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    Frequently Asked Questions 

    Published on 02-03-2010  Number of Views: 74 

    Q: Didn't Steelers fans just steal the name from "Raider Nation"?

    A:     Nope. The term "Steeler Nation" was coined by NFL Films narrator John Facenda in "Blueprint for Victory," the team's 1975 highlights film[1]. The term Raider Nation came about in the early 1980's when the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles, but still kept a strong fanbase in the team's original hometown of Oakland, CA. If anyone has a verifiable pre-1975 reference to "Raider Nation", we would like to see it.

    Q: Why is the logo only on one side of the helmet?

    A:     This used to be a big mystery among football fans with many theories as to why. Everything was suggested from the Steelers absent mindedly ordering only one logo per player (Forgetting that each helmet would need two logos) to the Steelers wanting to try different ideas and just never getting around to it.

    The real story comes from the Steelers themselves:

    The Steelers are the only NFL team that sports their logo on only one side of the helmet. At first, this was a temporary measure because the Steelers weren't sure they would like the look of the logo on an all-gold helmet. They wanted to test them before going all-out.

    Equipment manager Jack Hart was instructed to put the logo only on one side of the helmet - the right side. The 1962 Steelers finished 9-5 and became the winningest team in franchise history to date. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the Playoff Bowl. They wanted to do something special for their first postseason game, so they changed the color of their helmets from gold to black, which helped to highlight the new logo.

    Because of the interest generated by having the logo on only one side of their helmets and because of their team's new success, the Steelers decided to leave it that way permanently.[2]


    Q: Santonio Holmes never got both feet down in his TD catch to win Super Bowl XLIII

    A: Sorry, there are lots of pictures from different angles to prove that it was a legitimate catch.


    Q: Have the Steelers ever retired any player's number?

    A: Yes, just one. Ernie Stautner's #70 is the only number officially retired by the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Steelers have put several jersey numbers "in storage" and have not been handed out since the last player to wear it left the Steelers. Those numbers are:

    • 12 - Terry Bradshaw
    • 32 - Franco Harris
    • 36 - Jerome Bettis
    • 52 - Mike Webster
    • 58 - Jack Lambert
    • 59 - Todd Seabaugh
    • 63 - Dermontti Dawson
    • 75 - "Mean Joe" Greene
    Many people think that Jack Ham was the last to wear #59, which isn't true. In 1983, the Steelers drafted Todd Seabaugh, who wore #59 for the 1983 and 1984 seasons[3]. When Seabaugh was released the following year, #59 was taken off the list of available numbers due to popular demand from the fans. So while the number is held back in honor of Jack Ham, he was not the last to wear it.

    [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeler_Nation
    [2] http://news.steelers.com/tradition/logohistory
    [3] http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...1391%2C5182137

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