Chuck Noll, 82, Cowboy killer

[Bob Of Burleson]

Hall of Famer Chuck Noll dies at 82

By Scott Brown | ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers icon Chuck Noll, the only coach to win four Super Bowls, died at his Pittsburgh-area home Friday night. He was 82.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Noll died of natural causes at 9:45 p.m. ET.

Chuck Noll was more than a football coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Hall of Famer relished his role as teacher, too, John Clayton writes. Story

Noll went 209-156-1, including the postseason, while coaching the Steelers from 1969-91. The hiring of Noll, a one-time assistant coach to Sid Gillman and Don Shula, set the Steelers on a path to greatness.

He led the team to four Super Bowl titles from 1975-80, and he became every bit as revered in Pittsburgh as stalwarts from those teams such as "Mean" Joe Greene and Franco Harris.

"Chuck Noll is the best thing to happen to the Rooneys since they got on the boat in Ireland," Art Rooney Jr., the oldest son of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Noll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, less than two years after he retired.

"Coach Noll's quiet leadership produced extraordinary results that deeply inspired players, coaches and fans," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday in a statement. "He always put the team, his players, and the game first. His legacy of excellence will forever be an important part of the history of the Steelers and the NFL."

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