Terry Bradshaw

Related Biography: Coach Chuck Noll

People forget that dynastic teams are built just as much around dynastic coaches as they are around players. As Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham put it: "we couldn't have won all those games, all those Super Bowls, except for one man, pure and simple. Chuck Noll." After all, it is the coaches that have the foresight to pick the players and mold them into the champions they will become. Often they have to start humbly at the bottom in order to make their way to the top.

When Chuck Noll came to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969, at the behest of owner Art Rooney, they had never won a playoff game. His first season record of 1-13 did not impress anyone. Slowly over the course of the next two years the Steelers improved under his tutelage until they made the playoffs in 1972.

Noll played college football for the University of Dayton and was the Cleveland Brown's 20th round pick in the 1953 draft. Noll had played pro football (guard and linebacker) for the legendary Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns from 1953-59, and cited Brown as one of the most important influences on his life. He ended up playing in four NFL championship games and on two championship teams.

Noll built the Steelers into a dynasty through the draft, and his ability to judge talent was miraculous. His philosophy was simple. Pick the best and build around them. His first round draft pick in 1969 was defensive tackle Joe Greene, and the following year, Terry Bradshaw. He also drafted Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Mel Blount. All of these draft picks would go on to be Hall of Famers.

When Noll retired in 1991, he was the only coach in football history to win four Super Bowls, and was sixth in all-time wins with 209. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility.