49. . Played the game with a gambler's mentality. Once had a season of 24 interceptions and six touchdowns. No, I'm not talking about Brett Favre, I'm talking about one Terry Paxton Bradshaw.

48. . Alvoid Mays, Bam Morris, Boo Bell, Bubby Brister, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Kimo von Oelhoffen, Louis Lipps, Shayne Edge, Tunch Ilkin and Weegie Thompson. The Steelers have never let me down in this category.

47. . The St. Louis Rams traded Jerome Bettis and their third round selection (Steven Conley) in 1996 to the Pittsburgh Steelers for their 2nd round selection (Ernie Conwell) in 1996 and 4th round selection (later traded to the Miami Dolphins) in 1997. The Rams were right, Bettis was a bad seed. Good thing they drafted Lawrence Phillips that year.

46. . An American war hero who was injured in Vietnam after being drafted by the Steelers. Sort of like Santonio Holmes, only the total opposite.

45. . He attended Tiffin University, which is NCAA Division VIII for those of you wondering, and he is quickly ascending up the Steelers' depth chart at WR. In the mold of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, he is proving that you don't have to play at USC or Miami to be an NFL receiver. He's every bit an NFL player as they are, as Bill Cowher will point out. But why does Cowher insist on calling him "the player"?

44. . He was named to five Pro Bowls and three All Pro teams in 10 seasons with the Black and Gold. But in my mind, he'll forever be remembered for the t-shirt he would frequently wear, that read, "Real Men are Black."

43. . Mean Joe Greene. L.C. Greenwood. Dwight White. And who could forget Ernie Holmes? How does this guy not get more love? He was arrested for shooting at a police helicopter, he appeared in Wrestlemania 2's Battle Royale, and he's absolutely ginormous.

42. . A $7 concoction of beef, sausage, scrambled eggs and American cheese named in honor of our hero. It's about time these Pittsburghers put some meat on their bones.

41. . I love how Steeler fans have totally erased this from memory, as if it never happened. Wasn't that the basis for that movie, " Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"?

40. . The former Georgia Bulldog quarterback and 1998 draft pick earned his first Super Bowl ring in 2006. Well, there's at least one former SEC quarterback picked in 1998 who's gotten the Super Bowl monkey off his back.

39. . No one has ever taken advantage of his popularity as a Steeler more than Jerome. We were treated to years of Bettis Salsa, Bettis Cereal, Bettis Mustard, even Bettis Helmet Cakes. Now we get a weekly dose of Bettis with a side of Cris Collinsworth and Peter King. Makes me long for the salsa days.

38. . The hair. The religion. The song . The bulldozing of former USC roommate Carson Palmer en route to the end zone. Everyone loves Polamalu. Even NFL refs, who give the Steelers all the calls (right Seattle?). Like Troy's interception of Peyton Manning in the AFC Playoffs. What, that was overturned? He didn't have control?

37. . Was it a catch? Wasn't it a catch? Between this and the Tuck Rule, I think there's some sort of unwritten NFL by-law that requires an incredibly controversial play in order to truly be considered a dynasty.

36. . No professional team can boast fans that travel quite like the Steelers. They could play in Iraq and there would be 20,000 towel-waving lunatics drinking Iron City with tailgates set up on camels.

35. . Creator of the Terrible Towel and Steeler broadcaster for 35 years. His catchphrases were adored by Steeler fans who turned down the TV set so they could listen to the radio broadcast. Anyone who's ever heard Joe Theismann on TV would agree that this is a brilliant idea.

34. . With the exception of a few games, the Steelers have started three centers since the mid-70s: Mike Webster (1974-88), Dermontti Dawson (1988-2000) and Jeff Hartings (2001-present). For perspective, I think Cleveland has gone through as many this year, and we're not yet out of the preseason.

33. . He burst onto the scene in 1995, changing the way people look at quarterbacks. He was the forerunner to today's Michael Vicks and Vince Youngs, who, much like Kordell, will end their careers without Super Bowl rings. Note to Messrs. Vick and Young: a losing season will make you publicly defend your sexuality . I love Pittsburgh.

32. . The Steelers sat in week 12 with a 7-5 record, needing four wins and help to make the playoffs. Not only did they win all four games, they rattled off road wins at Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver, and then toppled Seattle in Super Bowl XL. Of course, none of these wins are recognized from the losing teams, who prefer to credit poor officiating, unfortunate injuries and them "beating themselves."

