The Pittsburgh Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC; seven franchises in the National Football Conference (NFC) have longer tenures in the NFL. The team struggled to be competitive in its early history, posting winning records in just 8 of its first 39 seasons. Since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, however, it has appeared in eight Super Bowls and is one of only two teams, along with the New England Patriots, to have won the Super Bowl six times. The six championships place the Steelers fourth in the league in terms of total championships (including those prior to the first Super Bowl), trailing only the Green Bay Packers (13 championships), the Chicago Bears (9) and the New York Giants (8). [1] The club's 16 AFC Championship Game appearances are the most all-time and behind only the 49ers (17) for total conference championship game appearances. In addition, they have hosted the second-most conference championship games (11) than any franchise in either conference, and are tied for second with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos with eight Super Bowl appearances; the Patriots currently hold the record of eleven appearances, as of 2021.
From 1974 to 1979 the franchise became the first NFL franchise to win four Super Bowl titles in six seasons, a feat which is yet to be matched. In 2005, the Steelers became the first #6 seed to advance to a conference championship game, and go on to win the Super Bowl, since the playoff field was expanded to 12 teams in 1990. The Steelers are 6–2 in the Super Bowl, winning Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, XIV, XL and XLIII while losing Super Bowls XXX and XLV.
As of the 2022 season, the Steelers franchise is tied for third with the Giants all-time in playoff appearances, with 33. The Steelers have the most playoff appearances among active AFC franchises, as well as the most since the official start of the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. The Cowboys (35) and Packers (35) are the only teams to have more playoff appearances. Coincidentally, these are also the only two teams to beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
NFL champions (1920–1969) | Super Bowl champions (1966–present) | Conference champions | Division champions | Wild Card berth | One-game playoff berth |
Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coaches | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | W | L | T | Pct [1] | ||||||||
Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||||||||
1933 | 1933 | NFL | East | 5th | 3 | 6 | 2 | .364 | Forrest Douds | |||
1934 | 1934 | NFL | East | 5th | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | Luby DiMeolo | |||
1935 | 1935 | NFL | East | 3rd | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | Joe Bach | |||
1936 | 1936 | NFL | East | 2nd | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | ||||
1937 | 1937 | NFL | East | 3rd | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Johnny Blood | |||
1938 | 1938 | NFL | East | 5th | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | ||||
1939 | 1939 | NFL | East | 4th [T] | 1 | 9 | 1 | .136 | Johnny Blood (0–3) Walt Kiesling (1–6–1) | |||
Pittsburgh Steelers | ||||||||||||
1940 | 1940 | NFL | East | 4th | 2 | 7 | 2 | .273 | Walt Kiesling | |||
1941 | 1941 | NFL | East | 5th | 1 | 9 | 1 | .136 | Walt Kiesling (1–2–1) Aldo Donelli (0–5) Bert Bell (0–2) | |||
1942 | 1942 | NFL | East | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | Walt Kiesling | |||
Steagles [2] | ||||||||||||
1943 | 1943 | NFL | East | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 1 | .550 | Greasy Neale & Walt Kiesling | |||
Card-Pitt [3] | ||||||||||||
1944 | 1944 | NFL | West | 5th | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | Phil Handler & Walt Kiesling | |||
Pittsburgh Steelers | ||||||||||||
1945 | 1945 | NFL | East | 5th | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | Jim Leonard | |||
1946 | 1946 | NFL | East | 3rd [T] | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | Bill Dudley (MVP) | Jock Sutherland | ||
1947 | 1947 | NFL | East | 2nd | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | Lost Divisional Playoff (Eagles) 0–21 | |||
1948 | 1948 | NFL | East | 3rd [T] | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | John Michelosen | |||
1949 | 1949 | NFL | East | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 1 | .542 | ||||
1950 | 1950 | NFL | American | 3rd [T] | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | ||||
1951 | 1951 | NFL | American | 4th | 4 | 7 | 1 | .375 | ||||
1952 | 1952 | NFL | American | 4th | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Joe Bach | |||
1953 | 1953 | NFL | Eastern | 4th | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | ||||
1954 | 1954 | NFL | Eastern | 4th | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Walt Kiesling | |||
1955 | 1955 | NFL | Eastern | 6th | 4 | 8 | 0 | .346 | ||||
1956 | 1956 | NFL | Eastern | 4th [T] | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | ||||
1957 | 1957 | NFL | Eastern | 3rd | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | Buddy Parker | |||
1958 | 1958 | NFL | Eastern | 3rd | 7 | 4 | 1 | .625 | ||||
1959 | 1959 | NFL | Eastern | 4th | 6 | 5 | 1 | .542 | ||||
1960 | 1960 | NFL | Eastern | 5th | 5 | 6 | 1 | .458 | ||||
1961 | 1961 | NFL | Eastern | 5th | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | ||||
1962 | 1962 | NFL | Eastern | 2nd | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | ||||
1963 | 1963 | NFL | Eastern | 4th | 7 | 4 | 3 | .607 | ||||
1964 | 1964 | NFL | Eastern | 6th | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | ||||
1965 | 1965 | NFL | Eastern | 7th | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | Mike Nixon | |||
1966 | 1966 | NFL | Eastern | 6th | 5 | 8 | 1 | .393 | Bill Austin | |||
1967 | 1967 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 4th | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | |||
