Steelers honor Noll with field dedication

By John Grupp
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 3, 2007

From left to right, Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, John Rooney, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, Art Rooney Jr., Steelers President Art Rooney II and St. Vincent College President Jim Towey during the dedication of Chuck Noll Field at St. Vincent College, Aug. 2, 2007.

Back problems kept Chuck Noll from attending the dedication Thursday of a football field named after him.

Still, he remained in everyone's thoughts.

"It's fitting for him," former wide receiver Louis Lipps said. "This is where it started."

Noll, 75, did not attend the 20-minute ceremony at newly named Chuck Noll Field before Steelers practice at St. Vincent College, near Latrobe.

The only coach to win four Super Bowls, Noll is coping with severe back pain and arthritis. He is walking on two canes.

"He's not doing very well," his wife, Marianne, said by phone Thursday. "We just talked to the doctors. There's not much we can do about it. It's very difficult for him to get around."

Chuck and Marianne Noll are in Virginia, with their son Chris and two grandchildren. They also have a home in Sewickley.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) bows his head during the dedication of Chuck Noll Field at St. Vincent College, Aug. 2, 2007.

Noll sent along a message for the thousands of sun-baked Steelers fans who crowded into the 1,050-seat stadium at St. Vincent, which has hosted the Steelers' training camp for the past 41 years.

"It was the perfect summer home," Noll said in the statement. "The successes we enjoyed started there. I am very touched and appreciative of this honor."

An Archabbot read a prayer and blessed Chuck Noll Field, originally built in 2003. A 3-by-5-foot photo of "The Emperor" was unveiled. It will hang in the press box at the field where St. Vincent will renew its Division III football program this fall.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who hired Noll in 1969, team President Art Rooney II, and former Steelers players Dick Hoak, Tunch Ilkin and Lipps were among those on hand.

From left to right, Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, Art Rooney Jr. and Steelers President Art Rooney II during the dedication of Chuck Noll Field at St. Vincent College, Aug. 2, 2007.

Noll held his first training camp at St. Vincent College in 1969.

"I was here in camp that first year," Rooney II said. "He brought a new discipline that we were not accustomed to. To be honest, my first feeling about Chuck Noll was fear. But fear began to turn to respect."

Said Ilkin, who played for Noll for 12 seasons, "The older I get, the more I appreciate Chuck. On this field right here, I came here as a boy and I became a man. Chuck taught me lessons for life. I can still hear his voice booming across the field. I think it's really neat that they did this."

Noll took over a losing franchise and directed the Steelers to 209 victories, nine division titles and four Super Bowls. He coached the Steelers from 1969-91.

"He changed the course of the franchise and it was great to be able to give him this honor," Rooney II said. "He's up there with the Bill Walshes and the Vince Lombardis. No question about it. He's one of the legends."


John Grupp can be reached at jgrupp@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7930.