1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Last updated

1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner The Rooney Family
General manager Tom Donahoe
Head coach Bill Cowher
Home stadium Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record9–7
Division place2nd AFC Central
PlayoffsLost Wild Card Playoffs
(at Chiefs) 24–27 (OT)
All-Pros
3
  • Dermontti Dawson (1st team)
  • Greg Lloyd (1st team)
  • Rod Woodson (1st team)
Pro Bowlers
Team MVPRod Woodson
Team ROY Chad Brown

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.

Contents

The Steelers looked to continue the progress made under second year head coach Bill Cowher. However, the team would take a slight step backwards, finishing 9–7 (three games behind the eventual AFC Central champion Houston Oilers). Despite that, the Steelers clinched a wild card spot, making the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The team would lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, in what is considered one of the best playoff games in NFL history even though the Steelers were on the losing end.

In the second week of the season, the Steelers suffered a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Rams 27–0, in the team's penultimate visit to the Los Angeles area until 2019. The day was highlighted by the emergence of Rams rookie Jerome Bettis running over the Steelers defense. Though no one knew it at the time, it would foreshadow what was to come with Bettis' career—as a member of the Steelers, who would acquire Bettis in a draft day trade with the Rams three years later.

1993 was also the season in which the Steelers began their policy of "blacking out" regular season contract negotiations. Early in the season the Steelers had reached contract extensions with Rod Woodson and Barry Foster and continued negotiations with other players. However, this led to discord in the locker room, and management felt that contract talk was taking the team's focus off of winning. At mid-season the Steelers broke off all contract negotiations and have refused to negotiate contracts during the regular season since. [1]

Offseason

AdditionsSubtractions
QB Mike Tomczak (Browns)QB Bubby Brister (Eagles)
LB Kevin Greene (Rams)LB Jerrol Williams (Chargers)
OL David Viaene (Packers)LB Hardy Nickerson (Buccaneers)
LB Louis Cooper (Chiefs)T Tunch Ilkin (Packers)
LB Greg Clark (Seahawks)DE Aaron Jones (Patriots)
WR Louis Lipps (Saints)RB Warren Williams (Colts)

NFL draft

1993 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
123 Deon Figures   Cornerback Colorado
244 Chad Brown *  Linebacker Colorado
376 Andre Hastings   Wide receiver Georgia
4108 Kevin Henry   Defensive end Mississippi State
5135 Lonnie Palelei   Guard UNLV
5140 Marc Woodard  LinebackerMississippi Statefrom Dallas
6162 Willie Williams  Cornerback Western Carolina
7185 Jeff Zgonina   Defensive tackle Purdue from Washington
7189 Craig Keith   Tight end Lenoir–Rhyne
8216 Alex Van Pelt   Quarterback Pittsburgh
      Made roster  

Undrafted free agents

1993 undrafted free agents of note
PlayerPositionCollege
Reggie Barnes Linebacker Oklahoma
Randy Cuthbert Running back Duke
Boris GrahamLinebacker West Virginia
Martin HoustonFullback Alabama
Toby LawrenceGuard Kansas State
Gary ReidDefensive linemen Cincinnati
Tim SamecCenter Virginia
Ricky SuttonDefensive linemen Auburn

Staff

1993 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

Front office

  • President – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice president – John R. McGinley
  • Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Secretary & counsel – Arthur J. Rooney II
  • Administration advisor – Chuck Noll
  • Director of communications – Joe Gordon
  • Public relations coordinator – Dan Edwards
  • PR Assistant/Community Relations – Ron Miller
  • Controller – Michael J. Hagan
  • Assistant controller – Dan Ferens
  • Assistant controller – Jim Ellenberger
  • Ticket sales manager – Geraldine Glenn
  • Football operations
  • Director of football operations – Tom Donahoe
  • Football business manager – James A. Boston
  • Player development coordinator – Anthony Griggs
  • Scouting staff
  • Director of scouting – Tom Modrak
  • Pro personnel coordinator – Charles Bailey
  • Administrative – Ralph Berlin
  • College scout – Phil Kreidler
  • BLESTO College Scout – Bob Lane
  • College scout – Max McCartney
  • College scout – Bob Schmitz

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – John Guy

Strength and conditioning

  • Conditioning coordinator – Chet Fuhrman
  • Medical staff
  • Ophthalmologist – Dr. Randy Beatty
  • Physician, orthopedic – Dr. James P. Bradley
  • Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph Maroon
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze
  • Physician, consultant – Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates
  • Training staff
  • Head trainer – John Norwig
  • Assistant trainer – Rick Burkholder
  • Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field manager – Rodgers Freyvogel
  • Video coordinator – Bob McCartney
  • Video assistant – Pat Dolan
  • Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci

