Pittsburgh Steelers legendary Head Coach, Chuck Noll made plenty of amazing decisions as he led the team to four Super Bowls in the '70s. However, one mistake will forever haunt him and the franchise. In the 1983 NFL Draft, Noll had a chance to draft the hometown kid from the Pitt Panthers, Dan Marino. Instead, Noll and the Steelers drafted Gabe Rivera, a defensive tackle from Texas Tech, 21st overall. Marino would go on to be selected 27th overall by the Miami Dolphins, and his career would be nothing short of legendary.
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Steelers' Chuck Noll on the sideline during a game in Pittsburgh.
Marino became a nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and eventually a Hall of Famer. His skill and success as the quarterback for the Dolphins made him one of the greatest to ever play the game. Though Marino never won a Super Bowl, his individual accomplishments were undeniable, and his success only highlighted the one glaring mistake the Steelers made in passing on him. For a franchise known for making savvy draft choices, this misstep remains a painful chapter in their storied history.
Former player, head coach, and current NFL analyst, Tony Dungy shared the secret reasoning behind Noll’s decision in Noll's book His Life's Work. It turns out the Steelers coach passed on Marino to protect Terry Bradshaw’s feelings. Bradshaw, who was nearing the end of his career, might have been devastated by the prospect of a young quarterback like Marino being drafted to eventually replace him. Despite the hindsight of history, Noll’s loyalty to his veteran quarterback was at the heart of this fateful decision.
"It was a weird time, and Chuck was very loyal to those guys," Dungy said. "Drafting Marino, as much as Bradshaw says he didn’t care about his feelings and stuff, that would have killed Bradshaw, and he still thought he was going to play a couple more years. There was a lot to that. It changed the course of the franchise, for sure."
The craziest part here is how eerily similar this situation is to how Ben Roethlisberger’s time in Pittsburgh ended. It seemed like key decision-makers, like former General Manager Kevin Colbert, were hesitant to make tough decisions out of fear of hurting Roethlisberger's feelings. As a result, they never truly made an effort to find a successor. Sure, they took a chance on Mason Rudolph and some other late-round options, but it never felt like the Steelers were genuinely preparing for life after Roethlisberger.
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Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger looks on while quarterback Mason Rudolph throws the football during practice.
Then the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett, likely with the intention of avoiding the same mistake they made in 1983 by passing on Marino. However, that move quickly backfired, and now Pickett is with the Cleveland Browns. This illustrates a harsh reality: there are no guarantees in the NFL, and past mistakes can continue to haunt a franchise, shaping its future decisions in ways they might not have anticipated.
Noll, much like the Steelers do to this day, was loyal to a fault and went to great lengths to protect Bradshaw. The most staggering part is that they knew Bradshaw had undergone serious elbow surgery. Not only did the Steelers pass on Marino, but Bradshaw retired after the 1983 season, having played just one game. It was a classic case of the worst-case scenario unfolding, and to this day, it remains a haunting chapter in Steeler Nation's history.
The decision to pass on Marino was one of those moments where everything could have been different if the Steelers had only made a bold move. While the team’s loyalty to Bradshaw is understandable given his contributions to the franchise, it also created a scenario where the future of the franchise was compromised.
The Steelers, known for their strong defensive identity and smart decision-making, found themselves caught in a dilemma between honoring their past and preparing for the future. As much as Noll’s loyalty to Bradshaw made sense in the moment, it ultimately didn’t prevent the inevitable.
Steelers Still Struggling With Forward Thinking In 2025
Fast forward to today, and the echoes of that 1983 decision still linger in Pittsburgh’s decision-making process. Whether it’s the choice to draft Pickett or stick with the quarterback carousel post-Roethlisberger, the franchise's hesitation to fully embrace a new era reflects a similar fear of making tough, forward-thinking choices.
In some ways, the Steelers' struggle with succession planning for their quarterbacks mirrors the shadow of Marino’s omission. Even after all these years, the lessons of the past seem to linger like a ghost, influencing the franchise's most important decisions.
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Former Dolphins QB Dan Marino stands on the Steelers' end zone before a home game in Pittsburgh.
The reality is that no team, no matter how storied or successful, is immune to making mistakes that shape its future. The Steelers’ past missteps, including the decision to pass on Marino, serve as a reminder that sometimes, loyalty can blind even the most experienced leaders.
While the franchise has rebounded from many setbacks, that one decision remains an example of how the weight of history can still impact present-day choices. For Steelers fans, it’s a painful 'what could have been,' but it also adds to the rich tapestry of the team’s complex and storied history.
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