Despite being second in NFL history in the Super Bowl era with four Lombardi Trophies to his name, Pittsburgh Steelers all-time great head coach Chuck Noll landed outside of the top five in the 33rd Team’s top 10 all-time NFL head coaches Wednesday morning.
In the rankings compiled by Dan Pizzuta, Noll landed at No. 6 on the list, behind New England’s Bill Belichick, Green Bay’s Vince Lombardi, San Francisco’s Bill Walsh, Miami’s Don Shula and Chicago’s George Halas.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers had one playoff appearance in franchise history before Noll took over in 1969. He went 1-13 in his first season but shortly turned the Steelers into one of the model franchises in the NFL and one of the top dynasties. Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls in six seasons,” Pizzuta writes. “Noll, a linebacker who played under Paul Brown in Cleveland, oversaw the Steel Curtain defense, which included multiple Hall of Famers.
“Noll’s ability to stabilize the Steelers is still felt today with the franchise only hiring two more head coaches — Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin — since.”
As is well known, Noll is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. He led the Steelers to four Super Bowls in six seasons in the 1970s, helping them become one of the most popular teams not only in the NFL, but in professional sports. The Steel Curtain dynasty set the stage for future NFL dynasties.
In his career as the head coach of the Steelers, which spanned 23 seasons from 1969-1991, Noll won 193 regular-season games, compiling a 193-148-1 record, good for a .566 winning percentage. In the playoffs, Noll led the Steelers to 16-8 record, good for a .667 winning percentage, adding those four Super Bowls in the 70s.
During his time in Pittsburgh, Noll coached 11 Hall of Fame players and was instrumental in setting the foundation for the success in the 70s. Taking over the Steelers in 1969, Noll selected defensive lineman Mean Joe Greene in the 1969 NFL Draft, which set the tone and helped lead to all the success on the field that Pittsburgh had in the 70s.
Noll led the Steelers to 15 winning seasons, nine division championships, and 12 playoff appearances. “The Emperor” was demanding, but he brought a culture of winning with his style of coaching. That style leaned heavily on teaching and developing. He could be tough on players, but he got the most out of them time and time again.
Noll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame two years after stepping away from coaching, landing in the hallowed halls of Canton with the Class of 1993.
Having Noll outside of the top five head coaches of all-time seems a bit unfair. Yes, guys like Shula and Halas had more wins, but they also coached much, much longer than Noll. None of the guys ahead of him in the top five, outside of Belichick, can even touch him when it comes to Super Bowl titles, too.
He’s the best coach in Steelers’ history, period, and he should be considered one of the best coaches in NFL history, too, and not outside the top five, either.
