Noll Calls It a Career at Pittsburgh

Chuck Noll left pro football Thursday with four Super Bowl rings and a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Those two facts are the measure of the man and the coach who left an indelible mark on the sport in his 23 seasons as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

When he resigned at an emotional news conference, he left a legacy that no other coach has been able to match--four Super Bowl championships.

But his success on the football field obscured the fact that he is a multifaceted man who can fly an airplane, pilot a boat, savor a fine wine and quote Emerson.

It was typical of Noll that when he was asked about the acrimonious departure of such stars as Terry Bradshaw--who didn’t mention Noll when he gave his acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame--and Franco Harris, Noll quoted Emerson.

“Obviously, you’d like everything to be smooth, but termination is not easy,” he said. “It’s not usually smooth. I heard somebody tell me poet Ralph Waldo Emerson probably put it best when he said, ‘Your actions speak so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying,’ and I’d like to keep it that way.”

What Noll apparently was saying was that what those players did for him on the field overshadowed any derogative comments they made after they left.

What they did was dominate pro football in the 1970s, winning four Super Bowls from 1974 to 1979 and gaining recognition as possibly the best team to play the game.

Noll, who will turn 60 Jan. 5, put the team together but was content to stay in the background and let the players bask in the spotlight. He refused to do commercials and never wrote a book, hosted a television show or came up with any witty one-liners.

He also rarely showed his emotions in public, although he became emotional at the news conference.

He acknowledged that as he came to his decision: “I talked to some of the people in the organization and we cried a little bit together.”

Because the Steelers had made the playoffs only once in the last seven years, there was much speculation that if Noll wanted to stay, team President Dan Rooney was going to order him to shake up his coaching staff the way he did in 1988. Firing offensive Joe Walton coordinator was believed to be one of Rooney’s top priorities.

It never got that far. When he met with Rooney Thursday, Noll told him he had decided to step down.

Rooney was so emotional at the news conference that when he started to make his statement, he said: “Ready, because I don’t think I can do this twice.”

Rooney then lauded Noll. “Chuck is a great man and he hasn’t changed from Day 1,” he said. “He brought dignity and integrity to the coaching profession, and that, even more than four Super Bowls, is what it means to be a Steeler. He and my father (the late Arthur J. Rooney) made the Steelers special, and the Steelers will always be special because of them.

“The greatest compliment that I know is that my wife said a long time ago, ‘If anything happens to us, I would like Chuck Noll to raise my kids.’ ”

Rooney said Noll will retain a role with the team. When Noll was asked what it would be, he said: “Well, friends with Dan.”

Noll said he would have no role in finding a replacement. There’s speculation the Steelers are interested in Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Ross if he’s not already locked up by the San Diego Chargers.

Noll started his comments by saying: “It’s much easier coming in than going out. The emotions that build up and the attachments that build up over 23 years are tough to sever.”

When he was asked why he decided to retire now, he said: “Well, 39 years in professional football is a goodly time. If you write for 39 years, maybe you ought to think about it.”

Noll played with the Browns from 1953-59 and became an assistant coach with the then-Los Angeles Chargers under Sid Gillman in 1960. He spent three years with the Baltimore Colts under Don Shula from 1966-68 before being hired by the Steelers.

Noll, who was the type of man who would explain how to build a clock if you asked him the time, poked fun at himself when he was asked if he’d coach again.

“I’m not planning on coaching anymore, although I’ve been accused of coaching all my life when I was playing or doing other things, like on the golf course,” he said. “Nobody wanted to play with me because of it.”

Noll retires as the NFL’s fifth winningest coach with a 209-156-1 record, although he was 51-62 in recent years.

Chuck Noll’s Coaching Record The coaching record of Chuck Noll, who retired Thursday. REGULAR SEASON

Year Team W L T Pct. 1969 Pittsburgh 1 13 0 .071 1970 Pittsburgh 5 9 0 .357 1971 Pittsburgh 6 8 0 .429 1972 *Pittsburgh 11 3 0 .786 1973 Pittsburgh 10 4 0 .714 1974 *Pittsburgh 10 3 1 .750 1975 *Pittsburgh 12 2 0 .857 1976 *Pittsburgh 10 4 0 .714 1977 *Pittsburgh 9 5 0 .643 1978 *Pittsburgh 14 2 0 .875 1979 *Pittsburgh 12 4 0 .750 1980 Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 1981 Pittsburgh 8 8 0 .500 1982 **Pittsburgh 6 3 0 .667 1983 *Pittsburgh 10 6 0 .625 1984 *Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 1985 Pittsburgh 7 9 0 .438 1986 Pittsburgh 6 10 0 .375 1987 **Pittsburgh 8 7 0 .533 1988 Pittsburgh 5 11 0 .313 1989 Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 1990 Pittsburgh 9 7 0 .563 1991 Pittsburgh 7 9 0 .438 Total 23 years 193 148 1 .566

*--won AFC Central Division **--season shortened by strike POSTSEASON

Year Team W L Pct. 1972 Pittsburgh 1 1 .500 1973 Pittsburgh 0 1 .000 1974 ***Pittsburgh 3 0 1.000 1975 ***Pittsburgh 3 0 1.000 1976 Pittsburgh 1 1 .500 1977 Pittsburgh 0 1 .000 1978 ***Pittsburgh 3 0 1.000 1979 ***Pittsburgh 3 0 1.000 1982 Pittsburgh 0 1 .000 1983 Pittsburgh 0 1 .000 1984 Pittsburgh 1 1 .500 1989 Pittsburgh 1 1 .500 Total 16 8 .667

***--won Super Bowl All-Time List The five coaches with the most career victories. Totals include postseason.

Coach W L T Pct. George Halas 325 151 31 .672 Don Shula 306 145 6 .676 Tom Landry 270 178 6 .601 Curly Lambeau 229 134 22 .623 Chuck Noll 209 156 1 .572