1968 | 1968 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 4th | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | |||
1969 | 1969 | NFL | Eastern | Century | 4th | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | Joe Greene (DROY) | Chuck Noll | |
1970 | 1970 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | |||
1971 | 1971 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | |||
1972 | 1972 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 13–7 Lost AFC Championship (Dolphins) 17–21 | Chuck Noll (AFC COY) Franco Harris (OROY, AFC OROY) Joe Greene (DPOY) | |
1973 | 1973 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 14–33 | ||
1974 | 1974 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 32–14 Won AFC Championship (at Raiders) 24–13 Won Super Bowl IX (1) (vs. Vikings) 16–6 | Jack Lambert (DROY) Joe Greene (DPOY) Franco Harris (SB MVP) | |
1975 | 1975 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Colts) 28–10 Won AFC Championship (Raiders) 16–10 Won Super Bowl X (2) (vs. Cowboys) 21–17 | Mel Blount (DPOY) Lynn Swann (SB MVP) | |
1976 | 1976 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Colts) 40–14 Lost AFC Championship (at Raiders) 7–24 | Jack Lambert (DPOY, AFC DPOY) | |
1977 | 1977 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 21–34 | ||
1978 | 1978 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Broncos) 33–10 Won AFC Championship (Oilers) 34–5 Won Super Bowl XIII (3) (vs. Cowboys) 35–31 | Terry Bradshaw (MVP, SB MVP, BBA) | |
1979 | 1979 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Dolphins) 34–14 Won AFC Championship (Oilers) 27–13 Won Super Bowl XIV (4) (vs. Rams) 31–19 | Jack Lambert (AFC DPOY) Terry Bradshaw (SB MVP) | |
1980 | 1980 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | |||
1981 | 1981 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |||
1982 | 1982 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th [T] [3] | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | Lost First Round Playoffs (Chargers) 28–31 | ||
1983 | 1983 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 10–38 | ||
1984 | 1984 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 24–17 Lost AFC Championship (at Dolphins) 28–45 | Louis Lipps (OROY) John Stallworth (CBPOY) | |
1985 | 1985 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | |||
1986 | 1986 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | |||
1987 | 1987 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | |||
1988 | 1988 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | |||
1989 | 1989 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Oilers) 26–23 (OT) Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 23–24 | Chuck Noll (MFC COY) | |
1990 | 1990 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | |||
1991 | 1991 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | |||
1992 | 1992 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 3–24 | Bill Cowher (NFL COY) Barry Foster (AFC OPOY) | Bill Cowher |
1993 | 1993 | NFL | AFC | Central | 2nd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Chiefs) 24–27 (OT) | Rod Woodson (DPOY) | |
1994 | 1994 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 29–9 Lost AFC Championship (Chargers) 13–17 | Greg Lloyd (AFC DPOY) | |
1995 | 1995 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 40–21 Won AFC Championship (Colts) 20–16 Lost Super Bowl XXX (vs. Cowboys) 17–27 | ||
1996 | 1996 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Colts) 42–14 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Patriots) 3–28 | Jerome Bettis (CBPOY) | |
1997 | 1997 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Patriots) 7–6 Lost AFC Championship (Broncos) 21–24 | ||
1998 | 1998 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | |||
1999 | 1999 | NFL | AFC | Central | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | |||
2000 | 2000 | NFL | AFC | Central | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | |||
2001 | 2001 | NFL | AFC | Central | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Ravens) 27–10 Lost AFC Championship (Patriots) 17–24 | Kendrell Bell (DROY) | |
2002 | 2002 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Browns) 36–33 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Titans) 31–34 (OT) | Tommy Maddox (CBPOY) | |
2003 | 2003 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | |||
2004 | 2004 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Jets) 20–17 (OT) Lost AFC Championship (Patriots) 27–41 | Bill Cowher (TSN COY) Ben Roethlisberger (OROY) | |
2005 | 2005 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 31–17 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Colts) 21–18 Won AFC Championship (at Broncos) 34–17 Won Super Bowl XL (5) (vs. Seahawks) 21–10 | Hines Ward (SB MVP) | |
2006 | 2006 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |||
2007 | 2007 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Jaguars) 29–31 | Mike Tomlin | |
2008 | 2008 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Chargers) 35–24 Won AFC Championship (Ravens) 23–14 Won Super Bowl XLIII (6) (vs. Cardinals) 27–23 | James Harrison (DPOY) [4] Santonio Holmes (SB MVP) Mike Tomlin (Motorola NFL COY) [5] | |
2009 | 2009 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | |||
2010 | 2010 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Ravens) 31–24 Won AFC Championship (Jets) 24–19 Lost Super Bowl XLV (vs. Packers) 25–31 | Troy Polamalu (DPOY) | |
2011 | 2011 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Broncos) 23–29 (OT) | ||
2012 | 2012 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |||
2013 | 2013 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |||
2014 | 2014 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Ravens) 17–30 | ||
2015 | 2015 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 18–16 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Broncos) 16–23 | ||
