1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season
1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Owner	The Rooney Family
General manager	Tom Donahoe
Head coach	Bill Cowher
Home field	Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs ; (vs. Patriots) 7–6; Lost AFC Championship ; (vs. Broncos) 21–24
Pro Bowlers	6 RB Jerome Bettis ; C Dermontti Dawson ; ILB Levon Kirkland ; SS/CB Carnell Lake ; NT Joel Steed ; WR Yancey Thigpen ;
AP All-Pros	5 Dermontti Dawson (1st team); Levon Kirkland (1st team); Carnell Lake (1st team); Jerome Bettis (2nd team); Yancey Thigpen (2nd team);
Team MVP	Jerome Bettis
Team ROY	Chad Scott
	← 1996 ; Steelers seasons ; 1998 →;

Last updated November 22, 2024

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 Steelers finished with an 11–5 record, their fourth consecutive AFC Central top seed, and their sixth straight playoff appearance. In doing so, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher tied Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown with most consecutive playoff appearances to start a head coaching career in the NFL—a record Cowher still co-owns with Brown, as the Steelers missed the playoffs the following season.

The Steelers made 572 rushing attempts in 1997, the most in the 1990s.^[1] Their 2,479 total rushing yards were the third-most of the decade by any team.

The Steelers went into the season introducing a new font style numbers on jerseys matching the ones they wear on the helmets and the Steelers logo patch on uniform. This was the only season where the white away jerseys featured the players last names in black letters. It would switch back to gold lettering with black trim the next season.

The Steelers would host the AFC Championship Game for the third time in four years; however, they would ultimately lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. That game was the last playoff appearance for the Steelers during the 1990s and they did not return to the postseason until 2001.

Offseason

The Steelers saw many key free-agents leave the team, the biggest being cornerback Rod Woodson, whose ten-year tenure with the team ended due to a dispute over money with the Rooney family. Woodson would sign with the San Francisco 49ers as a result, though the Steelers would see him again in the following four seasons afterward as a member of the rival Baltimore Ravens. Other free-agent losses included Chad Brown, Ernie Mills, Andre Hastings, Deon Figures, and Brentson Buckner, among others. The team did manage to keep its other prized free-agent besides Woodson, locking up Jerome Bettis (who they had acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Rams the year before) with a four-year deal.

The team also had a transition at quarterback. After pushing Bill Cowher play exclusively at quarterback, Kordell Stewart was handed the starting job and dropping his "Slash" role on the team. Stewart would have success with the team this season, but would be inconsistent afterwards.

The team also made some minor changes to the uniforms this season, the first changes since gold pants were adopted as part of the white jerseys in 1972. The jersey numbers, previously having the old-style block numbering, were switched to the rounder style (Futura Condensed) as seen on the helmets. In addition, the Steelers logo was added to the left shoulder and the names became single color (black) fonts on the white away jersey. The names returned to gold on black the following year. The uniforms have remained the same since these changes as of 2007.

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1997 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
1	24	Chad Scott	Cornerback	Maryland
2	53	Will Blackwell	Wide receiver	San Diego State
3	82	Paul Wiggins	Tackle	Oregon
3	91	Mike Vrabel *	Linebacker	Ohio State
5	154	George Jones	Running back	San Diego State
6	186	Daryl Porter	Safety	Boston College
6	199	Rod Manuel	Defensive end	Oklahoma
7	223	Mike Adams	Wide receiver	Texas
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

