The Pittsburgh Steelers found remarkable success in their 1970s seasons, winning four championships in six years. These matchups frequently featured the same cast of characters and the Steelers lined up across from the Dallas Cowboys more than once. Following the 1978 season, the Cowboys and Steelers were once again meeting in the championship game, this time at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida for Super Bowl XIII.
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Steelers' Terry Bradshaw faced the Cowboys twice in the Super Bowl.
This was the first Lombardi rematch, as the Steelers had previously beaten the Cowboys in Super Bowl X, 21-17. The Cowboys were hoping to get revenge and both teams were hoping to win their third Super Bowl, with Dallas defending their title, having won Super Bowl XII.
The Steelers were stacked on both offense and defense that season with some of the biggest names in football, including Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Joe Greene, Mel Blount, and Jack Lambert just to name a few. That team also included Donnie Shell, who was in his fourth season in Pittsburgh. Shell recently talked about that team and how incredibly fired up they were to make the Super Bowl again. In fact, they were so fired up that they were taking their energy out on one another.
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Former Steelers strong safety, Donnie Shell.
Shell joined the All Things Covered Podcast with hosts Bryant McFadden, a former Steelers cornerback, and Patrick Peterson, a current Steelers cornerback. He shared a story about when the team was practicing for the big game against Dallas and said things got out of control.
"We kind of felt like we was second fiddle, we were like we will just wait until game time. Matter of fact, during the week, Chuck Noll had to stop practice. We got so aggressive against our offense, he shut practice down."
Part of the reason that the Steelers players got so riled up was that the media was making Dallas out to be America's sweethearts, talking about how great their quarterback Roger Staubach was. The media even called them "America's Team" which according to Shell, made Blount furious. All of the emotions from feeling disrespected came together to create a kind of frenzy.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers safety Donnie Shell runs with the ball during a game against the Chicago Bears.
He said that frustration between the offense and the defense boiled over. It went from being the kind of chip on your shoulder that helps your team persevere and play hard, to one that had them turning inward on each other.
"And then John Stallworth and Mel Blount got in a fight during practice. Stall' beat him on something, Mel came back and threw some dirt in his face - in his eye."
All three of them are laughing uproariously at this point. Shell said they were told to take a knee. He mimics Stallworth, who he said has a "light voice" asking if anyone had seen that. He reenacted his response, shaking with laughter and saying he hadn't seen anything.
"I said, 'What did he do?' 'He picked up the dirt and threw it right in my eye, man.' I told him I didn't remember Mel doing anything like that to his eye." Stall' was just whining and Chuck [Noll] stopped practice."
While the team might have displayed some fractures at practice, they did not on game day. They came together to beat the Cowboys 35-31 and win their third Lombardi Trophy. It was a close game and is widely considered one of the most exciting and greatest Super Bowls in history.
Steelers' Donnie Shell Became A Pittsburgh Legend
Shell was quickly finding out how it felt to be on the right side of winning. While only in his fourth season that year, the young safety had already won two Super Bowls. He would help the Steelers win four before he finally retired in 1987. During his NFL career, he had 51 interceptions for 490 yards, as well as 19 fumble recoveries and four defensive touchdowns.
He was selected for five Pro Bowls and was named a three-time All-Pro. Shell was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. He was inducted by Tony Dungy, who was a Steelers teammate.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers royalty Joe Greene, Andy Russell, Lynn Swann, and Mel Blount.
For their part, the Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six. They have played in eight championship games, losing two.
Do you remember the Super Bowl wins in the 1970s? Are you surprised to hear that all the talk about Dallas had the players so fired up? Click to comment below.
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