Steel City Blitz
The Pittsburgh Steelers quite rightly decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Super Bowl X and the Terrible Towel this season.
After winning their third division title in 1975, the Steelers went into the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
With the division title guaranteed before the season finale, Coach Noll decided to rest some players. Their 10-3 defeat at the Rams brought a streak of eleven unbeaten games to an end, but they remained the number one seed in the AFC.
The Steelers finished the regular season 12-2 and set more franchise records. Those records were wins (12), touchdowns (46), first downs (288), points scored (373) and points allowed (162).
Franco Harris also set franchise records with 1,298 yards rushing and 28 rushing touchdowns while moving behind John Henry Johnson’s 4,383 career yards. Harris became only the second back in NFL history after Jim Brown to gain more than 4,000 yards in his first four seasons.
The divisional game saw the Steelers host the Baltimore Colts. Fans called them the Cinderella Colts. Their coach Ted Marchibroda had turned them around from both a 2-12 record from the previous season and an early 1-4 slump at the beginning of the 1975 season.
The Colts won their eighth division title behind the running of Lydell Mitchell, the ferocity of a front four called the Looney Tunes and the ability of Coach Marchibroda.
“We know playing the Steelers will be tough,” said Marchibroda. “They are a good football club and will be tough to beat. It will take a great effort from our entire ballclub. I don’t know of any weaknesses they have.”
The oddsmakers felt the same and favored the Steelers by 11 points.
With the Steelers preparing for another appearance in the playoffs, WTAE were struggling to come up with a new idea to promote the game on their station.
WTAE’s color commentator for their Steelers broadcasts, Myron Cope, was summoned to the station’s General Manager’s office. Myron was asked to come up with a gimmick to involve the fans, but he wasn’t keen on the idea. “I’m not a gimmick guy,” Myron protested. “Never have been a gimmick guy!”
The station’s sales executive Larry Garrett suggested to Myron that if he successfully promoted some kind of object to wear or wave, it would have its advantages. If the idea took off, it would encourage the sponsors of Myron’s programs, especially as he was due a new contract. “I’m a gimmick guy,” Myron now agreed.
After Myron suggested it needed to be something lightweight and portable, Garrett proposed a towel. Myron agreed. “We could call it the Terrible Towel, and I could go on radio and television proclaiming ’The Terrible Towel is poised to strike!’”
Leading up to the game, Myron promoted the idea on all his television and radio shows. He urged his viewers and listeners who were going to the game to take towels.
As game day approached, doubts about the towel set in and Myron sought some...