**1997 Pittsburgh Steelers staff**
	Front office President – Daniel M. Rooney Vice president – John R. McGinley Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr. Vice president and general counsel – Arthur J. Rooney II Administration advisor – Chuck Noll Director of business – Mark Hart Business coordinator – Dan Ferens Accounts coordinator – Jim Ellenberger Office/ticket manager – Geraldine Glenn Marketing coordinator – Mark Fuhrman Merchandising manager – Tim Carey Assistant marketing manager – Lynne Molyneaux Media relations coordinator – Rob Boulware Assistant/community relations – Ron Miller Football operations Director of football operations – Tom Donahoe Personnel staff College personnel coordinator – Tom Modrak Pro personnel coordinator – Charles Bailey College scout – Bob Lane College scout – Max McCartney College scout – Phil Kreidler BLESTO College Scout – Mark Gorscak Head coaches Head coach – Bill Cowher Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Chan Gailey Running backs – Dick Hoak Wide receivers – David Culley Tight ends – Mike Mularkey Offensive line – Kent Stephenson			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Jim Haslett Defensive line – John Mitchell Linebackers – Mike Archer Defensive backs – Tim Lewis Special teams coaches Special teams – Ron Zook Administrative assistant – Lou Spanos 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 – Rodgers Freyvogel Field manager – Rich Baker Field/equipment assistant – Paul Gallagher Equipment consultant – Tony Parisi Video coordinator – Bob McCartney Video assistant – Pat Dolan Player development coordinator – Anthony Griggs Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci,Michael Drazdzinski ^[2]

Notable additions include Paul Wiggins and Mike Vrabel.

Roster

**1997 Pittsburgh Steelers roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 11 Mike Quinn 10 Kordell Stewart 18 Mike Tomczak Running backs (RB) 36 Jerome Bettis 43 George Jones 34 Tim Lester FB 25 Fred McAfee 38 Jon Witman FB Wide receivers (WR) 89 Will Blackwell 19 Andre Coleman KR 88 Courtney Hawkins 83 Corey Holliday 81 Charles Johnson 17 Curtis Marsh 82 Yancey Thigpen Tight ends (TE) 84 Kirk Botkin LS 87 Mark Bruener 46 Troy Sadowski		Offensive linemen (OL) 63 Dermontti Dawson C 65 John Jackson T 62 Tom Myslinski G 68 Brenden Stai G 67 Jamain Stephens T 73 Justin Strzelczyk T 66 Jim Sweeney C 79 Paul Wiggins T 77 Will Wolford G Defensive linemen (DL) 98 Oliver Gibson NT 74 Nolan Harrison DE 76 Kevin Henry DE 97 Rod Manuel DE 71 Orpheus Roye DE 93 Joel Steed NT		Linebackers (LB) 53 Steve Conley OLB 51 Carlos Emmons OLB 92 Jason Gildon OLB 50 Earl Holmes ILB 54 Donta Jones OLB 99 Levon Kirkland ILB 95 Greg Lloyd OLB 55 Jerry Olsavsky ILB 96 Mike Vrabel OLB Defensive backs (DB) 40 Myron Bell SS 27 J. B. Brown CB 41 Lethon Flowers FS 29 Randy Fuller CB 37 Carnell Lake CB/S 24 Chris Oldham CB 39 Darren Perry FS 30 Chad Scott CB 21 Donnell Woolford CB Special teams 9 Norm Johnson K 4 Josh Miller P				Practice squad 22 DeAuntae Brown CB 57 John Fiala LB 42 David McCann RB ^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]Reserve 86 Mike Adams WR (IR) 80 Jahine Arnold WR (IR) 14 Henry Bailey WR (IR) 85 Mitch Lyons TE (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 4 reserve, 3 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	July 27	vs. Chicago Bears	W 30–17	1–0	Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland)
2	August 2	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 28–14	2–0	Arrowhead Stadium
3	August 11	Philadelphia Eagles	W 42–26	3–0	Three Rivers Stadium
4	August 17	Detroit Lions	W 28–20	4–0	Three Rivers Stadium
5	August 22	at Carolina Panthers	W 27–19	5–0	Ericsson Stadium

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	August 31	Dallas Cowboys	L 7–37	0–1	Three Rivers Stadium
2	September 7	Washington Redskins	W 14–13	1–1	Three Rivers Stadium
3	Bye
4	September 22	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 21–30	1–2	Alltel Stadium
5	September 28	Tennessee Oilers	W 37–24	2–2	Three Rivers Stadium
6	October 5	at Baltimore Ravens	W 42–34	3–2	Memorial Stadium
7	October 12	Indianapolis Colts	W 24–22	4–2	Three Rivers Stadium
8	October 19	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 26–10	5–2	Cinergy Field
9	October 26	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 23–17 (OT)	6–2	Three Rivers Stadium
10	November 3	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 10–13	6–3	Arrowhead Stadium
11	November 9	Baltimore Ravens	W 37–0	7–3	Three Rivers Stadium
12	November 16	Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–3	8–3	Three Rivers Stadium
13	November 23	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 20–23	8–4	Veterans Stadium
14	November 30	at Arizona Cardinals	W 26–20 (OT)	9–4	Sun Devil Stadium
15	December 7	Denver Broncos	W 35–24	10–4	Three Rivers Stadium
16	December 13	at New England Patriots	W 24–21 (OT)	11–4	Foxboro Stadium
17	December 21	at Tennessee Oilers	L 6–16	11–5	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday August 31, 1997): vs. Dallas Cowboys

