“The lessons of Chuck Noll”: Steeler fans, we cannot forget the man who built the dynasty. And tell the young kids that this is the man who built the foundation of “Steeler Nation”


Chuck Noll, winner of four Super Bowls
Photo courtesy of ESPN

… which appears to be crumbling

History, at least in these parts, is consistent. Snow falls; Steelers flags flutter in preparation for another Super Bowl; and Chuck Noll, black-and-gold legend, is somewhere far away. He will not give an oral dissertation this week on how these Pittsburgh Steelers remind him of his Steel Curtain defenses in the 1970s. Noll doesn't even watch a whole game of football anymore. It is believed that he talked to Pittsburgh's front office about his thoughts on the Steelers once this season [2009].

Elizabeth Merrill, ESPN, Jan. 22, 2009

As Pittsburgh Steeler fans smart over their humiliation at the hands of the New England Patriots last night, a 33-3 lacing, we Steeler fans who can remember how woeful the team was before a man arrived in Pittsburgh should share the story about a humble man who built the foundation for Steeler Nation — and those six Super Bowl wins.

He coached four of those Super Bowl teams, and yet he is not a man who receives a great deal of respect in the 21st Century.

Truth is that even if he were alive today, Chuck Noll could care less. As this ESPN story from more than a decade ago. The story, written by Elizabeth Merrill, was composed prior to the Steelers winning their sixth Super Bowl in 2009.

However, Merrill points out that Chuck Noll is not appearing on television or engaging in news or magazine stories for one reason,

Chuck Noll is the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls. So why isn't this Steelers legend caught up in the fanfare, glory and national attention? That just isn't his style …

ESPN, 2009
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/news/story?page=hotread19/chucknoll

The story makes some major points:
  • [In 2009] He is hardly ever seen around Sewickley.
  • He turned down millions of dollars in endorsements.
  • He’s not into speeches.
  • He was really Plan B.
  • He had tickets to the symphony when he was coaching.
  • He played the Ukulele.
  • He was brutally blunt and honest with players.
  • He did not work 20 hours a day, nor did his coaches.
  • If he had not become a coach, he would have been a teacher.
  • His only son hardly ever played football and became a teacher.
  • He was not a hugger.
Merrill, ESPN

Assessment

Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls in six years, and no one has ever done that. But, at heart, he was a humble man who never tooted his own horn.

As a result, the clueless media always downplay his success as a coach:

“He had great players.” Sure he did, but he won with them. Many coaches have had great players and teams, but have not won four Super Bowls in six years.

We have Steeler pride today, a Steeler Nation, and it was because of Chuck Noll drafting great players — nine are in the Hall of Fame from the 70s, and one other — but also because he taught them the fundamentals of great defense and a running-game offense.

And he taught them to carry themselves with honor and dignity, not just for themselves but for the organization, too.

Once he retired, he focused on art, books, and the symphony. He did not write a book himself, though it would probably have been a best-seller.

That’s just “not his style.”

And he had style.

Long live the legacy of Chuck Noll.

Please read the entire story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/news/story?page=hotread19/chucknoll

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