1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season

1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerArt Rooney
General managerDick Haley
Head coachChuck Noll
Offensive coordinatorTom Moore
Defensive coordinatorWoody Widenhofer
Home stadiumThree Rivers Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st AFC Central
PlayoffsLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Raiders) 10–38
All-ProsJack Lambert (1st team)
Mike Webster (1st team)
Gary Anderson (2nd team)
Pro BowlersPK Gary Anderson
LB Jack Lambert
C Mike Webster
Team MVPGary Anderson

The 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League. The team won the AFC Central Division with a 10–6 record (the team's best record in the 1980s). In the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Steelers were soundly beaten by the Los Angeles Raiders 38–10.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1983 NFL draft
1983 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 21 Gabriel Rivera  Nose tackle Texas Tech
2 52 Wayne Capers  Wide receiver Kansas
3 79 Todd Seabaugh  Linebacker San Diego State
4 106 Bo Metcalf  Cornerback Baylor
5 133 Paul Skansi  Wide receiver Washington
5 140 Gregg Garrity  Wide receiver Penn State
6 164 Eric Williams  Safety NC State
7 191 Mark Kirchner  Guard Baylor
8 199 Henry Odom  Running back South Carolina State
8 218 Craig Dunaway  Tight end Michigan
9 244 Blake Wingle  Guard UCLA
10 275 Roosevelt Straughter  Defensive back Northeast Louisiana
11 302 Mark Raugh  Tight end West Virginia
12 330 Roger Wiley  Running back Sam Houston
      Made roster  

Undrafted free agents

1983 Undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
Greg Best Safety Kansas State
Pat Bowen Safety Florida State
Harvey Clayton Cornerback Florida State
Conrad Coye Defensive end Northeastern
Darryl Crane Wide receiver Bethune–Cookman
Gary Degruttola Safety Westminster
Dennis Fowlkes Linebacker West Virginia
Rickey Goff Linebacker Tulane
Russ Graham Tackle Oklahoma State
Ananias Harris Quarterback Alabama A&M
Tim Harris Running back Washington State
Jay Hull Guard Wichita State
Russ Joyner Linebacker Boston College
Lonnie Kennell Nose tackle Wichita State
Pete Rostosky Tackle UConn
Chet Winters Running back Oklahoma

Personnel

Staff

1983 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

Front office

  • Chairman of the board – Arthur J. Rooney
  • President – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice president – John R. McGinley
  • Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Controller – Dennis P. Thimons
  • Assistant controller – Dan Ferens
  • Traveling secretary – James A. Boston
  • Public relations director – Ed Kiely
  • Publicity director – Joe Gordon
  • Assistant publicity director – John Evenson
  • Director of ticket sales – Geraldine Glenn
  • Director of player personnel – Dick Haley
  • Assistant director of player personnel – William Nunn, Jr.
  • Pro talent scout – Tom Modrak
  • Talent scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz
  • College talent scout – Joe Krupa

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Chuck Noll
  • Assistant head coach – Woody Widenhofer

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Tom Moore
  • Offensive line – Ron Blackledge
  • Offensive backfield – Dick Hoak
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Woody Widenhofer
  • Defensive backfield – Tony Dungy
  • Defensive line – Jon Kolb


Strength and conditioning

  • Conditioning coach – Jon Kolb
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates
  • Physician, orthopedic – Dr. Paul Steele
  • Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph C. Maroon
  • Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek
  • Ophthalmologist – Dr. Phillip Buzzelli
  • Trainer – Ralph Berlin
  • Assistant trainer – Gary Stragar
  • Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field manager – Rodgers Freyvogel
  • Film director – Bob McCartney
  • Photographers – Harry Homa, Bill Amatucci

[1]

Roster

1983 Pittsburgh Steelers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

  • 80 Wayne Capers
  • 86 Gregg Garrity
  • 27 Greg Hawthorne
  • 86 Paul Skansi
  • 85 Calvin Sweeney

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

  • 65 Tom Beasley DE
  • 67 Gary Dunn NT
  • 92 Keith Gary DE
  • 95 John Goodman DE
  • 64 Edmund Nelson NT
  • 93 Keith Willis DE
 Linebackers (LB)
  • 54 Craig Bingham OLB
  • 56 Robin Cole OLB
  • 53 Bryan Hinkle OLB
  • 58 Jack Lambert ILB
  • 50 David Little ILB
  • 57 Mike Merriweather OLB
  • 51 Loren Toews ILB