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	17	17	3	37
Steelers	0	0	0	7	7

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather:74 °F (23 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 60,396
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers: (FOX) Pat Summerall (play by play), John Madden (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Dallas – Miller 12 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)
Dallas – Irvin 42 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)
Dallas – FG Cunningham 52
Dallas – Irvin 15 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)
Dallas – FG Cunningham 24
Dallas – Johnston 13 pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)
Dallas – FG Cunningham 28
Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)

Week 2 (Sunday September 7, 1997): vs. Washington Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	3	10	0	13
Steelers	7	0	0	7	14

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather:74 °F (23 °C) (Partly Sunny)
Game attendance: 58,059
Referee: Ron Blum
TV announcers: (FOX) Dick Stockton (play by play), Matt Millen (color commentator), Pam Oliver (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Washington – FG Blanton 37
Washington – Mitchell 97 kickoff return (Blanton kick)
Washington – FG Blanton 28
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick)

Week 3 (Sunday September 14, 1997): Bye Week

Week 4 (Monday September 22, 1997): at Jacksonville Jaguars

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	0	7	7	21
Jaguars	7	10	3	10	30

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 73,016
Referee: Gerry Austin
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators), Lynn Swann (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Jacksonville – Means 1 run (Hollis kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 6 run (N. Johnson kick)
Jacksonville – Smith 11 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick)
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 45
Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 27
Jacksonville – Hudson 58 blocked field goal return (Hollis kick)

Week 5 (Sunday September 28, 1997): vs. Tennessee Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	6	3	15	24
Steelers	10	21	3	3	37

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather:67 °F (19 °C) (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 57,507
Referee: Bernie Kukar
TV announcers: (NBC) Jim Donovan (play by play), Beasley Reece (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Stewart 7 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Johnson 48
Pittsburgh – Gildon 12 fumble return (N. Johnson kick)
Tennessee – FG Del Greco 37
Pittsburgh – Bruener 18 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 2 run (N. Johnson kick)
Tennessee – FG Del Greco 47
Tennessee – FG Del Greco 26
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 25
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 44
Tennessee – Wycheck 10 pass from McNair (Wycheck pass from McNair)
Tennessee – Davis 11 pass from McNair (Del Greco kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 5, 1997): at Baltimore Ravens

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	7	14	21	42
Ravens	14	10	0	10	34

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 64,421
Referee: Bill Carollo
TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Jim Kelly (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Baltimore – Green 22 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
Baltimore – Morris 1 run (Stover kick)
Baltimore – Kinchen 24 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Baltimore – FG Stover 34
Pittsburgh – Blackwell 97 kickoff return (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 8 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Bruener 4 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 17 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Baltimore – Alexander 10 pass from Testaverde (Byner pass from Testaverde)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 74 run (N. Johnson kick)
Baltimore – Safety, Miller ran out of end zone

Week 7 (Sunday October 12, 1997): vs. Indianapolis Colts

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	10	0	3	9	22
Steelers	0	17	7	0	24

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 8:00 pm EDT
Game weather:66 °F (19 °C) (Clear)
Game attendance: 57,925
Referee: Tom White
TV announcers: (TNT) Verne Lundquist (play by play), Pat Haden & Mark May (color commentators), Craig Sager (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Indianapolis – Harrison 18 pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick)
Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 37
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 23
Pittsburgh – Bettis 7 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Lake 38 fumble return (N. Johnson kick)
Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 27
Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Tomczak (N. Johnson kick)
Indianapolis – FG Blanchard 35
Indianapolis – Stablein 5 pass from Harbaugh (pass failed)

