Sports Radio Service


		History on the side of the Steelers By Jeremy Kahn January 27, 2009

	With Super Bowl XLIII looming on Sunday from Raymond James Stadium, it would be interesting to look at the histories of the two teams playing in the game. Well, for the Arizona Cardinals, their history is long; however they have not won a championship in 61 years, when they played at Comiskey Park at the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue on the South Side of Chicago. After leaving Chicago after the 1959 season, the Cardinals became the St. Louis Cardinals, where they played for 28 years, before heading to Phoenix before the 1988 season. The Cardinals opponent on Sunday is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been members of the National Football League since 1933. During the first 39 years of the franchise’s history, they never made a playoff appearance and that would end in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium on December 23, 1972. In what looked like a Steelers victory, came to a crashing halt, as Ken Stabler scored a touchdown in the waning seconds of the game. The Steelers did not give up, as Terry Bradshaw began to drive the Steelers down the field and on fourth down, it looked like the Steelers luck would finally out. Bradshaw threw a pass to John “Frenchy” Fuqua, and he collided with Jack Tatum and what looked an incomplete pass was snagged out of the air by Franco Harris. After catching the ball, Harris ran into the end zone, giving the Steelers a thrilling 13-7 victory, in what became known as “The Immaculate Reception.” Despite losing to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship, the Steelers began their dynasty just two years. In Super Bowl IX, the Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings at the now demolished Tulane Stadium in New Orleans by the final score of 16-6. Just one year later, the Steelers behind Bradshaw and spectacular play from former Serra High (San Mateo) star Lynn Swann, the Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Three years later, the Steelers became the first team to win three Super Bowls, as they defeated the Cowboys at the Orange Bowl for the second time in four years by the final score of 35-31. The next season, the Steelers would make their fourth appearance in the Super Bowl in six years, as they would face the Los Angeles Rams, who essentially playing in their own backyard, as the game was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Bradshaw, Swann, Harris and John Stallworth helped lead the Steelers to a 31-19 victory over the upstart Rams, as they scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to win their fourth Super Bowl championship. In would be 16 years before the Steelers would make it back to the Super Bowl; however the Steelers would fall short of their fifth championship, as the Cowboys got a little revenge with a 27-17 victory over the Steelers at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. With Super Bowl XL heading to the Motor City of Detroit, the Steelers would become the third team, joining the San Francisco 49ers and the Cowboys to win five Super Bowls after a 27-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field. This Sunday, the Steelers are trying to become the first team to ever win six Super Bowls, while their opponent the Cardinals are trying to win their first.