# 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season

The 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 43rd in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers were defending champions for the first time in their forty-year history and repeated as league champions. The team was led by a dominating defense and a quick offense, and won Super Bowl X over the Dallas Cowboys, 21–17. The 1975 Steelers had one of the greatest defensive teams of all time. The team posted their best defensive numbers since 1946, and scored more points than any other Steelers team, later surpassed by two points in 2010.
In 2007, the 1975 Steelers were ranked as the seventh greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, with team commentary from Lynn Swann, Dwight White, and Mike Wagner, and narrated by Bruce Willis. More than a decade later, the team ranked #10 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. The 1975 Steelers' +211 point differential stands as the best in franchise history. They won by at least 21 points six times, with their season superlative 37–0 shutout at San Diego in the opener on September 21.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1975 Pittsburgh Steelers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 26 | Dave Brown * | CB | Michigan | played one season for Steelers; selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the expansion draft |
| 2 | 51 | Bob Barber | DE | Grambling | traded to Green Bay Packers, played 1976–1979 |
| 3 | 78 | Walter White | TE | Maryland | traded to Kansas City Chiefs, played 1975–1979 |
| 4 | 104 | Harold Evans | LB | Houston | |
| 5 | 130 | Brent Sexton | DB | Elon | |
| 6 | 156 | Marvin Crenshaw | T | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 180 | Wayne Mattingly | T | Colorado | |
| 8 | 208 | Al Humphrey | DE | Tulsa | |
| 9 | 234 | Bruce Reimer | RB | North Dakota State | |
| 10 | 260 | Archie Grey | WR | Wyoming | |
| 11 | 286 | Randy Little | TE | West Liberty | |
| 12 | 312 | Greg Murphy | DE | Penn State | |
| 13 | 337 | Bob Gaddis | WR | Mississippi Valley State | played mostly in CFL |
| 14 | 364 | Mike Collier | RB | Morgan State | played one season for Steelers |
| 15 | 390 | Marty Smith | DT | Louisville | |
| 16 | 415 | Miller Bassler | TE | Houston | |
| 17 | 442 | Stan Hegener | G | Nebraska | |

## Preseason

During the preseason, the Steelers acquired undrafted free-agent, John Banaszak. The defensive tackle from Eastern Michigan played in three games and later became the 1975 Team ROY (Rookie of the Year).

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue |
| 1 | August 1 | College All-Stars | W 21–14 | Soldier Field |
| 2 | August 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–17 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 3 | August 17 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–24 | Memorial Stadium |
| 4 | August 22 | at Baltimore Colts | W 31–10 | Memorial Stadium |
| 5 | August 30 | New York Giants | L 7–24 | Palmer Stadium |
| 6 | September 6 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–13 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 7 | September 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 16–17 | Texas Stadium |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue |
| 1 | September 21 | at San Diego Chargers | W 37–0 | San Diego Stadium |
| 2 | September 28 | Buffalo Bills | L 21–30 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 3 | October 5 | at Cleveland Browns | W 42–6 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| 4 | October 12 | Denver Broncos | W 20–9 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 5 | October 19 | Chicago Bears | W 34–3 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 6 | October 26 | at Green Bay Packers | W 16–13 | County Stadium |
| 7 | November 2 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–24 | Riverfront Stadium |
| 8 | November 9 | Houston Oilers | W 24–17 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 9 | November 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–3 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 10 | November 24 | at Houston Oilers | W 32–9 | Houston Astrodome |
| 11 | November 30 | at New York Jets | W 20–7 | Shea Stadium |
| 12 | December 7 | Cleveland Browns | W 31–17 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 13 | December 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 35–14 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| 14 | December 20 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 3–10 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |

### Game summaries
#### Week 1

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 10 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 37 |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In the Week 1 game, the Steelers opened the season as defending champions, and crushed the Chargers, 37-0, in San Diego. (1-0)