Week 8 (Sunday October 19, 1997): at Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	13	7	6	26
Bengals	7	0	3	0	10

at Cinergy Field, Cincinnati

Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
Game weather:
Game attendance: 60,020
Referee: Phil Luckett
TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Bob Trumpy & Jim Kelly (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Cincinnati – Carter 6 run (Pelfrey kick)
Pittsburgh – Jones 11 pass from Stewart (pass failed)
PIttsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 11 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 33
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 43
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 32

Week 9 (Sunday October 26, 1997): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Jaguars	0	10	0	7	0	17
Steelers	0	0	7	10	6	23

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 4:00 pm EST
Game weather:48 °F (9 °C) (Light Rain)
Game attendance: 57,011
Referee: Gary Lane
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators)

Scoring drives:

Jacksonville – Jackson 8 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick)
Jacksonville – FG Hollis 20
Pittsburgh – Hawkins 28 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Jacksonville – Mitchell 3 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 19
Pittsburgh – Bettis 17 pass from Stewart

Week 10 (Monday November 3, 1997): at Kansas City Chiefs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	10	0	0	0	10
Chiefs	0	13	0	0	13

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game time: 9:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 78,301
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels (play by play), Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf (color commentators), Lynn Swann (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Hawkins 44 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 27
Kansas City – FG Stoyanovich 35
Kansas City – FG Stoyanovich 44
Kansas City – Hughes 14 pass from Allen (Stoyanovich kick)

Week 11 (Sunday November 9, 1997): vs. Baltimore Ravens

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ravens	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	10	10	10	7	37

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 8:00 pm EST
Game weather:44 °F (7 °C) (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 56,669
Referee: Gary Lane
TV announcers: (ESPN) Mike Patrick (play by play), Joe Theismann (color commentator), Ron Jaworski (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 52
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 22
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 39
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 52 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Jones 1 run (N. Johnson kick)

Week 12 (Sunday November 16, 1997): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	3	0	3
Steelers	3	3	7	7	20

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:30 °F (−1 °C) (Light Snow)
Game attendance: 55,226
Referee: Johnny Grier
TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Jim Kelly (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 25
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 20 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Cincinnati – FG Pelfrey 25
Pittsburgh – Bruener 5 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)

Week 13 (Sunday November 23, 1997): at Philadelphia Eagles

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	3	7	7	20
Eagles	14	3	3	3	23

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 67,166
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), Jim Mora (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Philadelphia – Dunn 31 pass from Hoying (Boniol kick)
Philadelphia – Fryar 8 pass from Hoying (Boniol kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 46
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 40
Philadelphia – FG Boniol 23
Philadelphia – FG Boniol 35
Pittsburgh – Bettis 19 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Philadelphia – FG Boniol 25
Pittsburgh – Blackwell 30 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)

Week 14 (Sunday November 30, 1997): at Arizona Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Steelers	7	3	7	3	6	26
Cardinals	0	3	14	3	0	20

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

Game time: 4:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 66,341
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers: (NBC) Dan Hicks (play by play), Jim Kelly (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Bettis 2 run (N. Johnson kick)
Arizona – FG Nedney 32
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 40
Arizona – Sanders 3 pass from Plummer (Nedney kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 7 run (N. Johnson kick)
Arizona – Gedney 11 pass from Plummer (Nedney kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 39
Arizona – FG Nedney 19
Pittsburgh – Bettis 10 run

Week 15 (Sunday December 7, 1997): vs. Denver Broncos

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	14	7	3	0	24
Steelers	7	14	7	7	35

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:36 °F (2 °C) (Flurries)
Game attendance: 59,739
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Denver – R. Smith 37 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 33 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Denver – Davis 3 run (Elam kick)
Denver – R. Smith 25 pass from Elgay (Elam kick)
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 69 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Thigpen 21 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)
Denver – FG Elam 35
Pittsburgh – Stewart 4 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 9 run (N. Johnson kick)

Week 16 (Saturday December 13, 1997): at New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Steelers	0	7	3	11	3	24
Patriots	0	14	0	7	0	21

at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game time: 4:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 60,013
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

New England – Coates 18 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick)
New England – Gash 1 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 34
New England – Meggett 49 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick)
Pittsburgh – Bruener 1 pass from Stewart (Thigpen pass from Stewart)
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 31

