1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner	Art Rooney
Head coach	Chuck Noll
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	2nd AFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 14–33
Pro Bowlers	8 DT Joe Greene DE L. C. Greenwood LB Jack Ham RB Franco Harris LB Andy Russell WR Ronnie Shanklin G Bruce Van Dyke DE Dwight White
AP All-Pros	3 Joe Greene (1st team) Roy Gerela (2nd team) Jack Ham (2nd team)
Team MVP	Ron Shanklin
← 1972 Steelers seasons 1974 →

The 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League. The team finished second in the AFC Central division, but qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season. The Steelers got off to a terrific start winning eight of their first nine games. However, a costly three game losing streak would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Steelers would recover to win their last two games, but had to settle for a Wild Card berth with a 10–4 record. The Steelers would lose in the playoffs to the Oakland Raiders 33–14 in Oakland.

The 1973 Steelers' pass defense is arguably the greatest in the history of the NFL. Their defensive passer rating—the quarterback passer rating of all opposing quarterbacks throughout the season—was 33.1, an NFL record for the Super Bowl era.

According to Cold Hard Football Facts:^[1]

Pittsburgh's pass-defense numbers that year were stunning. Opposing passers compiled the following stat-line:

• 164 of 359 (45.7%) for 1,923 yards, 5.36 [yards-per-attempt], 11 [touchdowns] and 37 [interceptions]

The figure that leaps screaming off the sheet is the amazing 37 picks in 14 games. The 2009 Jets, by comparison, allowed a puny 8 TDs in 16 games, but hauled in just 17 picks.

Pittsburgh's all-time best pass defense was an equal-opportunity unit: Mike Wagner led the team with 8 INT, but 10 other guys recorded at least one pick. Amazing. Eleven defenders boasted at least one INT for Pittsburgh that season. The entire starting secondary recorded 24 picks alone, and Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount was last on the list: Wagner (8), safety Glen Edwards (6), cornerback John Rowser (6) and Blount (4).

The campaign was chronicled in Roy Blount Jr.'s 1974 book About Three Bricks Shy of a Load. The source of its title was Craig Hanneman whose endearing description of himself and his teammates after the regular season away victory over the Oakland Raiders was "We’re all about three bricks shy of a load."^[2]

Personnel[]

Staff[]

1973 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

	Front office President – Arthur J. Rooney Vice President – John R. McGinley Vice President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice President – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Public Relations Director – Ed Kiely Traveling Secretary – James A. Boston Controller – Robert P. Quinn Publicity Director – Joe Gordon Ticket Manager – Joseph H. Carr Director of Player Personnel – Dick Haley Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Bill Nunn Director of Professional Scouting – V. Timothy Rooney Head coaches Head Coach – Chuck Noll Offensive coaches Offensive Line – Bob Fry Offensive Backfield – Dick Hoak Quarterbacks – Babe Parilli Receivers – Lionel Taylor			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Bud Carson Defensive Line – George Perles Defensive Assistant – Woody Widenhofer Strength and conditioning Strength – Louis Riecke Flexibility – Paul Uram Team Physician, Orthopedic – Dr. John Best Team Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber Team Dentist – Dr. Robert Gray Trainer – Ralph Berlin Assistant Trainer – Robert Milie Equipment Manager – Anthony Parisi Field Manager – Jack Hart [3]

Roster[]

1973 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster

	Quarterbacks 12 Terry Bradshaw 17 Joe Gilliam  5 Terry Hanratty Running backs 20 Rocky Bleier 35 Steve Davis 33 John Fuqua 32 Franco Harris 26 Preston Pearson Wide receivers 85 Dave Davis 43 Frank Lewis 83 Barry Pearson 25 Ron Shanklin 82 Dave Williams Tight ends 87 Larry Brown 89 John McMakin		Offensive linemen 50 Jim Clack C 57 Sam Davis G 71 Gordon Gravelle T 76 Glen Ray Hines T 77 Mel Holmes G 55 Jon Kolb T 56 Ray Mansfield C 72 Gerry Mullins G/T 66 Bruce Van Dyke G Defensive linemen 64 Steve Furness DT 75 Joe Greene DT 68 L. C. Greenwood DE 67 Craig Hanneman DE 63 Ernie Holmes DT 74 Tom Keating DT 78 Dwight White DE		Linebackers 38 Ed Bradley MLB 53 Henry Davis MLB 59 Jack Ham OLB 34 Andy Russell OLB 51 Loren Toews OLB 90 George Webster OLB Defensive backs 47 Mel Blount CB 29 John Dockery DB 27 Glen Edwards FS/PR 41 Dennis Meyer S 48 John Rowser CB 26 J. T. Thomas CB 23 Mike Wagner SS Special teams 56 Ray Mansfield LS/PK 55 Jon Kolb LS/P 10 Roy Gerela K 39 Bobby Walden P/H		Reserve lists     Chuck Dicus WR (IR) Practice squad 21 WR [3] [4] [5] [6] Rookies in italics 46 active, 1 inactive, 1 practice squad