31. . A lot of Steeler fans hate O'Donnell and blame the Super Bowl XXX loss solely on him. I fail to believe that a guy who was so efficient in limiting turnovers would purposely tank, as conspirators contend. He never had more than 9 INTs in seven seasons as a starter. Steeler fans should have taken the high road and wished him luck with Rich Kotite and the Jets.

30. . The Steelers continue the tradition of holding training camp at a college run by Benedictine Monks that is surrounded by cornfields. Yet one player still managed to get arrested during camp this year.

29. . A milestone day for Deadspin, and a budding controversy brushed under the rug by Pittsburgh media . Could he be destined for the Deadspin HOF?

28. . Joke if you must, but it was the home to four NFL championship seasons and two MLB championship seasons, probably the last of those in our lifetimes. Also home to the 1985 "Drug Trial" Pirates squad that went 57-104.

27. . This makes the list strictly for the nerve it took. I was only six years old at the time, so I can't say I remember the draft, unless it was accidentally featured on Spiderman and His Amazing Friends. Looking back at the stats, I see Bradshaw played in one game (his last), and the rest of the duties were given to Cliff Stoudt and Mark Malone. Ironically, the Dolphins would beat the Steelers in the '84 AFC Championship. I wonder if Marino took much satisfaction in that win?

26. . The No. 1 team-related accessory in pro sports for over 30 years. A symbol of the city. And the shoe-shiner of choice for T.J . Houshmandzadeh.

25. . In the days before the Miller Light Catfight and the GoDaddy girl, Super Bowl commericals used to be clean and reach America's soft spot of the heart. Unfortunately, if this were 2006, Joe's agent would auction his jersey for big bucks.

24. . For the market segment who wishes to emulate the job of glamour guys like Bill Parcells and Andy Reid, I give you NFL Head Coach for the Playstation 2.

23. . Played in the Super Bowl the same year he tore his ACL, named to the NFL All Time Team and a sure-fire HOFer. Yet all that could not sooth a jilted Steeler fan's heart when he moved on to San Francisco. The inevitable demise of Woodson's All Star Grille would follow soon thereafter.

22. . Yes, you read that right. The defensive back's brother had 4 1/2 years tacked on to his sentence as punishment. But at least he got to party with Snoop Dogg.

21. . Well, sorta. Ed O'Neill was cut in training camp in 1969. Just imagine how many Super Bowls the Steelers would have won with the Polk High star in the backfield.

19. . Heinz Field was opened in 2001, mostly just to distance the Steelers from the Pirates. It's a beautiful field that drives kickers absolutely crazy. And the Steelers seem to do well there with the exception of games called "The AFC Championship."

18. . What a great tool to benefit both sides. Pitt gets to show recruits how they can rub shoulders with the Super Bowl Champs. And the Steelers get daily doses of wisdom from Dave Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh.

17. . Byron "Whizzer" White played for the Steelers in 1938 before leaving for Oxford in 1939. He would later be appointed by JFK to the Supreme Court in 1962. Fortunately for fans, I don't see this scenario playing out with any members of the 2006 squad.

16. A loaded Bradshaw alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett equals comedy gold. Each of his scenes is a classic. You know this movie will eventually be re-made, with the above roles being filled by Brett Favre, Chris Rock, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Artie Lange and Jessica Alba.

15. . We see the spelling, yet he insists his name is pronounced "Coakley." He either doesn't understand the concept of phonetics, or this is all a cruel practical joke aimed at broadcasters. Not Al Michaels on Madden Football, though. He's not falling for it. See for yourself.

14. . His catches were so spectacular and so important, he made the Hall of Fame despite making just three Pro Bowls and never having a 1,000-yard season. If you think that's incredible, wait until you see all those Yinzers going to the voting booths when #88 is up for election as Governor of Pennsylvania.

13. . No, it's not a group of Italian Nationalists, just some overzealous, well-lubricated fans of the Bearded One. Very few members are known to have relocated to Seattle for the end of his career.

12. . An anthem for an entire generation of Steeler fans. As a young Steeler fan, I've had to endure this song for the last 27 years, with all the stories of how great the Super Steelers were. Now, our generation has our own title and our own anthems. Someday I'll be playing "Puhlamalu" to my kids and telling them stories of how Jerome Bettis almost fumbled away the season. I don't think it will have quite the same effect.