[2]

Notable additions include Chad Brown, Kevin Greene and Willie Williams

Roster

1993 Pittsburgh Steelers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

[3] [4] [5] [6] Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 3 reserve, 4 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentGame siteKickoff (ET)TVResultRecord
1 August 1vs. San Francisco 49ers Estadi Olímpic (Barcelona, Spain)1:00 p.m. NBC L 21–140–1
2August 7 New York Jets Three Rivers Stadium 6:00 p.m. WPXI W 17–131–1
3August 14at New York Giants Giants Stadium 8:00 p.m.WPXIW 23–172–1
4August 22 Washington Redskins Three Rivers Stadium8:00 p.m. TNT L 10–32–2
5August 26at Minnesota Vikings Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 8:00 p.m. ESPN L 30–132–3

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentGame siteKickoff (ET)TVResultRecord
1September 5 San Francisco 49ers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS L 24–130–1
2September 12at Los Angeles Rams Anaheim Stadium 4:00 p.m. NBC L 27–00–2
3September 19 Cincinnati Bengals Three Rivers Stadium1:00 p.m.NBCW 34–71–2
4September 27at Atlanta Falcons Georgia Dome 9:00 p.m. ABC W 45–172–2
5October 3Bye
6October 10 San Diego Chargers Three Rivers Stadium4:00 p.m.NBCW 16–33–2
7October 17 New Orleans Saints Three Rivers Stadium1:00 p.m.CBSW 37–144–2
8October 24at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 4:00 p.m.NBCL 28–234–3
9October 31Bye
10November 7at Cincinnati Bengals Riverfront Stadium 1:00 p.m.NBCW 24–165–3
11November 15 Buffalo Bills Three Rivers Stadium9:00 p.m.ABCW 23–06–3
12November 21at Denver Broncos Mile High Stadium 4:00 p.m.NBCL 37–136–4
13November 28at Houston Oilers Astrodome 8:00 p.m. ESPN L 23–36–5
14December 5 New England Patriots Three Rivers Stadium1:00 p.m.NBCW 17–147–5
15December 13at Miami Dolphins Joe Robbie Stadium 9:00 p.m.ABCW 21–208–5
16December 19 Houston Oilers Three Rivers Stadium1:00 p.m.NBCL 26–178–6
17December 26at Seattle Seahawks Kingdome 4:00 p.m.NBCL 16–68–7
18January 2 Cleveland Browns Three Rivers Stadium1:00 p.m.NBCW 16–99–7

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTPFPASTK
(2) Houston Oilers 1240.750368238W11
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers 970.563308281W1
Cleveland Browns 790.438304307L1
Cincinnati Bengals 3130.188187319L1

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 5, 1993): vs. San Francisco 49ers

1234Total
49ers1070724
Steelers0310013

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather:74 °F (23 °C) (Mostly Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 57,502
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers: (CBS) Dick Stockton (play by play), Dan Fouts (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

  • San Francisco – FG Cofer 37
  • San Francisco – Rice 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
  • San Francisco – Rice 6 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 29
  • Pittsburgh – Foster 5 run (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 39
  • San Francisco – B. Jones 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)

Week 2 (Sunday September 12, 1993): at Los Angeles Rams

1234Total
Steelers00000
Rams01431027

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

  • Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather:72 °F (22 °C) (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 50,588
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Joe Gibbs (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

  • Los Angeles Rams – Drayton 22 pass from Everett (Zendejas kick)
  • Los Angeles Rams – Gary 6 run (Zendejas kick)
  • Los Angeles Rams – FG Zendejas 54
  • Los Angeles Rams – FG Zendejas 50
  • Los Angeles Rams – Bettis 29 run (Zendejas kick)

Week 3 (Sunday September 19, 1993): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

1234Total
Bengals07007
Steelers71010734

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Scoring drives:

Week 4 (Monday September 27, 1993): at Atlanta Falcons

1234Total
Steelers71771445
Falcons1430017

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Scoring drives:

Week 5 (Sunday October 3, 1993): Bye Week

Week 6 (Sunday October 10, 1993): vs. San Diego Chargers

1234Total
Chargers03003
Steelers373316

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather:47 °F (8 °C) (Partly Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 55,264
  • Referee: Gary Lane
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Dan Hampton (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 17, 1993): vs. New Orleans Saints

