Pittsburgh Steelers: 2024 Roster, Players, Schedule, Super Bowl Wins and More

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American team that are based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Amassing over 5.9 million fans, the franchise is a member of the AFC North division in the National Football League. The franchise adopted a City Seal and official standard “based on Sir William Pitt's family coat of arms. This is the source of Pittsburgh's Black & Gold color jerseys.” Established in the early 1920s, this franchise holds a storied history with multiple historic wins and records such as being the only team to win two back-to-back Super Bowls on different occasions. 

A look into the history!

The story of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a fascinating journey of struggle, persistence, and ultimate triumph. Founded by Art Rooney in 1933, the team started as the Pittsburgh Pirates, reflecting the city's baseball roots. But the early years were rough, with constant name changes and poor performances on the field. It wasn't until the 1970s that the Steelers, now named after Pittsburgh's steel industry, found their rhythm under coach Chuck Noll.

Noll's leadership and the emergence of stars like Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, and Franco Harris transformed the Steelers into a dominant force in the league. Under them, the “Steel Curtain” defense became legendary. Not only that! The team's hard-nosed, disciplined style of play led them to win four Super Bowls in just six years (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979), marking a period of dominance. Consequently, this incredible success set a standard of excellence that defined the Steelers as a football powerhouse in the NFL. Additionally, because of his popular name, The Chuck Noll Foundation was opened which focuses on advancing research on brain injuries, particularly in relation to sports. This itself tells why Noll was a great name at that time.

However, soon the team was hit by another issue. The 1980s era brought challenges for the franchise as all their key players retired. But the franchise's strong foundation kept it stable. Then came coach Bill Cowher in the 1990s. Under him, the Steelers regained their competitive edge, returning to the playoffs and making another Super Bowl appearance, winning XL in 2006. After years under the new head coach, Mike Tomlin, in 2008, the Steelers, especially their defense again played a powerful force in the league. 

That defense dominated almost every major statistical category, leading the franchise to win the AFC championship and the Super Bowl XLIII. Additionally, the prowess of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was drafted in 2004, cannot also be neglected. Also known as Big Ben, the former star QB ranks in “one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to register 160 regular season wins as a starter.” Now, the current team is rebuilding with their new QBs – Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. And the entire team is looking to have the same success this year too after the 2009 Super Bowl. 

All in all, through highs and lows, the Steelers have remained one of the NFL's most respected and successful franchises, embodying the spirit of resilience and determination.

Notable milestones and achievements

• The Steelers have won six Super Bowl championships till now. They have also tied for the most in NFL history with the New England Patriots, with victories in Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, XIV, XL, and XLIII.

• Additionally, the Steelers have a storied statistical history, including multiple Hall of Fame players – “32 Pro Football Hall of Famers and 49 members in their Hall of Honor.” 

• Their legacy of strong defensive performances, especially during the "Steel Curtain" era can be seen from their records, as the front four were Hall of Famers. 

• The franchise ranks fourth in total NFL Championships “behind the Packers (13), Bears (9), and Giants (8).” 

• Established in honor of legendary coach Chuck Noll, the foundation focuses on advancing research on brain injuries, particularly in relation to sports.

Major rivalries of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers vs Cleveland Browns: This rivalry is one of the oldest rivalries in the league. Having met 145 times on the gridiron, the Browns have won 63 games while the Steel City has 81 games as an edge. They have tied once. 

Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens: It is considered to be one of the most intense and greatest rivalries of all time. Multiple conflicts between players on the field, and even disagreements among coaches have led to this rivalry since 1996. They have played 60 times, in which the Steelers have 35 games of advantage than Ravens’ 25.

Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals: These teams are also considered biggest rivals of each other and have met 109 times against each other. Steelers are one up with 70 wins while Bengals are just on 39 games advantage. 

All these are major rivals of each other especially because of their AFC North division. 

Major contracts of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024

Who are the starters for the 2024 season?

Led by head coach Mike Tomlin, this year, QB Russell Wilson is expected to be the starter of the team. He will potentially be backed by Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. Apart from Wilson, these players will be starting in their respective positions:

RB Najee Harris

WR George Pickens

WR Van Jefferson

WR Calvin Austin III

TE Pat Freiermuth

FB Jack Colletto

LT Dan Moore Jr.

LG Isaac Seumalo

C Nate Herbig Q

RG James Daniels

RT Broderick Jones 

LDE Larry Ogunjobi

NT Keeanu Benton Q

RDE Cameron Heyward

WLB T.J. Watt

LILB Patrick Queen

RILB Elandon Roberts

SLB Alex Highsmith

LCB Donte Jackson

SS DeShon Elliott

FS Minkah Fitzpatrick

RCB Joey Porter Jr.

NB Beanie Bishop Jr.

PK Chris Boswell

P Cameron Johnston

H Cameron Johnston

PR Calvin Austin III

KR Cordarrelle Patterson

LS Christian Kuntz

Notable coaches and players

• The team has had three long-tenured head coaches since 1969. These notable HCs are: Chuck Noll (23 seasons from 1969 until 1991); Bill Cowher (15 seasons from 1992 until 2006), and Mike Tomlin (18 seasons from 2007 to present). They all have significantly contributed to the team's consistency and success, with every coach having one Super Bowl at least. 

• Notable players include Terry Bradshaw (14 seasons), Franco Harris (12 seasons), Joe Greene (13 seasons), and more recently, Ben Roethlisberger (18 seasons) and Troy Polamalu (12 seasons), many of whom are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. 

The schedule of the Pittsburgh Steelers