11. . No woman has ever been so influential in Steeler history. Her desire to live in North Carolina could either tear apart the Cowher family or put the kibosh on another potential dynasty before it has a chance to breathe. From her point of view, she's probably tired of a city that considers cole slaw on a sandwich a delicacy. She's given us Mr. Bill for 14 years, so maybe it won't be so bad if he moves on. On the bright side, we've got Kenny Wiz and Russ Grimm waiting in the wings. On the not-so-bright side, you know Cowher can't stay away forever, and the possibility of him coaching another team will rear its ugly head. We can only hope this plays out in a season-long Clemens/Favre-esque daily drama via the media.

10. Go to a Steeler game and you'll hear this within five seconds of opening your car door in the parking lot. You might as well get used to it, because it will go on as long as you'll be there. And for years and years after. It's like Chinese Water Torture for visiting fans brave enough to enter Heinz Field.

9. . I'm sure you've all seen the video clip or the photo, but this was an early Christmas gift when it arrived to Steeler fans on December 24, 2005. If ever one moment could symbolize the Hammer-Nail relationship that the Steelers enjoy with the Browns, this was that moment.

8. . Yep, the Steelers average an AFC North title every other year. Read it and weep, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland fans. Cleveland, you're still in the NFL, right? Didn't they give you another team, or did I imagine that?

7. . The year was 2004, we just drafted a quarterback from Miami of Ohio, and he was third string behind an XFL MVP/Insurance Salesman and a Lions castoff. One by one, the QBs fell, and history was made. Was it fate? What if Batch never got hurt? What if the Ravens played nice with Maddox that day?

6. . Further cementing their bond with the city, the Steelers chose U.S. Steel's "Steelmark" design as their new logo in 1962. They are the only team to feature their logo on one side of their helmets. Legend has it that this was a result of equipment manager Jackie Hart being too lazy to put decals on both sides of the helmet. And coincidentally, they play in a division with a team too lazy to put a logo on either side of their helmet.

5. . An up and coming defensive back who has already (reportedly) asked for a $10 million signing bonus. Here's what you may not know about Ike : His Trainer/Marv Marinovich Wannabe "Uncle Francois" sat in a truck tire and made a pre-teen Taylor drag him around to the point of exhaustion, keeping him up as late as 2 AM. He would also have Ike chase a rabbit to increase his speed. When colleges came knocking, Ike turned down offers from Yale and Harvard, finally settling on Louisiana-Lafayette.

4. . Also known as the NFL's Longest Yard Division, we can boast loads of talented players, like William Green, Chris Henry, Ray Lewis, A.J. Nicholson, Santonio Holmes, Ahmad Brooks, Corey Fuller, Frostee Rucker, Jamal Lewis, Odell Thurman, Barrett Brooks, Matthias Askew, Ruben Droughns, Eric Steinbach and Evel Knievel Jr.

3. . Meanest SOB on the Super Steelers, but looked like he belonged on the Broad Street Bullies. Has a reverence level around that of the Pope in the Pittsburgh area.

2. . He's 24 years old, he's proven he is invincible, he's lost a grand total of five games, and has a Super Bowl ring. Yep, Carson Palmer's definitely better.

1. . They are the first family of the NFL. Patriarch Art Rooney bought the team with money won from betting on horses . 76-year-old Dan Rooney still walks to work each day . Art Rooney II allegedly discovered Willie Parker at a North Carolina high school football game years ago. The only mistake they ever made? Originally naming the team after the Pirates after paying the NFL franchise fee in 1933. Not coincidentally, the Steelers failed to win a championship until 1974.

I'd like to thank Will for leaving us a whole comment space to play in on his off day and then for giving us this list, which not only helps explain my buddies who are Steeler fans, but makes me weep a little about my own Lion fandom...

...look around at our city. We have a baseball team that hasn't had a winning season since 1992. We have a hockey team that threatens to leave town so often, you can set your watch to it. We have a college football rivalry that's been on hold since 2000. We have a city government that is $839 million in debt.

Thank You Don, for that walk down memory lane, 'burgh style. You know- burgh style, where the streets wrap around the hills and intersect with themselves.

Some Deadspinners are visiting a Pirates game this month, in honor of all things Pittsburgh. I imagine this will involve getting very drunk, and the spouses end up arm wrestling on who is paying the tab.

SO who's running this place today? Are we going to get regular updates? More importantly, are we going to talk about the end of civilization as we know it, when someone willingly chooses to hear Colin Cowherd talk?

This was actually a great post, and perfictly fitting as the lone post on Labor Day. That being said, I must take some umbrage with you saying that the Rooney's were the patriarch and first family of the NFL. Im sorry buddy, that role belongs to known other than the Mara family. Other than that just one hiccup, this was pretty much as good as it gets.

