Key Steelers figures from the 1970s and what occurred after football: -WR John Stallworth established a 500-person aerospace enterprise in Huntsville, Alabama. Former ABC-TV football sideline reporter Lynn Swann is running for governor of Pennsylvania. He played quarterback at Penn State University before being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (third overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft.
Stallworth was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers. The last time he ran for office was in 2002 when he became mayor of Gwinnett County, Georgia. After retiring as a player, Stallworth worked as an assistant coach for the Steelers for three seasons (1975-77). In 1978, he was hired as head coach of his alma mater, Penn State, but he was fired after only one season with the team.
Swann played in five Super Bowls during his career with the Steelers. He was named the Most Valuable Player after the 1975 season when the Steelers defeated Seattle 14-7 in Super Bowl XXX; it was their first championship in ten years. Swann finished with 12 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown.
After his retirement, Swann worked as a color analyst for Steeler games on NBC until 2011 when he moved to work as a national football analyst for ESPN.
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is a native of North Versailles, Pennsylvania. He played college football at Penn State University from 1990 to 1993 and was a wide receiver for the Nittany Lions from 1990 to 1992. After graduating with a degree in communications management, Tomlin returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for four years (1994-1997). In 1999, he became the youngest head coach in NFL history at age 36. Since then, he has gone on to win two Super Bowl titles with the Steelers.
As far as other coaches go, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had several individuals fill in on their staff over the years. The most recent coach to be hired by Pittsburgh was Todd Bowles, who was introduced as their new defensive coordinator on January 14, 2018. Before that, they worked with Kevin Wilson during Super Bowl LIII when he served as an offensive assistant after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Wilson died in October 2017 at the age of 43.
The longest-tenured coach in Steelers' history is Chuck Noll, who led the team for eleven seasons (1964-1974).
According to the newspaper, Bradshaw, who earned $329,000 in 1980, was one of three players on the Steelers' roster who earned more than $300,000 in 1980. The other two were running back Franco Harris ($350,000) and Lynn Swann ($340,000), the league's highest-paid wide out. Bradshaw also ranked third among all NFL players that year.
The only other Steeler to make the list was center Mike Webster, who had a salary of $325,000. He was voted by his peers as the No. 1 center in football.
Bradshaw played in only six games in 1980 due to injury. However, he still managed to score 14 touchdowns during that season. His earnings for that year were thus calculated based on his playing time. Since he only appeared in half of the Steelers' games, his total income was reduced by 50 percent. This brings it down to $329,000.
Harris started eight games at running back for the Steelers in 1980 and scored 13 touchdowns. With 2,097 yards from scrimmage, he finished second in the league to Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns. Since Harris received a larger share of the backfield work compared to Franco, we can assume that his salary was higher than Bradshaw's. Using the same calculation method as above, we come up with a figure of $350,000 for Harris's salary.
Terry Bradshaw, quarterback, Jack Lambert, linebacker, Franco Harris, and defensive back Mel Blount, Jack Ham (LB), Lynn Swann (WR), Joe Greene (DT), and John Stallworth (WR). The 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers were the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. They defeated 1976's Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl IX, then beat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
Bradshaw went on to become one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He played for the Steelers for eight seasons, starting all but two games during that time. Bradshaw was the driving force behind the "Kansas City Shuffle", which became a staple of the Pittsburgh offense, making them more effective by keeping opponents off balance as to what they could do next. The shift also helped Bradshaw, who had a quick release.
Lambert was selected as a first-team All-Pro three times. He was also voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. Lambert died in 1999 after suffering multiple brain injuries in a car accident.
Harris started out as a running back but eventually took over as the team's number one receiver, helping the Steelers win their second championship. He stayed with the team through the 1978 season before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for wide receiver John Henry Johnson. Harris finished his career with the Steelers having caught 72 passes for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns.
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