The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Terrible Towel curse is real, and it has claimed yet another victim. On January 5, 2025 the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed Head Coach Doug Pederson after three years in that position. Although Pederson’s tenure in Jacksonville started quite successfully, it ended in a dismal state of affairs.
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Andrew Wingard leads the Jaguars' charge of disrespecting the Terrible Towel after intercepting Mitch Trubisky in Week 8, 2023, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Many believe the turning point of Pederson’s time in Jacksonville was October 29, 2023 in a game at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. Back then, during Week 8, the Jaguars came to Pittsburgh with five wins and only two losses. On their way to a 20-10 victory over the Steelers, in the fourth quarter, Jaguars defensive back Andrew Wingard picked off a pass thrown by then-Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky. While celebrating the interception, Wingard took a Terrible Towel from a member of Steeler Nation and proceeded to disrespect the towel.
Prior to his players disrespecting the Terrible Towel, Pederson had coached the Jags to an overall record of 15-11, including a Wild Card playoff win in 2022. Before the incident, the Jaguars had been leading the AFC South. After disrespecting the Terrible Towel, the 2023 season ended with only three more wins, coupled with seven losses, and the Jaguars missed the playoffs in a Wild Card tie-breaker.
The humbling that the Jaguars took to end the 2023 season was not enough flesh for the Terrible Towel. In 2024, the Jaguars went 4-13. Could the Terrible Towel curse be real? You bet it’s real. Let’s start at the beginning.
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Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels aggressively as Styx famous song, Renegade plays during a home game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is a Terrible Towel? According to Steelers.com, it originated from Myron Cope.
"The Terrible Towel was the brainchild of former Steelers radio announcer Myron Cope during the playoffs in 1975 and helped provide the magic touch as the Steelers went on to win Super Bowl X over the Dallas Cowboys," via Steelers.com. "Since then, the Terrible Towel has been a staple in the homes of all Steelers fans, and players as well. Nothing unites or identifies a Steelers fan more than a Terrible Towel. It's become an iconic symbol for fans, with Terrible Towels passed down through generations, or purchased when a new Steelers fan is born."
In addition to being a symbol of pride and unity, proceeds from the sales of Terrible Towels go to the Allegheny Valley School Foundation, which helps the community in a variety of important ways. Now, back to the curse...
Pederson is the latest to feel the Towel’s wrath, but he is far from the first. Let’s take a look back.
In the 1995 AFC Championship Game, the San Diego Chargers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but immediately after the game, several Chargers celebrated disrespectfully and even stomping Terrible Towels. To their chagrin, the Chargers were then stomped 49-26 by the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX. Not only did the Chargers lose that Super Bowl, but they haven’t been back since.
In 2005, the Cincinnati Bengals came into Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field with the AFC North Championship on the line. The Bengals prevailed that day, and along the way, T.J. Houshmandzadeh took a Terrible Towel, shined his dirty cleats with it, and threw it on the ground. Having beaten the Steelers, Cincinnati won the AFC North, which entitled them to host their first playoff game in almost 20 years. The Bengals' opponent in that 2005 Wild Card round was the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the Wild Card game, the Steelers rolled the Bengals 31-17, and they kept winning right on through Super Bowl XL.
The Tennessee Titans have felt the wrath as well, but possibly a favorite example of the curse involves the Mayor of Phoenix in the run up to Super Bowl Super Bowl XLIII. A rally was held at the Phoenix airport and while no coaches, staff, or players did anything out of line, Phoenix’s mayor pretended to blow his nose on a Terrible Towel… and so it went. Super Bowl XLIII saw not only a James Harrison 100-yard pick-six, but also an electrifying back corner of the end zone Santonio Holmes catch to come from behind.
Chaz Palla / Trib Live
Steelers' Santonio Holmes makes stunning catch in back corner of the endzone to snare victory in Super Bowl XLIII.
Steelers' Terrible Towel Curse Lives On
Pederson and the Jaguars could have saved themselves quite a bit of trouble, had they paid attention to the experiences of the Chargers, Bengals, Titans, or Cardinals. The lesson is clear: don't mess around with the Terrible Towels.
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