Charles Henry Noll (January 5, 1932 – June 13, 2014) was an American professional
football player and head coach.
Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, his sole head coaching position was for the
Pittsburgh Steelers of the
National Football League (NFL) from
1969 to
1991. When Noll retired after 23 years, only three other head coaches in NFL history had longer tenures with one team.
[1]
As a head coach, Noll won four Super Bowls, four AFC titles and nine Central Division championships, compiled a 209–156–1 (.572) overall record, a 16–8 playoff record and had winning records in 15 of his final 20 seasons.
[2] His four
Super Bowl victories
rank second behind
Bill Belichick for the most of any head coach in NFL history. His four Super Bowl wins are the most ever by a coach without a Super Bowl loss.
Between his playing and coaching tenures, Noll won a total of seven NFL Championships as well as one AFL Championship and was elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993,
his first year of eligibility.
Noll built the team through astute drafting and meticulous tutoring. During his career,
he was notable for the opportunities he gave African Americans, starting the first black quarterback in
franchise history and hiring one of the first black assistant coaches in league history. He was often credited with maintaining the morale of the Western Pennsylvania region despite its steep economic decline by creating a team of champions in the image of its blue-collar fan base.
ning of opportunity for African Americans in the NFL (both players from traditionally black colleges and later as coaches). On a local youth football team Noll played with Harold Owens, the nephew of Olympic star
Jesse Owens.
[5]
On August 2, 2007, the field at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania was dedicated and renamed Chuck Noll Field in honor of the former coach.
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