Their Life's Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now
*Starred Review* As a young reporter in 1981, Pomerantz was assigned to ask key members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially those remaining from the 1970s dynasty, if the glory days (three Super Bowl wins in the 1970s and another in 1980) were over. Those interviews later became the first stage of this book. He begins with a history of the franchise and its colorful founder, Art Rooney, but moves quickly to 1972, when the team began to gel under taciturn coach Chuck Noll. Pomerantz conducted more than 250 first-person interviews to escort readers through the glory years—the camaraderie, the anguish of losing, and the exhilaration of winning and glory. He emphasizes two themes: the personal bonds forged among these men, and their lives after football. Melancholy infuses the second half of the book as an unusual number of players passed away much sooner than expected. Their Life’s Work will be compared to Roger Kahn’s The Boys of Summer (1972), a nostalgic look back at the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers. As good as Boys is, this is better. It’s less sentimental and more harshly objective in its portrayal of the toll sports extracts from its players. A wonderful book. --Wes Lukowsky