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Team	Rd	Pick	Name	Pos	College
PIT	1	24	J.T. Thomas	DB	Florida St.
PIT	2	50		DB	Mississippi St.
PIT	3	76	Roger Bernhardt	G	Kansas
PIT	4	102		LB	Michigan St.
PIT	5	106	Dave Reavis	T	Arkansas
PIT	5	128	Larry Clark	LB	Northern Illinois
PIT	6	140	Ron Bell	RB	Illinois St.
PIT	6	154		WR	Indiana
PIT	7	180		WR	Miss Valley St.
PIT	8	192	Loren Toews	LB	California
PIT	8	206		T	Nebraska
PIT	9	232		G	North Carolina Central
PIT	10	258	Don Wunderly	DT	Arkansas
PIT	11	284	Bob White	DB	Arizona
PIT	12	310	Willie Lee	RB	Indiana St.
PIT	13	336	Rick Fergerson	WR	Kansas St.
PIT	14	362	Roger Cowan	DE	Stanford
PIT	15	388	Charles Cross	DB	Iowa
PIT	16	414	Glen Nardi	DT	Navy
PIT	17	440	Mike Shannon	DT	Oregon St.

Preseason[]

Game summaries[]

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Regular season[]

Game summaries[]

Week 1[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DET PIT 2 Steelers 11-yard field goal by Roy Gerela 0 3 3 Steelers Bradshaw 1-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 0 10 3 Lions Jessie 84-yard touchdown reception from Landry, Mann kick good 7 10 3 Lions 40-yard field goal by Mann 10 10 4 Steelers McMakin 24-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Gerela kick good 10 17 4 Steelers Shanklin 6-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Gerela kick good 10 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 24

Week 2[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CLE PIT 1 Steelers 12-yard field goal by Gerela 0 3 1 Browns 43-yard field goal by Cockroft 3 3 1 Steelers Fuqua 4-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 3 10 2 Steelers 40-yard field goal by Gerela 3 13 2 Steelers 26-yard field goal by Gerela 3 16 3 Steelers 44-yard field goal by Gerela 3 19 4 Steelers Lewis 8-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Gerela kick good 3 26 4 Browns 28-yard field goal by Cockroft 6 26 4 Steelers Lewis 53-yard touchdown reception from Hanratty, Gerela kick good 6 33 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 6 33

Week 3[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PIT HOU 1 Steelers 20-yard field goal by Gerela 3 0 2 Oilers Alston 7-yard touchdown reception from Pastorini, Butler kick good 3 7 2 Steelers 47-yard field goal by Gerela 6 7 3 Steelers Bradshaw 1-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick no good 12 7 3 Steelers Interception returned 45 yards for touchdown by Russell, Gerela kick good 19 7 4 Steelers Shanklin 26-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Gerela kick good 26 7 4 Steelers 26-yard field goal by Gerela 29 7 4 Steelers Interception returned 86 yards for touchdown by Edwards, Gerela kick good 36 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 36 7

Week 4[]

Johnny Unitas playing for San Diego is knocked out of the game after completing only 3 of 15 passes for 24 yards and three interceptions.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SD PIT 1 Steelers Shanklin 12-yard touchdown reception from Bradshaw, Gerela kick good 0 7 1 Steelers Bradshaw 1-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 0 14 1 Steelers 38-yard field goal by Gerela 0 17 2 Steelers Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 0 24 2 Steelers Blocked punt recovered in end zone for touchdown by Wagner, Gerela kick good 0 31 3 Steelers Shanklin 37-yard touchdown reception from Hanratty, Gerela kick good 0 38 4 Chargers LeVias 13-yard touchdown reception from Fouts, Wersching kick good 7 38 4 Chargers Jones 3-yard touchdown run, Wersching kick good 14 38 4 Chargers Holmes 1-yard touchdown run, Wersching kick good 21 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 38

