A bit long but covered an interesting time period. In the background, football transitions from a family sized business into a giant trillion dollar business dealing with how damaging playing was (CTE); from a time when players were a part of Pittsburgh -- Franco's Italian Army, starting charities, business, etc. I was also surprised that everyone but Bradshaw loved the Rooney family and that Franco Harris started a defense contractor business after he retired. ( )

The 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers are an iconic dynasty in the modern era of professional football. Typically defense wins championships and Pittsburgh had some of the best defensive players ever to don pads and cleats. But they also had some playmakers on the offensive side of the ball like Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth. And let's give Terry Bradshaw his due for slowly becoming a team leader and competent enough quarterback to lead the Steelers to four Super Bowls in six years.

Gary Pomerantz has gone back and takes a look at this dynastic team from the point of view of the players who made it all happen all those many years ago. You can truly see the deep bond many of the players developed for a lifetime, particularly on the defensive side the ball, and the importance of that team's legacy to the not just the players, but the city of Pittsburgh itself.

Central to the book is how Franco Harris became so deeply ingrained in the community becoming a local hero, philanthropist, and businessman. He also talks about some of the more tragic stories such as the unfortunate decline in health, both physical and mental, of Mike Webster, one of the best centers ever to play the game. And the great affection and brotherhood that marked the best defensive line in NFL history - Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White, and Crazy Ernie Holmes comes to life as they remember the glory of the past.

Pomerantz was a journalist who covered the Steeler's in the seventies. One of the oddest comments in the books introduction is this disillusion with professional football because of brain trauma and the recent studies about the plight of many former players. Fair enough. Thankfully the book is well balanced and doesn't drone on about this topic other than when discussion Mike Webster.

For any football fan this is a book well worth reading and it is a must read for Pittsburgh Steeler's fans. ( )

I was in junior high during the early glory days of the 70's Pittsburgh Steelers and I remember their dominance of the game during that time. I'm not a big football fan, but I remember the names Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, LC Greenwood, Lynn Swann and Franco Harris. And I enjoy a good yarn - at that same age I usually read the long pieces in Sports Illustrated for the human interest theme, not for the technical aspects of the game. I'm pretty sure I skipped paragraphs. I was intrigued by the story of these men who came together and became more than the sum of their parts.

Gary Pomerantz tells an engaging story about not just the players, but the Rooney family as well. It was the story of a business that was always changing (owning the football team) in a growing market (the NFL) which was being changed by various forces (the rise of the players' union, the influx of cash from television, the physical toll the game takes on the players). What they accomplished was incredible, but the costs were also incredible.

He concludes the tale by recounting how they've spent their retirement years, including the impact the game had on them physically and mentally. Predictably some have fared better than others. The recent discoveries of the impact of playing football on the brain really chills my enjoyment of the game. It was bad enough to sacrifice joints and backs to the gridiron, but to also lose their mental faculties as well - resulting not only in their own early demise, but also destroying families because of behavioral changes, seems to me a price far in excess of the benefits of the sport.

( )

This is probably THE defining work on the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. Pomerantz tells the very personal story of the 70s Steelers through the eyes of the players, coaches, personnel, and fans. In addition to reliving the great moments and games during this period, we get a glimpse into the challenging and sometimes horrifying personal stories of some of the games greatest players. The chapter dedicated to Mike Webster will make any football fan think twice about the consequences of playing this very violent game. A must read for all Steelers fans and NFL fans as well. ( )

Very entertaining and well-written. Good background coverage of the Rooney family and excellent individual profiles of the players who made the 70s Steelers the greatest dynasty in the game's history. A mix of tragedy too. The story about center Mike Webster is testimony to the cost players paid for the commitment to their craft. A must-read for any football fan, Steelers or otherwise. ( )