Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to delight in bringing their fans to a frenzy of frustration, when they consistently miss their chance for a playoff spot. But the fans remain loyal to the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty because of the flashes of brilliance that the team has shown over the decades.

The Pittsburgh team was originally called the Pirates, along with the city's major league baseball team, when it was created in 1933. The owner was Arthur Joseph Rooney, who later changed the name to Pittsburgh Steelers" to align more closely to the town's steel-making origins. Rooney was the first team owner to hire a "big money" football player, Byron "Whizzer" White (who later became a Supreme Court Justice) for the amazing salary of $15,800.

Over the following decades, the team was consistently in the middle of the pack, until its glory years of the 1970s. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl in 1975, 1976 and 1979. The winning record was helped by an amazing roster of Hall of Famers: Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Jack Ham and Franco Harris.

Pittsburgh Steelers fan will always remember the "Immaculate Reception" play that was seen as the turning point for the team in December 1972. With 1:13 left on the clock, the Steelers snatched victory away from the Oakland Raiders, when Franco Harris dashed up the field to score a touchdown that gave the Steelers a 13-7 win.

Since then, the Pittsburgh Steelers has been in the middle of the pack, and won two more Super Bowls crowns in 1980 and 1996. Rooney's son, Dan, is the team owner now.