Super Bowl IX: Terry Bradshaw was not the starting QB for the Steelers in the first six games of1974 — Joe Gilliam was — but Terry finally came into his own in their first Super Bowl victory

Joe Gilliam, Oct. 1974 at Three Rivers Stadium

Photo by Getty Images

… Gilliam’s sad demise

In the preseason games of the 1974 season, the Steelers were 6-0, and Coach Chuck Noll was so impressed by his young quarterback that he decided to bench the guy who had been the team’s first draft pick in 1970.

Joe Gilliam also had a rifle arm, but he possessed two things that Terry Bradshaw struggled to find in his first five years in the NFL: A tremendous knowledge of the game, and the confidence in himself to believe that he could be a great NFL QB.

Unfortunately, when he was given the opportunity to start for the Steelers, he did not come through for Coach Noll.

Joe Gilliam

His father had been a college football coach at what is now Tennessee State University, so he had learned the rudiments of football from some very knowledgeable people.

When he arrived, even the Steeler players were impressed, and he put up some big numbers as the Steelers scored 65 points in the first two games that year,

To see this skinny kid throw the football, I could not believe his talent.

Franco Harris, “America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

The fact that an NFL team was considering starting a black quarterback drew national attention. The media was all over the story — and this was prior to ESPN and 24-hour sports.

Joe Greene said that the team felt no controversy, and he believed that Coach Noll probably did not either,

Narrator: Gilliam’s performance in the 1974 preseason created a quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh.

Joe Greene: It was in the air, it was in the airwaves, it was on the radio; they were stirring it up, the columnists were … in the locker room, there was no controversy.

“Now, imagine the pressure on the head coach. There probably wasn’t any. Coach would always tell us, ‘You only feel pressure when you don’t know what you are doing’.”

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

Noll’s only concern was doing what was best for the Steelers and their chances to win a Super Bowl, not in making history with a black quarterback.

Franco was philosophical about the controversy,

Whoever is in there, that’s my quarterback, and that’s who I’m rooting for. It was a surprise decision, but when they made the decision, I was happy for Joe, and I’ll tell you what: He loved to throw that ball. 

Joe lit it up, and that was the new Steeler offense.

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

Early season success, and then the Raiders

The Steelers opened with a great 30-0 shutout of the Baltimore Colts, but on the road, tied the Denver Broncos, 35-35. Gilliam passed for more than 600 yards in leading the Steelers to 65 points in the first two games. However, the worm turned in the third game when the nefarious Oakland Raiders came into Three Rivers Stadium and embarrassed the Steelers with a 17-0 shutout.

Joe Greene: They shut us out. When you get shutout on your own home turf, and you are thinking that you are a Super Bowl contending team, that can really shatter your hopes and shatter your confidence.

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

Gilliam was just 10-of-31 in passing that day, and that led to some soul-searching for the team and its coaches.

The Steelers continued to win, raising their record to 4-1-1 because of its outstanding defense. The four defensive linemen simply started to dominate teams.

And that defense forced 15 turnovers in those three games.

The offense, though, was struggling under Gilliam, and Noll had to insert Bradshaw.

Bradshaw the “Enigma”

Everyone knew how physically gifted Terry Bradshaw was, but he was also a complex human being. He had struggled with his marriages and had been divorced for the first time. So, that was a struggle.

And he did not like the approach that Noll took with him, treating him like he was a child at times when he would make mistakes.

That, and his lack of confidence, had hindered his progress in the first five years,

Andy Russell: We all knew that he was an extraordinarily gifted player, an awesome talent. When you stood and watched him throw the football, it was almost mind-boggling how good he was with his physical talent.

Joe Greene: Terry showed signs of being the great player that he is, but Terry would make mistakes, too. When things go bad on offense, who gets the blame? The quarterback. Terry got blamed for a lot of things.

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

This said it best,

Narrator: By the time that he lost his starting job in 1974, he was emotionally shell-shocked.

Joe Greene: He went into seclusion. When he wasn’t at practice, he was going home to no one, and staying home, staying in his apartment.

Terry Bradshaw: I don’t go out to the restaurants that I used to frequent, I don’t read the newspapers because they’re going to say bad things about you, so you’re crushed a little bit there.

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

The team, though, needed Terry

Franco said that the team really needed -- and wanted -- Terry back in the starting spot,

What is the right combination? What is the thing that gels your team, that makes it productive? I felt very comfortable with Terry, I always liked Terry, and I felt Terry was a winner.

“America’s Game, 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers,” YouTube

Noll inserted him, and except for pulling him in a loss to the Bengals, the offense started to gel. With one exception late in the season, the team was racking up more than 280 or 300 yards of offense.

They secured the division crown with a 21-17 win over the Patriots, and then relied on the running game to win two playoffs games at the Super Bowl.

The move was excellent for Noll and for the team as the Steelers recorded 438 yards of total offense against the Bills, 319 against the Raiders, and 333 in the Super Bowl win.

And Terry Bradshaw led them to three more Super Bowls, earning MVP in the 1978 and 1979 seasons along with a league MVP. 

And, he became a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the great quarterbacks of all time.

What happened to Joe Gilliam?

Quite simply, he became a cocaine addict, and Joe Greene and other black players attempted to help him avoid that with the Steelers, but he just went downhill.

He died of an overdose in 2000.