It’s no secret that Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw and head coach Chuck Noll didn’t get along. The two had different personalities. Though they rarely saw eye to eye, it made the Steelers a better team and Bradshaw a better player. Recently Bradshaw joined the To The Point Home Service Podcast, and spoke about a variety of topics. Including his relationship with Noll and his tumultuous 1974 season, one that ended in a Super Bowl, but also saw Bradshaw benched in the regular season.
After refusing to cross the picket line during a strike, Pittsburgh started Joe Gilliam to begin the season.
“They called Joe Gilliam, and he crossed the line and went in and started playing…Eventually he started strong, then he started fading,” Bradshaw said during the Q&A session. “Then they put me back into start. I didn’t play well, and they benched me, put [Terry] Hanratty in. He didn’t play well. They benched him, put me back in, and I finished out the season and we went on and won a Super Bowl.”
Under Gilliam, the Steelers scored 30-plus points in three of their first five games, taking a pass-first approach not seen before under Noll. However, Gilliam’s early season magic quickly faded as he began turning the ball over and becoming less efficient. A Week Six game against the Cleveland Browns saw Gilliam complete just 5-of-18 passes for 78 yards. This was enough for Noll to pull the plug on Gilliam and insert Bradshaw back in the lineup.
Bradshaw returned as starter for three games before being benched for Terry Hanratty . Hanratty played one game, tossing three interceptions which was led Noll to go back to Bradshaw. Bradshaw then finished the season and helped the Steelers lift their first Lombardi Trophy, throwing a touchdown and completing 9-of014 passes for 96 yards on a cold New Orleans day.
The 1974 season is perfect encapsulation of Bradshaw and Noll’s relationship. To this day, Bradshaw holds a grudge against Noll, yet he also acknowledges that Noll made him a better player.
“I did not like my head coach at all, Chuck Noll,” said Bradshaw. “He was not a nice person. And he was mean to me. In all my 14 years of playing for him, he never shook my hand one time [say], ‘Nice job, Terry.’..I was walking out, going onto the field to play the Cleveland Browns. And he stopped me and he said, ‘You mess up out there today, and I’ll bench your ass in the first half.'”
Bradshaw was a person who needed encouragement while Noll was a tough-love coach. It’s sad to hear that Noll sucked the love out of football for Bradshaw. But even though he may not have had the same love for football with the Steelers that he had in college and as a kid, Bradshaw reached heights others never did. Bradshaw was the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls and he played a huge part in the Steelers winning them. Without him, the Steelers don’t win four Super Bowls. It’s even fair to wonder if they even win two.
While the relationship was poor, Bradshaw still sees the silver lining.
“I’m glad I played for him, Sebastian, ’cause I couldn’t stand him,” he said. “And I learned, I learned through the hurt and the pain of someone taking something from me that I absolutely love, which was quarterbacking the Steelers.”
Even during the quarterback carousel of 1974, the Steelers were still a great team. Even with Gilliam finishing as the team’s leading passer, Pittsburgh went on to capture its first Super Bowl. The team’s success, despite issues at quarterback, was in large part due to Noll’s ability to coach great defenses. Noll’s defensive background as the Baltimore Colts’ defensive coordinator opened up Bradshaw’s eyes of how to read defenses.
“I learned more about defense than I did about offense,” said Bradshaw, who also noted he only had a quarterbacks coach once in his career. “I don’t know near as much about offense as I know about defense, ’cause he taught me defense. By teaching me defense, I’m able to look at a defense and I can see what it is… that I thank him for.”
Bradshaw had a full career arc. From early struggles and benchings, he flourished by the mid-to-late 70s. He finished his 14 year career with 27,989 passing yards, 212 touchdowns, and 210 interceptions. But more importantly, he won four Super Bowls, the 1978 MVP Award, and became a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s regarded as a top quarterback in history, though recent lists have pushed him outside the consensus top ten.
In retirement, Bradshaw’s had a hot-and-cold relationship with the organization. He didn’t return to Pittsburgh until 2002 and was met with thunderous applause from fans. Still, he’s been openly critical of Mike Tomlin and the front office and skipped the funerals of Noll and Dan Rooney. Despite public calls, Bradshaw’s No. 12 hasn’t been officially retired and there’s no plan to enshrine it anytime soon.
Still, Bradshaw has his legacy. The Blonde Bomber who helped turn Pittsburgh’s franchise around. Noll can be credited with the same. Two very different people making it work to turn the Steelers into a dynasty.
