Chuck Noll, the Hall of Fame coach who guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships during the 1970s, passed away on Friday night at the age of 82.
Coach Noll had suffered in recent years from Alzheimer's Disease and heart problems.
A former Cleveland Browns football player who had served as an assistant coach in both the NFL and AFL, Chuck was hired by Steelers owner Art Rooney to become their head coach. Pittsburgh had never won a divisional title in their previous 36 years and had not played in a playoff game since 1947.
The Steelers went 1-13 in Coach Noll's first year, but in 1972 with Terry Bradshaw at quarterback, a rookie running back named Franco Harris and one of the league's top defenses, the Steelers won their first divisional title and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 25 years.
During the period from 1972 to 1979, the Steelers had an 88-27-1 regular-season record without ever missing the playoffs in those years. Pittsburgh won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV.
Chuck Noll was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
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