Sportzilla, leave them alone. Pittsburghers know they live in a dirty, muddy hole. Football is all they look to in order to escape the dreary lives they've chosen.

In honor of this post, today I am going make perogies (a food which seems to horrify many of my LA friends), proudly wear a "Here We Go" black and gold button, and celebrate that I just got my Steelers-San Diego tickets.

I like people that act like it's still 1960 and Pittsburgh's still an industrial hellhole because they're pissed that the Steelers won the Super Bowl.

Not that I give a flying crap about the Steelers, but if you want real damn manliness, Mean Joe Greene was what it was all about. Apparently, he spent most of the shoot for that Coke ad projectile vomiting, yet went on happily chugging bottle after bottle.

Mea culpa on the "pierogies" misspelling. Side note, I loved calling them 'Rogies as a kid and was very pleased when the mini ones that Mrs. T's makes were named such.

And yes, I am jealous of all that great history you just listed, it is impressive, noble and if you didn't have any of it, and you lost a shady ass officiated game like that, perhaps you would feel those calls fell that way due to the storied history.

I don't think people act like it's 1960 in Pittsburgh still. I mean since all the steel plants shut down, you can see across town now during the day.

And you say us Hawks fans need to get over it already? Pot, meet kettle. T-Dawg's second-to-last paragraph said it better than I could have, anyway.

Look, you won, cool, whatever - enjoy 10-6 this year and make sure you're comfortable on the couch watching two teams that aren't the Steelers in the Super Bowl this coming February. I don't know about other Seahawks fans, but my pity party ended sometime after the Pro Bowl - I've moved on to hoping we kick so much ass this season that not even Earl Hebner could screw us out of a Super Bowl title.

Reason number 38, Troy Polamalu, is the only reason I will accept for someone being a Steelers fan. I grew up watching this guy play sports. Class act.

This guy with a very RedSoxian name, has a very weird resemblence to our own Will Leitch. Are the ESPN holiday folks messing with my brain again? Or is Will part of an alien clone cabal, whose sole purpose is to alter the way athletic events are staged?

so this is one of the few days i can get on deadspin during the day because i don't have internet access at work, but i'm off today. and then i see there's no new real posts.

-This article was written & submitted last week, and since then, Pittsburgh lost their Mayor to cancer (and replaced with a 26-year-old, no less) and they lost their starting QB for week one. Definitely would have included these points in the original article.

-Cromartie: Cunningham redefined the QB position, no doubt. But Kordell expanded even beyond that, with the Slash role of lining up at WR and RB.

i think that we (steelers fans) feel bad about the seattle game because it wasn't how we wanted to win the super bowl either...so, let's all just put it behind us. can't we both just hate the pats and call it good?

I have a feeling we could turn this into a really good ethnic food/local delicasy thread if we wanted to. Kinda like burrito thread where everyone claimed a chain/region. I'll see your pierogi's and raise you my lefse (tynnlefse if you want to get technical).

"i think that we (steelers fans) feel bad about the seattle game because it wasn't how we wanted to win the super bowl either...so, let's all just put it behind us. can't we both just hate the pats and call it good?"

regardless, thank you for that... i'd say 8-1 we hear something along the "all teams have to deal with the officials/that's football" vein... it is nice to see that some steeler fans aren't total idiots.

And yes, I will hate the Pats with vigor this year as in all years, and look forward to them having a crappy season (2nd in East, out 1st Round of playoffs) so I can hear Bill Simmons whine like he states we 'hawk fans do...

Ahhh...Aint nothing like a good steak, chorizo, beer, and an under cooked furburger. Bring on the Canes-Seminoles & Yanks- and the munchkingate Royals.

Incidentally, I was home sick from work the day Ben crashed his bike. My coworkers were surprised when I showed up the next day. They had assumed I was in the 'Burgh for a vigil.

Hey, Seattle fans, zip it. He took two potshots at you guys for what was a legitimate whine fest for a few weeks after the Super Bowl. He also reminded Cleveland fans why NFL season is the leading cause of suicide. So...I mean, at least your team will be good this year. That is all.

The best thing to come out of the Super Bowl this year is Pittsburgh's newfound rivalry with...Seattle? Without Sports, There Would Be No Inexplicable Hatred Between Cities About As Polar-Opposite As Can Be.

If we don't think the Seahawks got royally screwed and that they should be Super Bowl champs right now, we're total idiots? A guy who roots for a team that had no fans two years ago questioning the football IQ of people from one of the best football cities in the country is ridiculous.

