It’s been 365 days since the NFL lost Chuck Noll.
When you hear it, it stops you. Has it been a year already? The moment when it was announced football had lost a legend.
An entire football community mourned but none felt more sorrow than Pittsburgh. Noll was a man who spoke so little yet had a seismic impact. There were simple mottos. No one is too important to learn. Fundamentals first. Then move onto life’s work.
He came to a franchise who only knew how to lose. He left it a franchise revered for its championships. To summarize his coaching career in a few paragraphs is not meant to trivialize it. There just aren’t enough words to adequately describe what he did for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those who lived the dynasty already know, anyway.
The word “coach” is derived from “stagecoach,” the person in charge of taking you where you needed to go. That’s Chuck Noll. He took players, made them men, and brought them to heights they probably never even dreamed of.
Legendary games. Unparalleled draft classes. Some of the greatest players to ever put on a helmet. Four Lombardi Trophies. A great coach. A better man. The ultimate Steeler.
