The More You Know: Random facts about your Pittsburgh Steelers, “We Do Kickin’ Right” edition

Time to learn more about your favorite NFL team, and some trivia as well!

By Bryan Anthony Davis@btscbad Jun 12, 2022, 11:30am EDT

New Orleans Saints v Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s the offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers and there are so many topics to talk and write about. Free agents, the coordinator conundrum, the next quarterback, the NFL Draft, signings, retirements and breaking news will all be covered here at BTSC. But who’s going to give you little-known-facts out of the 500 Level?

Luckily, your one-stop, and non-stop, shop for everything Steelers employs a Steelers fan that was allegedly dropped on his head as a one-year-old during the Immaculate Reception. Useless and somewhat fascinating facts are his forte. So, here we are with off-the-wall thoughts from the dark side of a black-and-gold brain that nobody asked for. But the joke’s on you as you’ll be telling your peeps something you read here later.

412 Forever

January Jones is not from Pittsburgh. The Emmy-Award winning actress actually hails from South Dakota, but found herself a faithful fan of 412 football nonetheless. In the lead up to the Steelers last appearance in the Super Bowl, Mad Men’s Betty Draper told USA Today back in 2011 that she gets frustrated by people who distract from the action. “I like to sit and actually watch the game. “I’m like, ‘Please stop talking about Lea Michele’s performance!’ When halftime’s over, let’s get back to the game.” Now that’s somebody serious about her Men of Steel and like their fan’s name, January is a good month for Pittsburgh.

BTSC Steelers Jeopardy

(Answer at bottom of article)

Steel Facts

In the last 50 seasons, the Steelers have had only 15 kickers attempt a field goal in a regular season game. Many would think that Gary Anderson would be the most accurate in that span, but it’s actually Chris Boswell. Three kickers have been perfect in their Steelers careers. Randy Bullock and Matt McCrane went 3/3 in only one game, while Matthew Wright went 4/4 in three games.

Roy Gerela (1971-1978) 64.3%

Matt Bahr (1979-1980) 63.8%

David Trout (1981, 1987) 63.2%

Gary Anderson (1982-1994) 78.2%

Norm Johnson (1995-1998) 82.7%

Matt George (1998) 0%

Kris Brown (1999 -2001) 77.7%

Todd Peterson (2002) 57.1%

Jeff Reed (2002-2010) 81.9%

Shaun Suisham (2010-2014) 87.9%

Josh Scobee (2015) 60.0%

Chris Boswell (2015-Present) 88.3%

Randy Bullock (2016) 100%

Matthew McCrane (2018) 100%

Matthew Wright (2020) 100%

Middle Name Madness

We love citing middle names of members of the Men of Steel here at Behind the Steel Curtain like Trent Jordan Watt, Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger and Michael Pettaway Tomlin. Hence, the “More You Know Middle Name of the Week”. This week we feature a kicker that executed the perfect onside kick in Super Bowl XXX and shares the same number as the current black-and-gold booter, Christopher Lynn Boswell.

Norman Douglas Johnson

This Week’s Birthdays of Steel

6/12 - Larry Foote (1980), Gordon Gravelle (1945), Frisman Jackson (1979), Levi Wallace (1995)

6/13 - Vance McDonald (1990)

6/14 - Jamir Jones (1998), Trai Turner (1993)

6/15 - Tim Harris (1961), Tim Lester (1968), Frank Pollard (1957)

6/16 - Larry Brown (1949), Jerricho Cotchery (1982), (1965)

6/17 - Will Allen (1982), Dermontti Dawson (1965), Ray Seals (1965)

6/18 - Tom Clements (1963), Jack Robinson (1911), Lou Tepe (1930)

6/19 Jahine Arnold (1973), Dave Reavis (1950)

Disturbing Sights

Not every NFL player retires with their original team, having played with no other franchise. We may try to forget the image of our Steel Heroes wearing another uniform, but it’s a part of fandom and legends sometimes change team colors. Jeff Reed burst out of the gate as a Steeler after a tryout in 2002 going 6/6 in his debut against Jacksonville. He became famous on the field in Pittsburgh and infamous off of it. After a rough start to 2010, the Steelers cut Reed and he ended up by the Bay in San Francisco. Always a fan-favorite in the Steel City, the sight of No. 3 wearing the scarlet, gold and white as a 49er will always be weird.

Varsity Blues Black & Golds

Shaun Suisham was a great addition to the Steelers in 2010 after Jeff Reed was cut. His career sadly ended after being hit trying to make a tackle in the 2015 Hall of Fame Game. As a kicker at Bowling Green, Suisham played under Urban Meyer and left as the all-time leading scorer of the with 361 points and a record 45 career field goals.

Hypocycloids Gone Madison Avenue

Matt Bahr didn’t stay long in Pittsburgh, only lasting two seasons. But the rookie out of Penn State won a Super Bowl with the Steelers and landed an endorsement with KFC. “I do kickin’ right” was a humorous play on the Colonel’s signature phrase, “We do chicken right”.

Cliff Clavin Corner

It’s a little known fact that the Steelers great kicker, Gary Anderson, was mentioned on an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” for missing a crucial field goal in the 1999 NFC Championship Game as a Minnesota Viking.

Steelers Jeopardy Answer in the Form of a Question: Who is David Trout?

Kansas City Chiefs v Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers replaced Matt Bahr in 1981 with David Trout, who was replaced the next season by Gary Anderson. When the Steelers needed a replacement kicker for Gary Anderson during the 1987 Strike, David Trout came back wearing No. 5 instead of his previous No. 1 now being donned by Anderson.

So, there you have it. Anybody can spout out stat after stat, but not everybody can embrace the colorful and personal side of the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, the more you know, the more you can stupefy your friends, family and neighbors with your big, black-and-gold brain.

We’ll see you right here next week. Until then keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the hypocycloids.