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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American Football team that is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . They are members of the Northern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC), in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers are the oldest and most championed franchise in the AFC. The team has appeared in six Super Bowl s and, along with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys , is one of three teams to have won the Super Bowl five times. They have appeared in 13 Conference Championship Games and have hosted more conference championship games than any other NFL franchise. They are the only team in NFL playoff history to win a Super Bowl after being seeded sixth in the playoffs, winning three consecutive games on the road followed by a Super Bowl XL victory in Detroit on February 5 2006 against the Seattle Seahawks . Originally named the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team joined the NFL in 1933 http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1931-1940#1933 when owner s had prevented sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games were scheduled. The team was renamed the Steelers in 1940 based on the city's prominent position in the steel industry. (In addition, the name was seen as a pun ("Stealers") on the Pittsburgh Pirates National League baseball team, in line with other NFL names modeled on the corresponding baseball National League team, such as Boston Redskins/Braves, Chicago Cubs/Bears, and Detroit Lions/Tigers.) A fan suggested the name in a contest held by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the team.http://www.post-gazette.com/obituaries/20031014santoni1014p9.asp FRANCHISE HISTORY The Pittsburgh Steelers (Pirates) first took to the field on .http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/education/byron_white_html.php During World War II , the Steelers experienced player shortages. They twice merged with other NFL franchises to field a team. During the 1943 season, they merged with the Philadelphia Eagles forming the "Phil-Pitt Eagles" and were known as the " Steagles ." This team went 5-4-1. In 1944 they merged with the Chicago Cardinals and were known as Card-Pitt (nicknamed "Carpet" for the ease with which other teams defeated them.http://news.steelers.com/tradition/teamhistory/ This team went 0-10, the only team in franchise history to go winless.http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_150100.html The Steelers made the playoffs for the first time in 1947, tying for first place in the division at 8-4 with the Philadelphia Eagles . This forced a tie-breaking playoff game at Forbes Field , which the Steelers lost 21-0.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pitindex.htm That would be Pittsburgh's only playoff game for 25 years, though the Steelers did qualify for a "Playoff Bowl" in 1963 as the second best team in their conference, though not considered an official playoff.http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_Playoff_Bowl.htm Their luck changed with the hiring of coach s in six years, as well as the first to win more than two. The Steelers suffered a rash of injuries in the 1980 season and missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The 1981 season was no better, with an 8-8 showing. The team was then hit with the retirements of all their key players from the Super Bowl years. Mean Joe Greene retired after the 1981 season, Lynn Swann and Jack Ham after 1982's playoff berth, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount after 1983's divisional championship, and Jack Lambert after 1984's AFC Championship Game appearance. After those retirements, the franchise skidded to its first losing seasons since 1971. Though still competitive, the Steelers would not finish above 0.500 in 1985, 1986, and 1988. In 1987, the year of the players' strike, the Steelers finished with a record of 8-7, but missed the playoffs. In 1989, they would reach the second round of the playoffs on the strength of Merrill Hoge and Rod Woodson before narrowly missing the playoffs in each of the next two seasons. In 1992, Chuck Noll retired and was succeeded by Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bill Cowher , a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Crafton . Cowher led the Steelers to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons, a feat that had been accomplished only by legendary coach Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns . Overall, Cowher led the Steelers to the playoffs in 10 of his 15 seasons, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXX on the strength of the " Blitzburgh " defense at the end of the 1995 Season . However, the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys . Cowher produced the franchise's record-tying fifth Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XL over the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks ten years later. With that victory, the Steelers became the third team to win five Super Bowls, and the first sixth-seeded playoff team to reach and win the Super Bowl since the NFL expanded to a 12-team postseason tournament in 1990. Cowher resigned from coaching the Steelers on , offensive line coach Russ Grimm , former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey , Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin , and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera . On January 22 2007 , Mike Tomlin was announced as Cowher's successor as head coach. Tomlin is the first African-American to be named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in its 74-year history. ''For more information on the franchise's current season see: 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers Season '' Since the NFL merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have compiled an overall record of 333-217-2, reached the playoffs 22 times, won their division 17 times, played in 13 AFC championship games, and won five Super Bowls. Season-by-season records See Also: Pittsburgh Steelers seasons LOGO AND UNIFORMS
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