Terry Paxton Bradshaw is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. Bradshaw is also an actor and recording artist, having participated in several television shows and films, most notably co-starring in the movie Failure to Launch, and releasing several country music albums. He won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period, becoming the first quarterback to win three and four Super Bowls, and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility. Bradshaw was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Roderick Kevin Woodson is an American former professional football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12). He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr., nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Miami RedHawks, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft.
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State University, where he won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, and was selected by the Patriots first overall in the 1993 NFL draft. Considered the face of the Patriots franchise during his nine seasons with the team, Bledsoe helped improve New England's fortunes from 1993 to 2001. Under Bledsoe, the Patriots ended a seven-year postseason drought, qualified for the playoffs four times, clinched their division twice, and made a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. He was also named to three Pro Bowls and became the youngest quarterback to play in the NFL's Pro Bowl game in 1995.
Edward Earl Reed Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he played on Miami's 2001 national championship team and was named a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft and played 11 seasons with them before playing with the Houston Texans and New York Jets in 2013.
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2003. Fitzgerald was selected by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft. He is widely considered by fans, coaches and peers to be one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time Pro Bowl and six-time All-Pro selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility.
Antwaan Randle El is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2001. He also played basketball and baseball for the Hoosiers. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. Playing with the Steelers for four seasons as a wide receiver and return specialist, he was active in all 64 regular season games with 23 starts. He was also instrumental in a number of trick plays, including throwing a touchdown pass as a wide receiver for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.
Touraj Houshmandzadeh Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL draft. Houshmandzadeh played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, the Baltimore Ravens in 2010 and the Oakland Raiders in 2011. In 2016, he joined Long Beach Poly High School as a wide receivers coach and was elevated to varsity offensive coordinator in 2018. Houshmandzadeh also works as a football analyst for FS1.
Casey Hampton Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle and 2-time Super Bowl Champion over twelve seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that he was an All-American college football player for the Texas Longhorns and a first round pick of the Steelers in the 2001 NFL draft.
Jeffrey Chad Clifton is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 12 seasons with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft. During his career, he was named to two Pro Bowls and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cedrick Wilson Sr. is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005. Wilson earned a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, beating the Seattle Seahawks. With that achievement, he became one of very few football players to earn a championship ring at all three levels of football – high school, college, and professional. His son Cedrick Wilson Jr. has played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
Brett Keisel is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars. He was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Michael Pettaway Tomlin is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to 11 playoff appearances, seven division titles, three AFC Championship Games, two Super Bowl appearances, and a title in Super Bowl XLIII. At age 36, Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, a record which was later broken by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI. Tomlin holds the record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career with 17 and has never had a losing season. Only Tom Landry (21) and Bill Belichick (19) have had longer such streaks at any point in their coaching careers. Upon Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots following the 2023 season, Tomlin is the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach.
Sports in Pittsburgh have been played dating back to the American Civil War. Baseball, hockey, and the first professional American football game had been played in the city by 1892. Pittsburgh was first known as the "City of Champions" when the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Panthers football team, and Pittsburgh Steelers won multiple championships in the 1970s. Today, the city has three major professional sports franchises, the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins; while the University of Pittsburgh Panthers compete in a Division I Power Five conference, the highest level of collegiate athletics in the United States, in both football and basketball. Local universities Duquesne and Robert Morris also field Division I teams in men's and women's basketball and Division I FCS teams in football. Robert Morris also fields Division I men's and women's ice hockey teams.
The Tennessee Volunteers football program represents the University of Tennessee (UT).
The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 71st season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr., nicknamed "AB", is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). A draft steal in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown is regarded as one of the best receivers of the 2010s, accumulating the most first-team All-Pro selections at his position throughout the decade with four consecutive selections (2014–2017), all as a member of the Steelers. He amassed more receptions than any other player in the league from his rookie season in 2010 through 2018. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, where he earned All-American honors in 2008 and 2009 as a punt returner. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School.
James Earl Conner is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. In 2014, he garnered AFCA first-team All-American honors and was awarded the ACC Player of the Year. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
