Here’s to wishing the Pittsburgh Steelers a happy 88th birthday. They might be getting a little long in the tooth but still look great for their age.
On this day in 1933, the Steelers officially became an NFL franchise. Founded by purchased by Art Rooney Sr, The Chief, for $2500, no small number during the Great Depression. The team was called the Pittsburgh Pirates from ’33 to ’39, a common tactic football teams used to draw interest off the extremely popular MLB. There were for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves (before they moved to Washington).
The Pittsburgh team formed once the state began to relax its “blue laws” that prohibited sports to be played on Sundays.