I just saw Charles Barkley do some "modeling" on Oprah. He was wearing a powder blue velour track suit. Scary. Musta been 50 square yards of fabric to cover his rotundness. And, yes, I just said I was watching Oprah but only because Michael Jordan was on it.

Fuck going easy on O'Donnell. I went to the same college he went to (Maryland) and I'd never go into the bar near campus that had his jersey on the wall. And that's not only because Bentley's is shit.

I think the more I watch college gameday anytime, the more brain cells I lose. Every time I listen to Corso and see him put on one mascots head, a little piece of my brain dies....

HD is unkind to those miami cheerleaders. I guess the coke supply into South Florida got cut off? Because they were looking like they had actually eaten in recent days...

I have to coexist with Seahawks fans. It is an unfortunate side effect of living in Seattle. You know how I get past the whine-fest? By wearing something black and gold every single day, just to remind them of their pain.

Seriously though, are we going to just forget about maybe the worst officiated Super Bowl in recent memory? I mean, I'm a Giant fan, I'm from Brooklyn, so it's not like I have a vested interest in teams from Seattle or anything.

But you guys did see Jackson in the endzone, right? That wasn't a penalty. Players should decide games, not refs. And you're all kidding yourselves if you don't think that if the shoe was on the other foot, and Hines Ward was called for a phantom interference call in the endzone, and the Steelers shit the bed afterwards, that we STILL wouldn't be hearing about it.

But sports has a way about it with karma: Big Ben's out, The Bus is [finally?] done, Hines' leg is throbbing, Willie Parker is, well, Willie Parker so we don't really know, and Randel-El jumped ship. So who cares?

Muggsy - Jackson pushed off (you see the CB take a half-step back as a result of the shove), and right in front of the referee. That call had to be made. There's nothing else to say about it.

Big Blue, meanwhile, will be lucky to make the playoffs. Between Plaxico taking every other play off, and Barber suddenly aging like Mel Gibson in Forever Young, and Manning being Manning (i.e. choking in big games), it will not be a good year for you guys.

Anyone catch that old Civil War hat the sideline reporter is wearing at the FSU-Miami game? Do they have people dress them or is it personal choice? I want to assign some blame here.

Isn't Cowherd supposed to be on ESPNRadio during this whole game? I'm generally a Cowherd hater, but he does know his college football. Can I not find him just because I'm listening to ESPNRadio on XM?

Okok, upon further review, I just saw Holly Rowe in glorious High Definition and yeesh. Maybe I spoke to soon. Earlier, I saw her in standard definition, and she didn't look all that bad. But now? I don't know. She's looking a little rough.............

and let's just say Hines Ward--who is notorious for being a "strong" WR who pushes off frequently, gets called for it in the SB, and you find out later that the official that made the call resides in Seattle, wouldn't you be a TAD freakin' upset?!?

No, you should be considered a total idiot for taking my comment out of context, then on top of that, expanding the misinterpretation to that of me saying we "should be SB champs right now."

And if I was a steeler fan, I would feel bad about how it happened. I would wish that my team could have kicked their ass, not barely beaten them when every call seemed to fall against them.

Keith said, "i think that we (steelers fans) feel bad about the seattle game because it wasn't how we wanted to win the super bowl either...so, let's all just put it behind us. can't we both just hate the pats and call it good?"

And yet, you-- apparently a steeler fan, take the road that i commented on and fully believe-- that if you don't think it was a SB marred by poor officiating that makes even the winner apologetic or empathetic, if you don't believe that--- you are seeing the world through black framed, yellow tinted glasses.

Again, Hoagie, my comment that you apparently took offense to-- "i'd say 8-1 we hear something along the "all teams have to deal with the officials/that's football" vein... it is nice to see that some steeler fans aren't total idiots."

But thank you Hoagie, for this gem-- "A guy who roots for a team that had no fans two years ago questioning the football IQ of people from one of the best football cities in the country is ridiculous."

Oh, so mass populace is the key to intelligent fandom? Beautiful. So... can you comment on coffee? On computers? On microbeers? On timberlands? On skiing? On wheat farming? Mountain climbing? Water skiing? Salmon runs?

I'm curious... or are people only allowed to speak of things in which everyone in their region are locally accumstomed to experiencing-- regardless of individual experience or education?

Well, now I am a tad more serious... I don't think you are an idiot, Hoagie... just ignorant. Idiots are always idiotic. Ignorance can be educated upon... try listening with open ears.

When it comes to the SB, y'all were born on 3rd base, but think you hit a triple. Bad mix, facing a career minor leaguer that finally put it together for a career year, hit all season long (and got no props for it).

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