| 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Rooney Family |
| General manager | Dick Haley |
| Head coach | Chuck Noll |
| Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Oilers) 26–23 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 23–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
| AP All-Pros | Rod Woodson (1st team) |
| Team MVP | Louis Lipps |
| Team ROY | Carnell Lake |
The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 57th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. They were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime center Mike Webster in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the archrival Cleveland Browns 51–0. The loss marked the Steelers worst defeat in franchise history. The following week wasn't much better, losing 41–10 to another division rival, the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
However, the Steelers clinched the final playoff spot in the last week in the season with a 9–7 record. Chuck Noll, in his 21st season as the team's head coach, was named the NFL's Coach of the Year for the only time in his coaching career.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Steelers would have a memorable come-from-behind overtime victory over the division-rival Houston Oilers 26–23, which saw Gary Anderson kick a game-winning, 50-yard field goal in the extra period. The following week, the Steelers nearly pulled off a major upset against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium before losing 24–23 on a Melvin Bratton one-yard touchdown run with 2:22 remaining in the game.
Though the Steelers would not make the playoffs again under Chuck Noll (missing in 1990 with an identical 9–7 record and again in 1991 at 7–9 despite a second-place finish that year), the season did set the tone for the team's return to prominence in the 1990s under his successor, Bill Cowher.
Until 2015, it was the last season the Steelers made the playoffs in a season the Super Bowl aired on CBS. Each of the next six such seasons (1991, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012) would see the team missing the playoffs.
| 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Tim Worley | Running back | Georgia | |
| 1 | 24 | Tom Ricketts | Tackle | Pittsburgh | from Minnesota |
| 2 | 34 | Carnell Lake * | Safety | UCLA | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
The offseason was marked with the team deciding not to renew the contract of longtime center Mike Webster. Webster's release marked the end of the Super Bowl-era players on the team. Although Dwayne Woodruff was still with the Steelers and had won a Super Bowl ring during his rookie year, Webster had been the last member on the team that won all four Super Bowls. Webster would be succeeded at center with a young Dermontti Dawson, who was drafted the year before to be groomed as Webster's replacement, and like Webster would go on to an All-Pro career as one of the best at his position.
Meanwhile, the team drafted UCLA safety Carnell Lake in the second round of the 1989 draft. Lake would be a key member of the team's defense through the 1998 season, although his accomplishments would often be underlooked as opposed to his teammate, Rod Woodson.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game Site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat. Aug. 12 | Washington Redskins | Three Rivers Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN | L 21–14 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Sat. Aug. 19 | at Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | WTAE | W 24–21 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Sat. Aug. 26 | at Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | 7:30 p.m. | WTAE | L 38–14 | 1–2 |
| 4 | Sat. Sep. 2 | at New York Giants | Giants Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | WTAE | W 13–10 | 2–2 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Game Site | Kickoff (ET) | TV | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun. Sep. 10 | Cleveland Browns | Three Rivers Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 51–0 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Sun. Sep. 17 | at Cincinnati Bengals | Riverfront Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 41–10 | 0–2 |
| 3 | Sun. Sep. 24 | Minnesota Vikings | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | W 27–14 | 1–2 |
| 4 | Sun. Oct. 1 | at Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 23–3 | 2–2 |
| 5 | Sun. Oct. 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 26–16 | 2–3 |
| 6 | Sun. Oct. 15 | at Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | W 17–7 | 3–3 |
| 7 | Sun. Oct. 22 | at Houston Oilers | Astrodome | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 27–0 | 3–4 |
| 8 | Sun. Oct. 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 23–17 | 4–4 |
| 9 | Sun. Nov. 5 | at Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | 4:00 p.m. | NBC | L 34–7 | 4–5 |
| 10 | Sun. Nov. 12 | Chicago Bears | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | L 20–0 | 4–6 |
| 11 | Sun. Nov. 19 | San Diego Chargers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 20–17 | 5–6 |
| 12 | Sun. Nov. 26 | at Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 34–14 | 6–6 |
| 13 | Sun. Dec. 3 | Houston Oilers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | L 23–16 | 6–7 |
| 14 | Sun. Dec. 10 | at New York Jets | Giants Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 13–0 | 7–7 |
| 15 | Sun. Dec. 17 | New England Patriots | Three Rivers Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 28–10 | 8–7 |
| 16 | Sun. Dec. 24 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa Stadium | 1:00 p.m. | NBC | W 31–22 | 9–7 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 17 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 51 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Steelers and Chuck Noll faced off against their divisional rival Browns and former defensive coordinator Bud Carson in the season opener.
