© 2024 WYPR
WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore WYPF 88.1 FM Frederick WYPO 106.9 FM Ocean City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Chuck Noll, Who Led Steelers To 4 Super Bowl Titles, Dies

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll shown in 1974 watching his team in action on the sidelines.
AP
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll shown in 1974 watching his team in action on the sidelines.

Chuck Noll, the only NFL coach to lead a team to four Super Bowl titles, died on Friday at age 82.

Liz Reid, from NPR member station WESA in Pittsburgh, reports the Steelers coach was considered one of the greatest. She filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"Noll took the head coaching job in Pittsburgh in 1969, after Penn State's Joe Paterno turned it down.

"The Steelers won a single game that season, but under Noll's guidance, they steadily improved their record until clinching their first Super Bowl victory in January 1975.

"Noll was known as an intelligent and meticulous coach who focused on football fundamentals and shied away from the media spotlight.

"He retired from coaching in 1991 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

"He passed away at his home outside Pittsburgh Friday night."

In its obit, CNN also points out that Noll produced one hall of famer after another. His tutelage helped guide "quarterback Terry Bradshaw; 'Mean' Joe Greene, who anchored the 'Steel Curtain' defensive line; center Mike Webster, linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert; receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth; and running back Franco Harris, whose career rushing yards rank 13th in NFL history."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.