1234Total
Saints0001414
Steelers14106737

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather:65 °F (18 °C) (Light Rain)
  • Game attendance: 56,056
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers: (CBS) Tim Ryan (play by play), Matt Millen (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Week 8 (Sunday October 24, 1993): at Cleveland Browns

1234Total
Steelers0146323
Browns0147728

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Scoring drives:

  • Cleveland – Jackson 62 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
  • Cleveland – Metcalf 91 punt return (Stover kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Foster 4 run (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
  • Cleveland – Wolfey 4 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 46
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
  • Cleveland – Metcalf 75 punt return (Stover kick)

Week 9 (Sunday October 31, 1993): Bye Week

Week 10 (Sunday November 7, 1993): at Cincinnati Bengals

1234Total
Steelers01401024
Bengals3130016

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

Scoring drives:

  • Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 32
  • Cincinnati – Williams 97 interception return (kick failed)
  • Cincinnati – Query 7 pass from Schroeder (Pelfrey kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Green 71 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Hoge 9 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Foster 1 run (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 23

Week 11 (Monday November 15, 1993): vs. Buffalo Bills

1234Total
Bills00000
Steelers7310323

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Scoring drives:

Week 12 (Sunday November 21, 1993): at Denver Broncos

1234Total
Steelers006713
Broncos101014337

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Scoring drives:

  • Denver – FG Elam 48
  • Denver – Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
  • Denver – Russell fumble recovery in end zone (Elam kick)
  • Denver – FG Elam 27
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 37
  • Denver – Delpino 1 run (Elam kick)
  • Denver – V. Johnson 13 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 38
  • Denver – FG Elam 28
  • Pittsburgh – Thigpen 39 pass from Tomczak (Anderson kick)

Week 13 (Sunday November 28, 1993): at Houston Oilers

1234Total
Steelers03003
Oilers01010323

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Scoring drives:

  • Houston – FG Del Greco 43
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
  • Houston – Brown 3 run (Del Greco kick)
  • Houston – Jeffires 66 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 21
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 28

Week 14 (Sunday December 5, 1993): vs. New England Patriots

1234Total
Patriots1400014
Steelers1700017

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather:42 °F (6 °C) (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 51,358
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Week 15 (Monday December 13, 1993): at Miami Dolphins

1234Total
Steelers077721
Dolphins3301420

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

Scoring drives:

  • Miami – FG Stoyanovich 22
  • Pittsburgh – Thompson 3 run (Anderson kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Hoge 2 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Miami – K. Jackson 3 pass from DeBerg (Stoyanovich kick)
  • Miami – McDuffie 72 punt return (Stoyanovich kick)

Week 16 (Sunday December 19, 1993): vs. Houston Oilers

1234Total
Oilers1463326
Steelers037717

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Scoring drives:

  • Houston – G. Brown 38 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
  • Houston – Orlando 38 interception return (Del Greco kick)
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 34
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 22
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 26
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 33
  • Pittsburgh – Green 36 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Houston – FG Del Greco 21
  • Pittsburgh – Hoge 5 run (Anderson kick)

Week 17 (Sunday December 26, 1993): at Seattle Seahawks

1234Total
Steelers03036
Seahawks733316

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

Scoring drives:

  • Seattle – Green 2 pass from Mirer (Kasay kick)
  • Seattle – FG Kasay 32
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 42
  • Seattle – FG Kasay 48
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 43
  • Seattle – FG Kasay 35

Week 18 (Sunday January 2, 1994): vs. Cleveland Browns

1234Total
Browns09009
Steelers0331016

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather:32 °F (0 °C) (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 49,208
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Paul Maguire (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Playoffs

Game summary

AFC Wild Card Playoff (Saturday January 8, 1994): at Kansas City Chiefs

1234OTTotal
Steelers71007024
Chiefs70314327

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Scoring drives:

  • Pittsburgh – Cooper 10 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Kansas City – Birden 23 pass from Krieg (Lowery kick)
  • Pittsburgh – FG Anderson 30
  • Pittsburgh – Mills 26 pass form O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Kansas City – FG Lowery 23
  • Kansas City – Allen 2 run (Lowery kick)
  • Pittsburgh – Green 22 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick)
  • Kansas City – Barnett 7 pass from Montana (Lowery kick)
  • Kansas City – FG Lowery 32

References

  1. "Steelers Regular Season Contract Negotiation Blackout A Wise Policy". Steel Curtain Rising. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  2. 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  3. 1993 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  4. 1994 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  5. 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  6. "1993 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.