Larger text
Smaller text
Print
E-mail
A brief history of Steelers revenge
Yet, still the revenge angle persists ahead of the Steelers-Pats season opener. Living well is said to be the ultimate revenge on one's rivals, but that just doesn't seem to cut it in athletics.
That leaves this opening game to be billed as a grand opportunity for some sort of payback for past indignities.
My most vivid early memory of this sort of thing involved the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. In the 1960s, it was easy to be a fan of the American Football League. First of all, the style of play was wide-open and exciting. Then there was the matter of the Steelers being terrible year after year. If a kid in Western Pennsylvania wanted a rooting interest beyond the regular season, identifying with a team other than the Steelers was a necessity. I liked the Kansas City Chiefs.
They rewarded my fandom by winning Super Bowl IV, 23-7, over the Minnesota Vikings. Joe Namath's New York Jets had won the previous Super Bowl, shocking the football world. But the Chiefs beating the Vikings was a major surprise, too, and provided more bragging rights for supporters of the AFL, which would officially merge with the NFL the next season.
Immodest Chiefs coach Hank Stram became the genius of the moment with his moving pocket for the quarterback and pint-sized running backs that he would "hide" behind massive offensive linemen. "The offense of the 70s," Stram called it.
The Vikings spent the off-season simmering as Stram strutted.
Those puckish folks in the NFL scheduling department rematched the Chiefs and Vikings in the 1970 season opener, at Minnesota. The Vikings dominated, winning 27-10. Moreover, Stram was forced to resort to putting quarterback Len Dawson in a shotgun set — then a dated concept — to try to give him some extra time to avoid the furious Minnesota pass rush.
Afterward, the Vikings chortled that the offense of the 70s had been replaced by the offense of the 50s.
Minnesota had won the rematch, but it really didn't cancel the debt of losing in the Super Bowl.
Steelers revenge opportunities have been a mixed bag. For the purposes of this discussion, examples will be restricted to the Steelers losing to a team in the playoffs, then meeting that team again the next season.
Fittingly, considering the fevered pitch of the Oakland Raiders-Steelers rivalry of the 1970s, several examples involved the bicoastal enemies.
But, begin with 1972 season, when the Steelers rediscovered the playoffs, beat the Raiders on the Immaculate Reception, and nearly stunned the unbeaten Miami Dolphins in the AFC title game. The Steelers lost, 21-17, but caught up with the Dolphins again in December of the next regular season. Regrettably, revenge escaped the Steelers, who lost 30-26 at Miami.
The Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs following the 1973 season, 33-14.
The search for revenge in 1974 was a mixed bag. The Raiders came to Pittsburgh and dominated, 17-0, in the third game of the season. But the Steelers got it right in the playoffs, winning the AFC title game, 24-13, at Oakland, and going on to beat Minnesota in Super Bowl IX.
The Steelers lost the 1976 AFC championship game at Oakland and lost a week two rematch in the 1977 regular season.
There were other examples of revenge gained or missed under Chuck Noll.
Bill Cowher-coached teams have been flawless in the revenge category.
After losing to Buffalo, 24-3, in the 1992 playoffs, the Steelers blanked the Bills, 23-0, in November 1993.
Similarly, Cowher's Steelers lost the 1994 season's AFC title game at home to San Diego, 17-13, but beat the Chargers, 31-16, during the 1995 regular season.
Most recently, the Steelers got double revenge on the Patriots for a 28-3 loss absorbed in the 1996 season playoffs.
The Steelers beat the Patriots in the 1997 regular season in overtime at New England, then won a subsequent playoff game at home, 7-6.
Now, the Steelers seek revenge again. Will they get it? Even better, would a win balance the books?
The answers are maybe and no.
More Columnist Sam Ross Jr. headlines
- Ross: The call between signal-callers
- Ross Jr.: Bucs' Briles one of the good guys
- Ross Jr.: Could 'Cats, Griffins compete in NEC?
- Ross Jr.: Answer Man talks dollars and sense
- Ross Jr.: Coaches learn to pace themselves
- Ross Jr.: A win just like all the others
- Ross Jr.: Pirates practice pragmatism
- Ross Jr.: Phil, gurus deal in guesses