#### Week 2

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bills | 0 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
In Week 2, the Steelers, coming off a crushing defeat of the Chargers in Week 1, came to play revenge eager Buffalo in Pittsburgh. The Bills had been beaten the previous year by the Steelers in the playoffs, 32-14. Chuck Noll had warned the team the previous week that the team did not play very well, however, the players ignored him and were beaten by future Hall of Fame RB O.J. Simpson, 30-21. He rushed for 227 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. (1-1)

#### Week 3

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 7 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
In this Week 3 matchup, the Steelers would be hosted by the Cleveland Browns. These two teams had already been established as one of the league's best rivalries by this time, and Joe Greene's infamous kicking of the Browns lineman Bob McKay only fueled the rivalry. The fight that broke out afterwards caught it on fire. Greene was later fined $500 while the Steelers beat the Browns, 42-6. (2-1) This was the first of eleven consecutive victories for the Steelers.

#### Week 4

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| • Steelers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
In Week 4, the Steelers beat the Denver Broncos in Three Rivers, 20-9. (3-1)

#### Week 5

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Steelers | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
In Week 5, the Steelers crushed Chicago, 34-3. Three weeks after the Steelers were beaten by Buffalo, the team was 4-1, and had allowed only 18 points during the last three weeks while scoring 96. (4-1)

#### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Packers | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
In Week 5, the Packers would host the Steelers in Milwaukee, however, the tense battle ended in Pittsburgh's favor, 16-13. (5-1)

#### Week 7

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 0 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| Bengals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
In Week 7, the Steelers played the Bengals in Riverfront Stadium and won the game, 30–24. (6–1)

#### Week 8

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| • Steelers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
In this heated Week 8 battle, the Steelers would play host to the Houston Oilers. Pittsburgh sealed the win with a 4th quarter touchdown pass from #12 Terry Bradshaw to #82 John Stallworth that placed them at the top of the division. (7-1)

#### Week 9

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Steelers | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
In Week 9, the Steelers beat the Chiefs, 28-3. (8-1)

#### Week 10

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 2 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 32 |
| Oilers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
In Week 10, the Steelers defeated the Oilers again, this time in Houston 32-9, and secured a playoff spot. (9-1)

#### Week 11

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Steelers | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
In Week 11, the Steelers beat the Jets 20-7. (10-1)

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| • Steelers | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
In another defeat of Cleveland in Week 13, 31-17, the Steelers continued their winning streak to 10. (11-1)

#### Week 13

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Steelers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
In Week 13, the Steelers finished the sweep of the division by beating the Bengals again, 35-14. (12-1)

#### Week 14

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Rams | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
In the meaningless Week 14 game, the Steelers were beaten by Los Angeles, 10-3. (12-2)

### Standings

AFC Central :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Pittsburgh Steelers$^{(1)}$ | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–0 | 10–1 | 373 | 162 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals$^{(4)}$ | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 340 | 246 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 293 | 226 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–5 | 2–8 | 218 | 372 | L1 |

## Stats

Quarter-by-quarter
Quarter-by-quarter :
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
| Steelers | 63 | 118 | 81 | 111 | 0 | 373 |
| Opponents | 9 | 62 | 23 | 68 | 0 | 162 |

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue |
| Divisional | December 27 | Baltimore Colts | W 28–10 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| AFC Championship | January 4 | Oakland Raiders | W 16–10 | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Super Bowl X | January 18 | Dallas Cowboys | W 21–17 | Miami Orange Bowl |

### Game summaries
#### Divisional

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Steelers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
* Franco Harris gained 152 yds rushing, one yard less than the Baltimore Colts offense. Andy Russell set a record for longest playoff fumble return.

#### AFC Championship

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| • Steelers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
Pittsburgh won the game, despite giving up eight turnovers.

#### Super Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
* Lynn Swann earned the MVP award catching 4 receptions for 161 yards.
* The Pittsburgh Steelers won their 2nd of their 6 Super Bowl championships.

## Awards, honors, and records

* Mel Blount, National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award
* Lynn Swann, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player