2016 | 2016 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Dolphins) 30–12 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Chiefs) 18–16 Lost AFC Championship (at Patriots) 17–36 | ||
2017 | 2017 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Jaguars) 42–45 | ||
2018 | 2018 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | |||
2019 | 2019 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |||
2020 | 2020 | NFL | AFC | North | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Browns) 37–48 | ||
2021 | 2021 | NFL | AFC | North | 2nd | 9 | 7 | 1 | .559 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Chiefs) 21–42 | T. J. Watt (DPOY) | |
2022 | 2022 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | |||
2023 | 2023 | NFL | AFC | North | 3rd | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bills) 17–31 | Cameron Heyward (WP MOY) | |
Totals 6 Super Bowl Championships 8 AFC Conference Championships 24 Division titles | 671 | 578 | 22 | .537 | 1933–2023, regular season only | |||||||
36 | 28 | — | .563 | 1933–2023, playoffs only | ||||||||
707 | 606 | 22 | .538 | 1933–2023, regular season and playoff games |
Notes:
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL, and the oldest franchise in the AFC.
The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game has been played on the second Sunday in February. Prior Super Bowls were played on Sundays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003, and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named after the eponymous coach who won the first two Super Bowls. Because the NFL restricts the use of its "Super Bowl" trademark, it is frequently referred to as the "big game" or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. The day the game is held is commonly referred to as "Super Bowl Sunday" or simply "Super Sunday".
Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national champion.
The Playoff Bowl was a post-season game for third place in the National Football League (NFL), played ten times following the 1960 through 1969 seasons, all at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was originally known as the Runner-Up Bowl.
The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. The game is played on the last Sunday in January by the two remaining playoff teams, following the AFC postseason's first two rounds. The AFC champion then advances to face the winner of the NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl.
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs is the annual single-elimination tournament held to determine the league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 season, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage, with a tie-breaking procedure if required. The top team in each conference receives a first-round bye, automatically advancing to the next round. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league's championship game, competed between teams from each conference.
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. Similar to the AFC, the game is played on the last Sunday in January by the two remaining playoff teams, following the NFC postseason's first two rounds. The NFC champion then advances to face the winner of the AFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl.
The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was created after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. The division consists of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. This is the only division in the NFL in which no member team has hosted a Super Bowl in their stadiums. The division, however, has won eight Super Bowl titles in total.
The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Cowboys–Steelers rivalry is a rivalry in the NFL. The Cowboys currently lead the all-time series 18–16. The two teams met in the Super Bowl three times, the most of any two teams. CBS Sports ranked this rivalry No. 2 of the best NFL rivalries of the 1970s. As the Cowboys are in the NFC and the Steelers are in the AFC, they usually only meet at least once every four years and at least once every eight seasons at each team's home stadium, sometimes more often if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions in the year they do not play one another but met two years prior, play in the preseason, or meet in the Super Bowl.
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, the first having played for three years in the All-America Football Conference and one in the National Football League (NFL). This Baltimore Colts played their home games at Memorial Stadium.
The Patriots–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots and Steelers are the two most storied franchises in the Super Bowl era, the Patriots and Steelers have played each other intermittently since the 1970s, but the two teams did not become full-fledged rivals until the late 1990s, when they became Super Bowl contenders. The rivalry would reach new heights during the 2000s and 2010s when both teams, led by quarterbacks Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger for the Patriots and Steelers respectively, posted winning seasons and several playoff appearances during this time period with both teams making it to the Super Bowl and taking home more than one Vince Lombardi Trophy. The two met each other in three AFC championship games during the 2000s and 2010s in which the Patriots defeated the Steelers each time and eventually made their way to the Super Bowl, winning a title in each appearance. Despite the Patriots' dominant reign over the NFL from 2001 to 2019, the Steelers would still prove themselves to be a consistent playoff contender during that time period with three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories. However, the Steelers would be more successful in the postseason during the 2000s than in the 2010s. In 2020, CBS Sports ranked the Patriots–Steelers rivalry as the 8th best NFL rivalry of the 2000s.
"Pittsburgh Steelers Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved April 8, 2010.