Week 17 (Sunday December 21, 1997): at Tennessee Oilers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	3	0	0	3	6
Oilers	3	10	3	0	16

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

Game time: 1:00 pm EST
Game weather:
Game attendance: 50,677
Referee: Phil Luckett
TV announcers: (NBC) Charlie Jones (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring drives:

Tennessee – FG Del Greco 34
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 23
Tennessee – Thomas 25 run (Del Greco kick)
Tennessee – FG Del Greco 29
Tennessee – FG Del Greco 26
Pittsburgh – FG N. Johnson 36

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽²⁾ Pittsburgh Steelers	11	5	0	.688	372	307	L1
⁽⁵⁾ Jacksonville Jaguars	11	5	0	.688	394	318	W2
Tennessee Oilers	8	8	0	.500	333	310	W1
Cincinnati Bengals	7	9	0	.438	355	405	W3
Baltimore Ravens	6	9	1	.406	326	345	L1

Playoffs

Game summaries

Both of the Steelers post-season matchups were rematches from the regular season. The Steelers had a first-round bye, then faced the AFC East champion (and defending AFC champion) New England Patriots at home. The game, which was a homecoming for young Patriots players & Pittsburgh area natives Ty Law and Curtis Martin (Martin was in fact playing in his last game with New England before signing with the New York Jets that offseason), was also a rematch of the previous year's AFC Divisional matchup, which took place in Foxborough.

After defeating the Pats, the Steelers would lose to the eventual Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos 24–21 in Elway's last trip to Pittsburgh.

AFC Divisional Playoff (Saturday January 3, 1998): vs. New England Patriots

	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	0	3	0	3	6
Steelers	7	0	0	0	7

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 12:30 pm EST
Game weather:52 °F (11 °C) (Light Rain)
Game attendance: 61,228
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers: (NBC) Tom Hammond (play by play), Randy Cross (color commentator), James Lofton (sideline reporter)

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Stewart 40 run (N. Johnson kick)
New England – FG Vinatieri 31
New England – FG Vinatieri 46

AFC Championship Game (Sunday January 11, 1998): vs. Denver Broncos

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	17	0	0	24
Steelers	7	7	0	7	21

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time: 12:30 pm EST
Game weather:34 °F (1 °C) (Mostly Sunny)
Game attendance: 61,382
Referee: Ron Blum
TV announcers: (NBC) Dick Enberg (play by play), Phil Simms & Paul Maguire (color commentators), Jim Gray & John Dockery (sideline reporters)

Scoring drives:

Denver – Davis 8 run (Elam kick)
Pittsburgh – Stewart 33 run (N. Johnson kick)
Pittsburgh – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick)
Denver – FG Elam 43
Denver – Griffith 16 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
Denver – McCaffrey 1 pass from Elway (Elam kick)
Pittsburgh – C. Johnson 15 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick)

Honors and awards

Pro Bowlers

See: 1998 Pro Bowl

No. 36 Jerome Bettis-Running back
No. 37 Carnell Lake-Safety
No. 63 Dermontti Dawson-Center
No. 82 Yancey Thigpen-Wide receiver
No. 93 Joel Steed-Nose tackle
No. 99 Levon Kirkland-Inside linebacker

All-Pros

Yancy Thigpen (Second-Team)
Joel Steed (Pro Football Weekly First-Team All-AFC)
Levon Kirkland (First-Team)
Dermontti Dawson (First-Team)
Carnell Lake (First-Team)
Jerome Bettis (Second-Team)

Related Research Articles

The 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 74th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 7th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 15th and last under head coach Bill Cowher, as he retired on January 5, 2007. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 2005 and also failed to defend their Super Bowl XL championship, Instead, they finished the season with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. In the first half of the season, the Steelers record was 2-6. However, the team dramatically improved during the second half of the season, flipping their record from the first eight games and going 6-2 in their last eight.

The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 73rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It was the 6th season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the 14th under head coach Bill Cowher. The Steelers failed to improve upon their 15–1 record from 2004 and in 2005, the Steelers struggled. At one point, they were 7–5 and in danger of missing the playoffs but rose to defeat the Chicago Bears on December 11 and started a four-game win streak to finish the season at 11–5.

