Steelers' throwbacks go too far back

By Mike Bires 

Beaver County Times

mbires@timesonline.com | Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2012 11:45 pm

PITTSBURGH — It’s curious that the powers that be in the organization chose throwbacks modeled after the 1934 Steelers. That was a 2-10 team that was one of the worst in franchise history.

In the second year of their existence, the Steelers were called the Pirates, like the baseball team in Pittsburgh.

They were coached by Luby DiMeolo. They held training camp at Mt. Pleasant High School and played home games at Forbes Field.

They were so bad that in six of their 10 losses, they were shut out.

So why did the Steelers choose to model their throwbacks after a team that played so poorly?

Well, there’s no doubt the uniforms are colorful and different.

Really, the Steelers don’t have many choices. Their uniforms haven’t changed all that much over the years, especially since the 1970s.

The Steelers once wore a throwback modeled after the first team of 1933 that featured a coat of arms from the City of Pittsburgh.

The throwbacks they wore the last several years were modeled after uniforms from the 1950s.

Maybe the next time the Steelers design throwbacks, they can re-create the uniform from the 1963 team.

It’s a simple but elegant design that featured a yellow/gold diamond on the upper part of both arm sleeves.

Overlaid on the diamond was a player’s number.

The jerseys were black or white, with white pants with a black and gold stripe.

There’s a version of this uniform on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with other uniforms the Steelers have worn over the years.

And the 1963 Steelers finished with a winning record at 7-4-3.