Pittsburgh Steelers Fans Connect Online

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to their seventh Super Bowl game, facing the Arizona Cardinals on February 1, 2009. The Super Steelers and their fans hope to make NFL history by winning the franchise's sixth NFL title. It may be hard to imagine now, but all did not start well for Pittsburgh professional football.

It took 40 years for the Steelers to finally win their first division title in 1972, but over the next decade they achieved a level of success unprecedented in professional football. The Steelers won their first of six consecutive AFC Central titles in 1974 their first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl IX. The fierce Pittsburgh defense led the way to a 16-6 victory vs. the Minnesota Vikings. In 1975 the Steelers became the third team in NFL history, joining Green Bay and Miami, to win back-to-back Super Bowls with a 21-17 win versus the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X. In 1978 the Steelers made history in their 35-31 Super Bowl XIII win versus Dallas. This made the Steelers the first team to win three Super Bowls. The following year the 1979 Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 31-19, in Super Bowl XIV to make them the first team in history to win four Super Bowls. With six consecutive AFC Central crowns, eight straight years of playoff appearances and four Super Bowl championships, the Steelers were tagged the "Team of the Decade" for the 1970s.

The 1980s were not as kind to the Steelers. Most of their legends were now aging and suffering from the physical abuse of pro football. Steeler stars such as Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Jack Lambert just could not perform up to past levels. The team never found a fully qualified replacement for Bradshaw and lived through a series of mediocre seasons.

On December 26, 1991 Coach Chuck Noll announced his retirement from football after 39 consecutive seasons, the last 23 as the Steelers' head coach. He left as the fifth-winningest coach in NFL history with an overall record of 209-156-1, and as the only coach to win four Super Bowls. A new era began in 1992 with arrival of 34-year-old Bill Cowher, the NFL's youngest head coach. Cowher enjoyed success and brought a new dimension to the Steelers, a loud, in your face style of head coach. In 1995 the Steelers once again made a trip to the NFL's title game to play Dallas. This time though the Steelers were not successful, losing Super Bowl XXX 27-17.

The Steelers and Cowher did not return to the Super Bowl until ten years later, when the franchise finally got "One For The Thumb" in Super Bowl XL in Detroit. Jerome Betis led the Steelers to the win over Seattle.

Now the team is looking for it's sixth title, under a new young exciting coach in Mike Tomlin. Under Tomlin the Steelers have the NFL's best defense, one that may even rival the legendary "Steel Curtain" of the 1970s.

To help fans connect and enjoy every aspect of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Super Bowl, PittsburghSportsLive.com is offering Steelers fans free video sharing, video ratings and comments and all the latest Steelers news and information in one easy to use social network.

Online media and social networking provide users with new was to connect to friends, family and complete strangers with similar interests. PittsburghSportsLive.com combines the power of social networking with the loyalty of sports fans. This allows fans to make real connections based on their love of their sport and their team.