The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 45th in the National Football League. 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 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 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.

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 (NFL).

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 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 68th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.

The 2002 season was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 70th as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.

The 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 69th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). After finishing the previous three seasons a combined 22–26, the Steelers returned to the top seed in the AFC, rolling to a 13–3 record in their first playoff berth and AFC Central title since 1997 and playing at Heinz Field. The Steelers went 7–1 in their new home stadium, with the only loss coming to the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

The 1967 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 35th in the National Football League. They finished 4-9-1, for last place in the new NFL Century Division.

The 1964 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 32nd in the National Football League.

References

↑ "In a single season, from 1990 to 1999, in the NFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Rushing Attempts". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
1 2 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
↑ 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
↑ "1997 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
↑ "1998 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
↑ "1999 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

External links

1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season at Pro Football Reference
1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season statistics at jt-sw.com

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "In a single season, from 1990 to 1999, in the NFL, in the regular season, sorted by descending Rushing Attempts". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

[1997MediaGuide-2] 1 2 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.

[3] 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.

[4] "1997 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

[5] "1998 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

[6] "1999 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers
Founded in 1933 Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939) Based and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Franchise	History All-Time Team Seasons Logos and uniforms Coaches All-time roster (A–K, L–Z) Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks Records
Stadiums	Home fields: Forbes Field Pitt Stadium Three Rivers Stadium Acrisure Stadium Training facilities: Rooney Field Point Stadium UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Chuck Noll Field
Culture	Football in Western Pennsylvania Rooney family Myron Cope Steelmark Steeler Nation Terrible Towel Steel Curtain Black Sunday Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Evening Shade The Chief "Renegade" "Here We Go" "Black and Yellow" YinzCam This Is Us Steel Curtain Roller Coaster
Lore	Steelers lore J.P. Rooneys Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles Card-Pitt Steelerettes Immaculate Reception 1975 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Deflection Jerome Bettis trade Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle 3:16 game
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Tennessee Titans
Media	Broadcasters KDKA-TV WPKD-TV SportsNet Pittsburgh Charlie Batch Chris Hoke Radio Network WDVE-FM WBGG-AM Bill Hillgrove Tunch Ilkin Craig Wolfley Steelers figures in broadcasting
Division championships (24)	1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1983 1984 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2004 2007 2008 2010 2014 2016 2017 2020
Conference championships (8)	1974 1975 1978 1979 1995 2005 2008 2010
League championships (6)	1974 (IX) 1975 (X) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 2005 (XL) 2008 (XLIII)
Retired numbers	32 70 75
Hall of Fame members	Players: Bettis Blount Bradshaw Butler Dawson Dudley Faneca Greene Ham Harris Johnson Lambert Layne Polamalu Shell Stallworth Stautner Swann Webster Woodson Coaches and administration: Bell Cowher Kiesling Noll Art Rooney Dan Rooney
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division

1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Contents

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Preseason

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday August 31, 1997): vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 2 (Sunday September 7, 1997): vs. Washington Redskins

Week 3 (Sunday September 14, 1997): Bye Week

Week 4 (Monday September 22, 1997): at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 5 (Sunday September 28, 1997): vs. Tennessee Oilers

Week 6 (Sunday October 5, 1997): at Baltimore Ravens

Week 7 (Sunday October 12, 1997): vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 8 (Sunday October 19, 1997): at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 9 (Sunday October 26, 1997): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 10 (Monday November 3, 1997): at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 11 (Sunday November 9, 1997): vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 12 (Sunday November 16, 1997): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 13 (Sunday November 23, 1997): at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 14 (Sunday November 30, 1997): at Arizona Cardinals

Week 15 (Sunday December 7, 1997): vs. Denver Broncos

Week 16 (Saturday December 13, 1997): at New England Patriots

Week 17 (Sunday December 21, 1997): at Tennessee Oilers

Standings

Playoffs

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoff (Saturday January 3, 1998): vs. New England Patriots

AFC Championship Game (Sunday January 11, 1998): vs. Denver Broncos

Honors and awards

Pro Bowlers

All-Pros

Related Research Articles

References

External links