In 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the season with a 1-13 record, which was the team’s lowest ever. For the season, they finished 4th in the Century Division and 8th in the East Conference.
It wasn’t until the late 1940s that the Pittsburgh Steelers finally discovered a quarterback who could pass a field sobriety test that things began to improve. Only in 1969 did the Steelers (now members of the NFL in its current incarnation) return to the cellar.
After going 1-13, the 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers finished last in the Century Division behind the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. A 16-13 triumph over the Detroit Lions on the opening day of Chuck Noll’ debut season was followed by a string of thirteen straight defeats for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A 52-14 thrashing at Minnesota and a 47-10 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals were among the lowlights.
In the end, Dick Shiner and Terry Hanratty combined for 23 interceptions, which did little to improve the team’s chances of winning the championship.
Although the Steelers lost 13 straight games, the team’s owners decided to stick with Noll and choose Terry Bradshaw with the first choice in the 1970’s draft.
Bradshaw and Noll guided the team to four Super Bowl victories between 1974 and 1979, and the rest is history.
