Steelers' Rocky Bleier Admits 1974 Was Not "A Magical Season" As Fans Think

The Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970s started the franchise's ascent into excellence. This was no small feat. The team had lived through decades of inferior play and losing seasons. Hiring Head Coach Chuck Noll in 1969, along with some brilliant draft picks, sparked this rise. 

The 1974 season marked the first time the Steelers would win out in the playoffs and finally make and win a Super Bowl. They also had one of the best drafts in NFL history that year. They selected Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, and signed Donnie Shell. Because of the draft and the first Super Bowl win, everyone thinks 1974 was this magical season. However, two former '70s era players say it wasn't how people imagined it.  

Rocky Bleier, a running back, and Jon Kolb, an offensive lineman, joined Brian Hess on his podcast, The Brian Hess Show, to tell stories about those incredible years. Bleier and Kolb were with the Steelers for all four Super Bowl wins during that decade. Bleier said it wasn't as easy as many think; the 1974 season was complex due to a player strike. NFL players were protesting free agency restrictions and sought appropriate compensation. The strike was unsuccessful, and players began crossing the line to join their team, but it meant that teams were playing games without all of the players they expected to, including the Steelers.

"People have an image because of stories about '74 and of the guys who are all now Hall of Famers," recalled Bleier. "But they don't understand the struggle. Gilliam goes 3-1-1, and Joe's got his own problems, so all of a sudden, in the sixth game, [Terry] Bradshaw comes back. That draft choice of those guys in '74, we all know them, but they weren't names; they weren't even starting or playing most of the time. Bradshaw comes back, and in the sixth game, he stinks. Terry Hanratty comes the next game, he's not any better unfortunately. Bradshaw's back again, and we have a quarterback controversy. Then, all of a sudden, it starts to click. We start to control the ball, defense starts to play better. So we get into the playoffs. But it was not necessarily a magical season as people would like to think. We didn't know we were gonna go to the playoffs or what kind of a team because of all the disruption that had taken place."

According to Bleier, people forget how badly the strike impacted the start of the 1974 season. Bleier said that when the strike hit, some veterans reported to camp along with the rookies and the draft choices. Two of the Steelers quarterbacks, Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty, chose to honor the picket line with their fellow vets. However, Joe Gilliam did not. He crossed the line and went to camp. That gave him three weeks of preparation Bradshaw and Hanratty didn't have. According to Bleier, that is why Noll named him the starting quarterback.  

Bradshaw would ultimately win the starting job and lead the team to win the first Lombardi Trophy against the Minnesota Vikings and the three others they won. As fans look back through the rose-colored glasses of history, they forget about the strike and often forget the many hurdles Bradshaw faced on his way to the starting job. 

Steelers Did Have An Earlier Spark

Bleier said that it wasn't until after the strike ended and the team began to settle in that things clicked, and they began to realize they might win it all. However, in 1972, the Immaculate Reception occurred, and Bleier said that was a spark that the team needed. 

The Steelers beat the then-Oakland Raiders to win their first playoff game when Franco Harris caught that ball. While it would take them two more seasons and several roster adjustments to get there, the Hall of Famer said that those who were already on the team began to think they might be better than people were saying. 

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