Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was a guest on Julian Edelman’s Games With Names podcast, and the two recounted Bradshaw’s playing days with the Black and Gold. During a discussion where Bradshaw named the unsung heroes of the 1970s Steelers, he told a story about getting into a fight with defensive end Dwight “Mad Dog” White during practice that led to a saying that became the theme of the Steel Curtain defense.
White was one of the unsung heroes Bradshaw listed, along with Mike Wagner, Rocky Bleier, L.C. Greenwood and Ernie Holmes, and Bradshaw told a story about White laying him out during practice.
“He came through and he decked me, knocked me back over, ass kettle, helmet flew off. Practice,” Bradshaw said. “Found the football, got up, [threw it,] I tried to kill him. Boy I was pissed. He came over and I said, ‘Let me tell you something, Mad Dog. You may lose with me, you’ll never win without me.'”
Bradshaw said he then went over to the sideline, mad no one else on the team stood up for him, and White came over and asked Bradshaw what he said to him. Neither of them could remember, and after 30 minutes of discussion, they figured it out. White liked the quote.
“It took 30 minutes, but we go, and you’ll never win without me. ‘Yeah, that’s it. Yeah, oh I like that,'” Bradshaw said White replied. “I said, ‘Well I like it too, that’s an original. And it kind of became the theme of their defense. They used to use it all the time.”
It’s a great quote to define the brotherhood that those Steelers and the Steel Curtain defense had back in the 70s. Even when things got tough and the team lost, they had each other’s back and knew the importance that each member of the team held to helping them win. It’s also a funny story that after getting into a fight, White and Bradshaw sat on their helmets on the sideline trying to recall the quote, seemingly forgetting whatever they were mad about during the play.
White was certainly an unsung hero and a key part of those Steel Curtain defenses. A fourth-round pick in 1971, White had 55 sacks in 10 seasons with Pittsburgh and made two Pro Bowls. He started all 14 regular-season games six times and was a major piece of a fantastic defensive line anchored by Joe Greene. He will always be remembered as one of the building blocks of the Steel Curtain and one of the first great defenders in team history.
