\u00a0while getting blown out in both games. Noll\u00a0never lost composure and\u00a0led the Steelers to the playoffs, with a huge upset win over division rival Houston and\u00a0their\u00a0big mouth coach\u00a0Jerry Glanville (Who was fired because of the loss)\u00a0and they\u00a0came within a few plays of pulling\u00a0the upset against the eventual AFC Champion Broncos. Of the final two playoff games that Noll lost, the QB matchups were Dan Marino v. Mark Malone and John Elway v. Bubby Brister.\u00a0Of the final two that he won, it was Mark Malone beating Hall Of Famer\u00a0John Elway and Bubby Brister besting Hall of Famer Warren Moon, that should sum up great coaching.<\/p>\n
His final seasons as Steelers coach\u00a0laid the foundation that Coach Cowher’s\u00a0early success\u00a0was built on. He coached, Dermonti Dawson, Greg Lloyd, Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, Hardy Nickerson, John Jackson, Jerry Olsavsky, DJ Johnson, Justin Strzelczyk, Barry Foster and Neil O’Donnell.<\/p>\n
What he didn’t realize was,\u00a0he did his life’s work and it’s impact is felt\u00a0long after the glow of Super Bowl success had\u00a0begun to fade and the city of Pittsburgh has been better for it ever since.<\/p>\n
My prayers are with his family and all of Steelers Nation!<\/p>\n
GOD BLESS CHUCK NOLL!!!<\/p>\n
They concur with my writing:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/story\/0ap2000000358914\/article\/chuck-nolls-best-coaching-job-came-with-89-pittsburgh-steelers<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n