A Letter From the Editor: The Steelers team that got me hooked

I wanted to take a break from the current state of the Pittsburgh Steelers and dig back into the old treasure chest of my mind to when I first fell in love with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But let me back up, for those who don’t know a bit about my back story.

I grew up in Wheeling, WV, which is about 45 minutes to an hour out of Pittsburgh. The northern panhandle of West Virginia might as well be a part of western Pennsylvania, when it comes to sports teams. From where I grew up I could be in the state of Ohio in five minutes and in Pennsylvania in 10 minutes, yet you didn’t see anything other than black-and-gold wherever you looked.

As a boy who was born in 1983, I am a true child of the 90s, and I was fortunate as a sports fan.

While I wasn’t alive for the 1970s dynasties for the Steelers and Pirates, I was paying attention for a tremendous time in Pittsburgh sports history. The early 90s saw the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, the Pirates were dynamic in 1991 and 1992, and the Steelers were starting to regain their form after Chuck Noll’s retirement and Bill Cowher’s hiring.

I have to be honest, the Penguins and Pirates were my first loves as a young sports fan. I can still tell you the entire lineup of the 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates, and NEVER bring up the 1992 NLCS with the Atlanta Braves unless you want to see steam come from my ears. As a young boy, was there anything cooler than watching Super Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr dominate the NHL and bring two Stanley Cups to town? The answer was no.

I was all-in on the Pirates and Penguins, but there was something about the Steelers which caught my attention. It was the once a week contest which engulfed my family in front of the television. It was watching my dad and his buddies yell and scream at the television, something which rarely happened with the Pirates and Penguins. What I saw during those games wasn’t just fans watching, it was a passion.

It was the 1994 season which I truly got hooked on the Steelers.

As stated earlier, Bill Cowher was in his third season as the head coach, and the team he assembled had to looks of a contender. It was the second time in Cowher’s three seasons as head coach the team was the top seed in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers won their first playoff game since 1989 with a win in the divisional round of the playoffs over their division rival Cleveland Browns, 29–9, to advance to their first AFC Championship Game in 10 years.

We all remember what happened in that AFC Championship game. They lost to Stan Humphries and failed to advance to the Super Bowl after losing to the San Diego Chargers 17–13 at Three Rivers Stadium.

That season was magical for me. Barry Foster, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Rod Woodson, Levon Kirkland and the rest of the Blitzburgh defense. It was the first time it seemed like a legitimate chance the Steelers could win that fabled “one for the thumb”.

As a kid you are a sucker for a winner, and the Steelers in 1994 looked like they could win it all, until it all came crashing down on that cold and rainy game in the AFC Championship game. I’ll never forget the 4th down play to potentially send the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Neil O’Donnell, and don’t get me started on that guy, drops back and tries to hit Barry Foster in the end-zone, but the pass is low and the Chargers would go on to get their doors blown off by the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.

The loss was deflating and downright sickening, but I left that season knowing this team was special. The way people rooted for this team was different, in a good way, and I wanted to be a part of the throng who never missed a Sunday game.

It was Barry Foster of those mid-90s teams why I wore No. 29 when I played 7th grade football for my Middle School. I mean, Foster might be one of the most underappreciated players, and yet ridiculously productive, players in Steelers history.

For those who don’t remember, here is a taste:

The Steelers drafted RB Barry Foster in the 5th round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He only played 5 years (1990-1994) because of injuries. In 1992 he set the franchise single season record with 1,690 rushing yards and also had 12 100 yard games tying Eric Dickerson’s NFL record. https://t.co/mQReypWtWH pic.twitter.com/kTMhX60XtL

— Billy Hartford (@CamHeywardFan) May 2, 2023

After watching that clip I can still envision a young Jeff Hartman wearing his Rod Woodson starter windbreaker to middle school. Yeah, it was a bad a$$ windbreaker to rock down the halls.

Did the 1994 team win the Super Bowl? No, they didn’t even make it.

Did the 1995 team win the Super Bowl? No, but they got there.

The team didn’t win that “one for the thumb” until 2005, and I was glued to every step of the process all because of that 1994 team, and mainly Barry Foster, catching my attention.

It’s at this time I wonder what season/team was the one which got you hooked? Let me know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the offseason.