It’s not a new topic, but it sprang to mind immediately when Terry Bradshaw was honored last week at Heinz History Center: The Pittsburgh Steelers never did retire his No. 12 jersey, and given the fact that he is 77 now, it seems doubtful they ever will.
What a shame.
What a disservice.
The 1970s Steelers were good enough to win one or two Super Bowls with a lot of guys at quarterback. They made it to four largely because of Bradshaw, maybe the best clutch deep-ball passer the league has ever known.
Like most championship teams, those Steelers eventually needed a great quarterback. They had one — and this was back in the days when quarterbacks called the plays. Bradshaw was masterful, often subjugating his ego to keep the Franco Harris-led ground game going.
The Steelers’ legendary defense had begun to slip as the 1970s closed. It allowed 50 points over the final two Super Bowl appearances. But because of new rules that opened the passing game (thank you, Mel Blount), Bradshaw and his receivers saved the day. And the dynasty.
Bradshaw won Super Bowl MVPs in 1978 and ’79 (and made some unbelievable throws in their second Super Bowl win in 1975). Can you imagine another town where the guy who quarterbacked a dynasty never had his jersey retired? It’s unthinkable.
You can’t retire every jersey from those teams. I get it. You’d barely have any left. But Bradshaw played the most important position in the sport. He was 4-0 in the Super Bowl. He remains the only player in franchise history to win league MVP. He indisputably belongs with Franco and Joe Greene as the three players from that era to receive the ultimate team honor (the other Steeler to have his jersey retired was defensive lineman Ernie Stautner).
Why hasn’t it happened?
Well, Bradshaw can be a jerk. That’s inarguable. I’m pretty sure even he would agree with that — and he spent a good portion of his playing career and retirement at odds with various members of the organization.
It was long-time Steelers PR man Joe Gordon who once told me Bradshaw was “the most insincere person I have ever known.”
I would imagine others within the organization felt the same. I respect their takes. But we’re talking about fairly harmless stuff here.
It really shouldn’t matter that Bradshaw has ripped Steelers coaches, quarterbacks and executives over the years. That’s part of his job as an NFL analyst. It shouldn’t matter that he had a contentious relationship with Steelers fans at times, and it should not matter that he did not attend the funerals of Art Rooney Sr. and Chuck Noll.
Bradshaw said he regretted not attending The Chief’s funeral. He had no intention of attending Noll’s, given their bitter relationship.
Like all of us, Bradshaw is an imperfect person. But he was a legendary quarterback who, as he said last week, has made peace with Pittsburgh since he retired 43 years ago. I’m quite sure Pittsburgh has made peace with him.
Can you imagine how the place would rock if the Steelers honored Bradshaw the right way? Team president Art Rooney II should make it happen — before it’s too late.