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve

  • 20 Ernest French S (PUP)
  • 68 Jay Hull G (IR)
  • 90 Bob Kohrs LB (IR)
  • 97 John Meyer T (PUP)
  • 66 Ted Petersen T (IR)
  • 28 Lou Rash CB (IR)
  • 69 Gabriel Rivera NT (IR)
  • 73 Pete Rostosky T (IR)
  • 59 Todd Seabaugh LB (IR)
  • 82 John Stallworth WR (IR)
  • 21 Eric Williams CB/S (IR)

[2] [3] [4]

Rookies in italics
48 active, 11 reserve

Preseason

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Game Site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record
1 Saturday, July 30 vs. New Orleans Saints Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) 2:00 p.m. ABC W 27–14 1–0
2 Saturday, August 6 vs. New England Patriots Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, Tennessee) 7:30 p.m. WPXI W 27–16 2–0
3 Friday, August 12 New York Giants Three Rivers Stadium 8:00 p.m. ABC L 22–13 2–1
4 Saturday, August 20 at Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium 9:00 p.m. NBC W 24–7 3–1
5 Thursday, August 25 at Philadelphia Eagles Veterans Stadium 7:30 p.m. WPXI W 10–3 4–1

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Game Site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record
1 Sunday, September 4 Denver Broncos Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 14–10 0–1
2 Sunday, September 11 at Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field 1:00 p.m. NBC W 25–21 1–1
3 Sunday, September 18 at Houston Oilers Astrodome 1:00 p.m. NBC W 40–28 2–1
4 Sunday, September 25 New England Patriots Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 28–23 2–2
5 Sunday, October 2 Houston Oilers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 17–10 3–2
6 Monday, October 10 at Cincinnati Bengals Riverfront Stadium 9:00 p.m. ABC W 24–14 4–2
7 Sunday, October 16 Cleveland Browns Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 44–17 5–2
8 Sunday, October 23 at Seattle Seahawks Kingdome 4:00 p.m. NBC W 27–21 6–2
9 Sunday, October 30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS W 17–12 7–2
10 Sunday, November 6 San Diego Chargers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 26–3 8–2
11 Sunday, November 13 at Baltimore Colts Memorial Stadium 2:00 p.m. NBC W 24–13 9–2
12 Sunday, November 20 Minnesota Vikings Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS L 17–14 9–3
13 Thursday, November 24 at Detroit Lions Pontiac Silverdome 12:30 p.m. NBC L 45–3 9–4
14 Sunday, December 4 Cincinnati Bengals Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 23–10 9–5
15 Saturday, December 10 at New York Jets Shea Stadium 12:30 p.m. NBC W 34–7 10–5
16 Sunday, December 18 at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 30–17 10–6

Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 7 0714
Steelers 0 7 3010

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 4, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 80 °F or 26.7 °C (Drizzle)
  • Game attendance: 58,233
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • [5]

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 6 3925
Packers 7 7 0721

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: September 11, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
  • Game attendance: 58,144
  • Referee: Fred Silva
  • TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • [6]

Week 3: at Houston Oilers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 6 6 141440
Oilers 7 0 02128

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Date: September 18, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 44,150
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)
  • [7]

Week 4: vs. New England Patriots

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 7 7728
Steelers 7 6 01023

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 25, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 71 °F or 21.7 °C (Mostly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 55,282
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [8]

Week 5: vs. Houston Oilers

Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 3 7010
Steelers 0 7 01017

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 2, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 73 °F or 22.8 °C (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 56,901
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), Ahmad Rashad (color commentator)
  • [9]

Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 3 01424
Bengals 0 14 0014

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

  • Date: October 10, 1983
  • Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
  • Game attendance: 56,086
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & O. J. Simpson (color commentators)
  • [10]

Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 7 7017
Steelers 20 14 01044

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 16, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 73 °F or 22.8 °C (Mostly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 59,263
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Bob Griese (color commentator)
  • [11]

Week 8: at Seattle Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 17 0327
Seahawks 0 0 71421

at Kingdome, Seattle

  • Date: October 23, 1983
  • Game time: 4:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 61,615
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [12]

Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 6 3 3012
Steelers 0 0 01717

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 30, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 57 °F or 13.9 °C (Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 57,468
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Kelly (play by play), John Dockery (color commentator)
  • [13]

Week 10: vs. San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 3 003
Steelers 17 3 3326

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 6, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 57 °F or 13.9 °C (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 58,191
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • [14]

Week 11: at Baltimore Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Colts
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 10 0724
Colts 3 3 7013

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 13, 1983
  • Game time: 2:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 38 °F (3.3 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Game attendance: 57,319
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon (play by play), Jim Turner (color commentator)
  • [15]

The Colts' first sellout since 1977, and last in Baltimore, came about because thousands of Steelers fans who normally could not purchase tickets at Three Rivers Stadium found them cheap and plentiful in Maryland. Pittsburgh returned to Memorial Stadium with the birth of the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

Week 12: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 0 10017
Steelers 7 0 0714

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 20, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 63 °F or 17.2 °C (Light Rain)
  • Game attendance: 58,417
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Kelly (play by play), John Dockery (color commentator)
  • [16]

Week 13: at Detroit Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 3 003
Lions 17 7 71445

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: November 24, 1983
  • Game time: 12:30 pm EST
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 77,724
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [17]

Pittsburgh's first trip to the Motor City since 1967 was nothing short of disastrous. It was the Steelers' most lopsided loss under Noll, eclipsed only by a 51-0 embarrassment by the Browns at home in the 1989 opener.

Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 14 3 3323
Steelers 0 3 0710

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 4, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 44 °F or 6.7 °C (Fog & Light Drizzle)
  • Game attendance: 55,832
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Bob Griese (color commentator)
  • [18]

Week 15: at New York Jets

Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 13 7734
Jets 0 0 707

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

After having been sidelined with an elbow injury for the first fourteen games of the season, 36-year old Terry Bradshaw started his first game of the season. Despite still clearly being hampered by his elbow, he was able to impress in limited time. It would be the final time Bradshaw would see the field as a player, as he felt a pop in his elbow while throwing his final pass, a 10-yard touchdown to Calvin Sweeney. Bradshaw did not play during the play-offs and retired after the season.[19]

This was also the final NFL game held at Shea Stadium.

Week 16: at Cleveland Browns

Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 7 0717
Browns 9 14 7030

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: December 18, 1983
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 18 °F (−7.8 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn), wind chill 6 °F or −14.4 °C
  • Game attendance: 72,313
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • [20]

Eight days after Bradshaw threw his last pass, Brian Sipe started his last NFL game in what turned out to be a hollow victory for the Browns, who were eliminated from the playoffs three hours later when the Seahawks defeated the Patriots in Seattle.

Standings

AFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Pittsburgh Steelers(3) 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 355 303 L1
Cleveland Browns 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 356 342 W1
Cincinnati Bengals 7 9 0 .438 4–2 4–8 346 302 L1
Houston Oilers 2 14 0 .125 1–5 1–11 288 460 L1

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff: at Los Angeles Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Raiders
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 0 7010
Raiders 7 10 21038

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

  • Date: January 1, 1984
  • Game time: 4:00 pm EST/1:00 pm PST
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C), wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
  • Game attendance: 90,380
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [21]

References

  1. ^ 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  2. ^ 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  3. ^ 1984 Pittsburgh Steelers Media Guide.
  4. ^ "1983 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Pro Football Reference Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 4th, 1983
  6. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers – September 11th, 1983
  7. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers – September 18th, 1983
  8. ^ Pro Football Reference New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 25th, 1983
  9. ^ Pro Football Reference Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 2nd, 1983
  10. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – October 10th, 1983
  11. ^ Pro Football Reference Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 16th, 1983
  12. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks – October 23rd, 1983
  13. ^ Pro Football Reference Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 30th, 1983
  14. ^ Pro Football Reference San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 6th, 1983
  15. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Colts – November 13th, 1983
  16. ^ Pro Football Reference Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 20th, 1983
  17. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions - November 24th, 1983
  18. ^ Pro Football Reference Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 4th, 1983
  19. ^ "It all falls apart in LA". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  20. ^ Pro Football Reference Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – December 18th, 1983
  21. ^ Pro Football Reference Divisional Round - Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Raiders - January 1st, 1984
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