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Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll dies at age 82

By Jack Crosby

Dec 22, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Pittsburgh won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 22, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Pittsburgh won 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to a report from TribLive.com, legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll has passed away Friday night at the age of 82.

"Charles Henry Noll, who lifted the Steelers from the depths of the National Football League and coached them to four-time Super Bowl champions by adhering to simple, long-held principles, died Friday in his home in Sewickley.Noll, who had been under a doctor’s care for an undisclosed illness, was 82.His wife, Marianne, found him unresponsive at 9:45 p.m. and called 911. Paramedics pronounced him dead 10 minutes later."

Prior to Noll arriving with the organization, the Steelers were a struggling organization that didn’t look to have much hope. However, by the time his tenure in Pittsburgh was over with the team, 23 years, the team had won four Super Bowl championships and had cemented their legacy as one of the most successful sports organizations of all-time.

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Under Noll’s watch in Pittsburgh, his greatest contribution to NFL history was undoubtedly the Steel Curtain defense, which played as much a part in those Super Bowl wins as anything else.

Before he had arrived in the Steel City, the Steelers had won just 18 total games the previous five seasons. Just a few years later, the championship run began.

By the time his career was over, Noll had compiled a career record with the Steelers of 209-156-1, which was more than good enough to earn him an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility.

Art Rooney Jr., son of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., had nothing but the highest of praise for the former coach.

“Chuck Noll is the best thing to happen to the Rooneys since they got on the boat in Ireland,” said Art Rooney Jr.

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