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bengals | 3 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 41 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Steelers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
| Lions | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 26 |
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oilers | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Steelers | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Broncos | 10 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 34 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Steelers | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 34 |
| Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Steelers get first ever win against the Dolphins in Miami. This game was played in a driving rain storm.
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 23 |
| Steelers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 22 |
Scoring drives:
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Cleveland Browns (2) | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 3–3 | 6–5–1 | 334 | 254 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers (4) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 365 | 412 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 1–5 | 6–6 | 265 | 326 | W3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 5–1 | 6–6 | 404 | 285 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| Oilers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 23 |
Scoring drives:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Broncos | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Scoring drives:
The National Football League playoffs for the 1989 season began on December 31, 1989. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, 55–10, on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The 1971 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 39th in the National Football League. The Steelers showed improvement finishing in second place in the AFC Central Division with a 6–8 record. Terry Bradshaw struggled with turnovers in his second season throwing 22 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes. The Steelers that year drafted wide receiver Frank Lewis, Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham, guard Gerry Mullins, defensive end Dwight White, tight end/tackle Larry Brown, defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, and safety Mike Wagner, all key contributors during the Steelers Super Bowl teams of the 1970s.
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 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in the National Football League. After what was considered the franchise's greatest season ever in 1976, the 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers failed to improve on their 10-4 record from 1976 and finished with a 9-5 record; however, they appeared in the playoffs for their 6th straight season and won the AFC Central again. They had a hard time for most of the season as their record hovered around .500. Even the Steel Curtain seemed to have a little wear and tear allowing 243 points on the season, more than 100 more than the previous season. The sloppy plays would catch up with them in the Divisional Playoffs when they were knocked off by the Broncos 34–21 in Denver.
The 1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 49th in the National Football League. After enduring an injury plagued 9–7 season the previous year, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Steelers had hoped that the 1980 season was just a small hiatus from contending for championships. However, while the Steelers had flashes of their former glory years after starting the season with 2 unimpressive losses, the 1981 season would end in an 8–8 record and eventually prove the end of the Steelers great dynasty of the 1970s. The Steelers had a chance to make the playoffs with an 8-5 start to the year, but lost all of their last three games to miss the playoffs.
The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 65th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League.
The 1986 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise’s 54th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The Steelers failed to improve upon their 7–9 record from 1985: they instead finished 6–10 and failed to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The 1987 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 55th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The team improved from a 6-10 record from 1986 and finishing 8-7 record and fail to reach the playoffs for a third straight season. Noll was renowned as a stoic character, but in complete contrast was his reaction to Jerry Glanville, the head coach of the Oilers. After the Steelers second meeting, Noll in the postgame handshake grabbed Glanville and told him he'd better watch out or he'd get jumped on. This was in reaction to Glanville's earlier comments on how the Oilers field was the 'house of pain' and his prediction that his players would intentionally hurt the Steelers.
The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 56th in the National Football League. Hall of Fame team founder and owner Art Rooney died at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the season on August 25. The team wore AJR patches on the left shoulder the entire season in memory of "The Chief".
The 1990 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 58th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 59th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 60th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 61st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1994 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 62nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 63rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 64th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 66th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise’s 67th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1988 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall. The franchise scored 424 points, which was second in the AFC and second overall in the NFL. The defense gave up 365 points. Their record of 10 wins and 6 losses resulted in a third-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football and appeared in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Warren Moon would be selected for the Pro Bowl. In the playoffs, they defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-23 in the Wild Card game. However, in the divisional playoffs, they lost 17-10 to the Bills.
