As a young Steelers fan growing up in the 1980s, I had a hard time envisioning the franchise being led by any other head coach but Chuck Noll, the legendary figure dubbed The Emperor.
“What will it be like when/if Noll ever leaves?” I thought with the kind of naivete that would only suggest I wasn’t quite ready to deal with real-world issues.
Turned out, it wasn’t so bad.
Bill Cowher succeeded Noll as head coach in 1992, and thanks mainly to the cupboard being far from bare, the Crafton native used “Noll’s players” to reignite the franchise and the passion of its fans.