Week 5[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PIT CIN 1 Bengals 20-yard field goal by Muhlmann 0 3 1 Bengals 19-yard field goal by Muhlmann 0 6 2 Bengals 20-yard field goal by Muhlmann 0 9 3 Bengals Clark 3-yard touchdown run, Muhlmann kick good 0 16 4 Bengals 41-yard field goal by Muhlmann 0 19 4 Steelers Pearson 1-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 7 19 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 19

Week 6[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYJ PIT 1 Jets Riggins 1-yard touchdown run, Howfield kick good 7 0 2 Steelers 27-yard field goal by Gerela 7 3 2 Steelers 29-yard field goal by Gerela 7 6 2 Jets Caster 28-yard touchdown reception from Demory, Howfield kick good 14 6 2 Steelers 36-yard field goal by Gerela 14 9 3 Steelers 13-yard field goal by Gerela 14 12 4 Steelers Shanklin 16-yard touchdown reception from Hanratty, Gerela kick good 14 19 4 Steelers Harris 2-yard touchdown run, Gerela kick good 14 26 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 26

Week 7 vs Bengals[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CIN PIT 1 Steelers 15-yard field goal by Roy Gerela 0 3 2 Bengals 17-yard field goal by Horst Muhlmann 3 3 2 Bengals 41-yard field goal by Horst Muhlmann 6 3 2 Steelers Ron Shanklin 51-yard touchdown reception from Terry Hanratty, Roy Gerela kick good 6 10 3 Steelers 18-yard field goal by Roy Gerela 6 13 3 Steelers John Fuqua 1-yard touchdown run, Roy Gerela kick good 6 20 4 Bengals Essex Johnson 16-yard touchdown reception from Ken Anderson, Horst Muhlmann kick good 13 20 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 20

Week 8 vs Washington Redskins[]

Joe Gilliam makes Monday Night Football debut

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH PIT 1 Redskins 30-yard field goal by Curt Knight 3 0 1 Steelers Preston Pearson 7-yard touchdown reception from Terry Hanratty, Roy Gerela kick good 3 7 2 Redskins 12-yard field goal by Curt Knight 6 7 2 Steelers Ron Shanklin 24-yard touchdown reception from Terry Hanratty, Roy Gerela kick good 6 14 3 Redskins 16-yard field goal by Curt Knight 9 14 4 Steelers Barry Pearson 46-yard touchdown reception from Joe Gilliam, Roy Gerela kick good 9 21 4 Redskins Larry Brown 17-yard touchdown reception from Billy Kilmer, Curt Knight kick good 16 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 21

Week 9 at Raiders[]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PIT OAK 2 Steelers Ron Shanklin 14-yard touchdown reception from Terry Hanratty, Roy Gerela kick good 7 0 2 Raiders 40-yard field goal by George Blanda 7 3 3 Steelers Franco Harris 1-yard touchdown run, Roy Gerela kick good 14 3 4 Steelers 17-yard field goal by Roy Gerela 17 3 4 Raiders Fred Biletnikoff 27-yard touchdown reception from Daryle Lamonica, George Blanda kick no good 17 9 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 9

Week 10[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Broncos 3 3 7 10 23 Steelers 3 3 0 7 13 Date: November 18 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 48,580 Game weather: 35 F, wind 8 mph Referee: Fred Silva

Game summary[]

Scoring Drives:

• Denver – FG Turner 32 – Broncos 3–0
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 15 – Tie 3–3
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 13 – Steelers 6–3
• Denver – FG Turner 11 – Tie 6–6
• Denver – Little 10 run (Turner kick) – Broncos 13–6
• Pittsburgh – Shanklin 42 pass from Hanratty (Gerela kick) – Tie 13–13
• Denver – FG Turner 46 – Broncos 16–13
• Denver – Odoms 2 pass from Johnson (Turner kick) – Broncos 23–13

Week 11[]

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 3 3 3 16 • Browns 7 7 0 7 21 Date: November 25 Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 67,773 Game weather: 50 F, wind 15 mph Referee: Jim Tunney

Game summary[]

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Shanklin 9 pass from Gilliam (Gerela kick) – Steelers 7–0
• Cleveland – Phipps 1 run (Cockroft kick) – Tie 7–7
• Cleveland – Pruitt 15 pass from Phipps (Cockroft kick) – Browns 14-7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 24 – Browns 14-10
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 14 – Browns 14-13
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 20 – Steelers 16–14
• Cleveland – Pruitt 19 run (Cockroft kick) – Browns 21–16

