I have been getting my Steeler fill from random websites and the occasional "Ode to the Steelers" on NFL Network. I was grateful for the greatness that I was witnessing until people kept repeating the Steelers name change in for good in 1942, 1942? Really?
For those of you who are bit groggy when it comes to Steelers history, let me explain this to you so you understand. The Steelers were founded as the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933, in 1942 the Pirates became the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was not for good.
World War II wreaked havoc on the world and American sports were no exception. The Steelers lost many would have been greats to the war, such as Johnny Lattner. Finances also squeezed sports leagues and the Steelers had to make due with what they had. Most Steeler fans know about the infamous merger with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 to for the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Steagles, but how many know about the 1944 merger?
The Philly/Pittsburgh experiment failed miserably because the teams couldn't stand each other. Each city had their own head coach and didn't really listen to or respect the other side. With the war still waging and the NFL needing to stay afloat the Steelers merged with the Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona) to form Card-Pitt. The team played all their home games in Chicago and finished a miserable 0-10, but luckily the war ended before the start of the 1945 season.
This brings me to my point. 1945 was the year the Steelers became the Steelers and since 1945 there has been no other name change. This makes 1945 not 1942 the year that should be associated with the final name change. I may be acting a bit picky, but I am only speaking the truth.
