The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls, so there has been plenty of time for memorable moments.
From the Immaculate Reception to Santonio Holmes leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory, there have been plenty of moments that changed the franchise's history. But which of the moments for the Steelers is best?
Let's rank the five greatest moments in Steelers history.
5. Drafting Mean Joe Greene
The Steelers have a rich history filled with lots of wins, but in the early days, there were a lot of teams that did a whole lot of losing. That all changed in the 1969 draft when the Steelers drafted Joe Greene with the fourth overall pick. Greene was an intimidating player on the field and he changed the entire outlook of the Steelers' defense.
Greene was the cornerstone of the Steel Curtain defense, the defense that changed the franchise forever. The Steelers won four Super Bowl titles during the 1970s, and that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the Greene being selected with the fourth pick.
4. Winning their first Super Bowl
The Steelers have won six Super Bowls but the first was extra special. After so many struggles early in the franchise's history, the Steelers finally started to turn it around early in the 1970s.
The 1974 season was a special one, as the team finished the regular season with a 10-3-1 record. They made it to Super Bowl IX to face the Minnesota Vikings. The 1974 team was best known for their defense and that proved to be the difference in the Super Bowl.
The Steelers only allowed nine first downs, 119 yards of offense, and 17 rushing yards. The only touchdown the Vikings scored during that game was a blocked punt that they returned for a touchdown. The Steelers ended up winning 16-6 to capture their first Super Bowl.
3. Drafting Terry Bradshaw
The Steelers drafting Greene was important, but most good teams need a quarterback, and that's what Pittsburgh got in Terry Bradshaw.
The Steelers drafted Bradshaw with the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. Bradshaw got off to a slow start in his career, but once he got rolling, he picked up steam very quickly. Bradshaw won the league MVP in 1978 and led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships, the first NFL quarterback to accomplish such a feat.
With all the great quarterbacks who have come through since he retired, Bradshaw's accomplishments are often overlooked.
2. The “Immaculate Reception”
One of the best and most debated plays in NFL history happened during the 1972 playoffs. The Steelers had a fourth and 10 on their own 40-yard line with only 22 seconds remaining in the game.
Bradshaw tried to throw the ball towards his running back, but it instead bounced off Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum. It looked like it was going to be an incomplete pass, but rookie Franco Harris caught the ball before it hit the ground and ran it all the way for a touchdown.
The Steelers lost the next week to the Miami Dolphins, but it was still one of the best plays in NFL history.
1. Big Ben to Santonio Holmes
In Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers were trailing the Arizona Cardinals when they got the ball back with 2:37 left on the clock.
Ben Roethlisberger took a few steps out to his right and threw a bullet to Santonio Holmes, who was in the back of the end zone. Holmes extended his arms, kept his feet in bounds, and secured the game-winning touchdown.
If Holmes wouldn't have caught that touchdown, the Steelers might only have five Super Bowl titles right now instead of six.
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