Week 12 (Monday December 3, 1973): at Miami Dolphins[]

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 3 7 16 26 • Dolphins 20 10 0 0 30 Date: Monday, December 3 Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida Game start: 9:00 p.m. Game attendance: 68,901 Game weather: 75 F, wind 14 mph Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith

Game summary[]

Scoring Drives:

• Miami – Anderson 27 interception return (Yepremian kick) – Dolphins 7–0
• Miami – FG Yepremian 28 – Dolphins 10–0
• Miami – FG Yepremian 46 – Dolphins 13–0
• Miami – Mandich 2 pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) – Dolphins 20–0
• Miami – Anderson 38 interception return (Yepremian kick) – Dolphins 27–0
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 37 – Dolphins 27–3
• Miami – FG Yepremian 14 – Dolphins 30–3
• Pittsburgh – P. Pearson 5 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Dolphins 30–10
• Pittsburgh – Harris 21 run (Gerela kick) – Dolphins 30–17
• Pittsburgh – B. Pearson 17 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Dolphins 30–24
• Pittsburgh – Safety, White tackled Griese in end zone – Dolphins 30–26

Week 13[]

1 2 3 4 Total Oilers 7 0 0 0 7 • Steelers 3 14 10 6 33 Date: December 9 Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 38,004 Game weather: 34 F, wind 10 mph Referee: Bob Frederic

Game summary[]

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 49 – Steelers 3–0
• Houston – Alston 11 pass from Pastorini (Butler kick) – Oilers 7–3
• Pittsburgh – B. Pearson 15 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Steelers 10–7
• Pittsburgh – Steve Davis 3 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Steelers 17–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 31 – Steelers 20–7
• Pittsburgh – Ham recovered fumble in end zone (Gerela kick) – Steelers 27–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 20 – Steelers 30–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 42 – Steelers 33–7

Week 14[]

1 2 3 4 Total • Steelers 7 7 13 10 37 49ers 0 7 0 7 14 Date: December 15 Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game attendance: 52,252 Game weather: 47 F, wind 5 mph Referee: Tommy Bell

Game summary[]

John Brodie's number 12 was retired prior to game.

Scoring Drives:

• Pittsburgh – Rowser 71 interception return (Gerela kick) – Steelers 7–0
• San Francisco – Hall recovered blocked punt in end zone (Gossett kick) – Tie 7–7
• Pittsburgh – P. Pearson 1 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 14–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 27 – Steelers 17–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 27 – Steelers 20–7
• Pittsburgh – Lewis 50 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Steelers 27–7
• Pittsburgh – FG Gerela 35 – Steelers 30–7
• Pittsburgh – Steve Davis 1 run (Gerela kick) – Steelers 37–7
• San Francisco – Atkins 3 run (Gossett kick) – Steelers 37–14

Standings[]

AFC Central
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cincinnati Bengals	10	4	0	.714	4–2	8–3	286	231	W6
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	4	0	.714	4–2	7–4	347	210	W2
Cleveland Browns	7	5	2	.571	4–2	6–3–2	234	255	L2
Houston Oilers	1	13	0	.071	0–6	1–10	199	447	L6

Postseason[]

AFC Divisional: @ Oakland Raiders[]

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 7 0 7 14 • Raiders 7 3 13 10 33 Date: Saturday, December 22 Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California Game start: 4 p.m. EST Game attendance: 52,646 Game weather: 50 F, wind 11 mph Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Kyle Rote References: [1]

Scoring Drives[]

• Oakland – Hubbard 1 run (Blanda kick) – Raiders 7–0
• Oakland – FG Blanda 25 – Raiders 10–0
• Pittsburgh – B. Pearson 4 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Raiders 10–7
• Oakland – FG Blanda 31 – Raiders 13–7
• Oakland – FG Blanda 22 – Raiders 16–7
• Oakland – Brown 54 interception return (Blanda kick) – Raiders 23–7
• Oakland – FG Blanda 10 – Raiders 26–7
• Pittsburgh – Lewis 26 pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) – Raiders 26–14
• Oakland – Hubbard 1 run (Blanda kick) – Raiders 33–14

References[]

External links[]

• 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Profootballreference.com
• 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com