10 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time

Pittsburgh head coach Chuck Noll with wide receiver coach Lionel Taylor, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene and defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, during the closing seconds of the Steelers 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sylvia Allen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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Hall of Fame defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene (75) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the Steelers 35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images) /

1. Joe Greene, DT

In 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Chuck Noll to be their newest head coach. That year in the draft, the team owned the fourth overall selection and opted for a solid prospect from North Texas State. Defensive tackle Joe Greene wasted little time making an impact on a franchise that was starving for success. He would become the cornerstone of one of the greatest defensive units in NFL annals and a franchise that would capture a total of four Super Bowl titles in a six-year span.

Greene was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in both 1972 and 1974. That first season, Noll’s Steelers finished 11-3 and would make just the second playoff appearance in the team’s history. Two years later, those club would be Super Bowl IX champions. That ’74 defensive front, featuring Greene, Ernie Holmes and ends L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White, was stifling in postseason victories over the Bills, Raiders and Vikings.

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The 13-year superstar was named to 10 Pro Bowls and earned four All-Pro nods. But more importantly, he was the initial building block of what would be one of the more dominant teams in the history of the NFL.

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