1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Pittsburgh Steelers 53rd US football season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 53rd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. The Steelers challenged for the AFC Central most of the season, sitting at 6–5 after their first eleven games. However, losing 4 out of their final 5 games dropped the Steelers to a 7–9 overall record, their first season with a losing record in fourteen years.

OwnerArt Rooney
General managerDick Haley
Head coachChuck Noll
Home stadiumThree Rivers Stadium
Quick facts Pittsburgh Steelers season, Owner ...
1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerArt Rooney
General managerDick Haley
Head coachChuck Noll
Home stadiumThree Rivers Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place2nd AFC Central
PlayoffsDid not qualify
All-ProsLouis Lipps (2nd team)
Pro BowlersPK Gary Anderson
WR Louis Lipps
LB Mike Merriweather
C Mike Webster
Team MVPLouis Lipps
Team ROYHarry Newsome
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Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1985 NFL draft
More information Round, Pick ...
1985 Pittsburgh Steelers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 20 Darryl Sims  Defensive tackle Wisconsin
2 47 Mark Behning  Offensive tackle Nebraska
3 74 Liffort Hobley  Safety LSU
4 101 Dan Turk  Center Wisconsin
5 136 Cam Jacobs  Linebacker Kentucky
6 160 Gregg Carr  Linebacker Auburn
7 187 Alan Andrews  Tight end Rutgers
8 214 Harry Newsome  Punter Wake Forest
9 241 Fred Small  Linebacker Washington
9 242 Andre Harris  Defensive back Minnesota
10 268 Oliver White  Tight end Kentucky
11 300 Terry Matichak  Defensive back Missouri
12 327 Jeff Sanchez  Defensive back Georgia
      Made roster  
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Undrafted free agents

More information Player, Position ...
1985 undrafted free agents of note
Player Position College
Danny Andrews Defensive back UCLA
Andrew Baker Wide receiver Rutgers
Charlie Dickey Guard Arizona
Steve DeVries Linebacker Northwestern College (Iowa)
Dave Edwards Safety Illinois
Frank Goode Linebacker Youngstown State
Preston Gothard Tight end Alabama
Dwayne Hooper Running back Rutgers
Alan Huff Defensive tackle Marshall
Tom Linebarger Defensive tackle SMU
Steve Little Defensive tackle Iowa State
Dwayne McMullen Wide receiver Minnesota
Frank Pokorny Wide receiver Youngstown State
Kevin Powell Defensive tackle Youngstown State
Marc Quinlivan Wide receiver Yale
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Personnel

Staff

1985 Pittsburgh Steelers staff

Front office

  • Chairman of the board – Arthur J. Rooney
  • President – Daniel M. Rooney
  • Vice president – John R. McGinley
  • Vice president – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
  • Controller – Dennis P. Thimons
  • Assistant controller-management – Dan Ferens
  • Traveling secretary – James A. Boston
  • Publicity director – Joe Gordon
  • Director of ticket sales – Geraldine Glenn
  • Assistant controller-tickets – Jim Ellenberger
  • Director of player personnel – Dick Haley
  • Assistant director of player personnel – William Nunn, Jr.
  • Pro talent scout – Tom Modrak
  • Talent scout – West Coast – Bob Schmitz
  • Talent scout – Midwest – Mike Butler
  • College talent scout – Joe Krupa

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Conditioning coach – Walt Evans
  • Dentist – Dr. George P. Boucek
  • Ophthalmologist – Dr. Phillip Buzzelli
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. David S. Huber
  • Neurological surgery consultant – Dr. Joseph C. Maroon
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Richard Rydze
  • Physician, orthopedic – Dr. Paul Steele
  • Physician, M.D. – Dr. Anthony P. Yates
  • Trainer – Ralph Berlin
  • Trainer – Gary Stragar
  • Equipment manager – Anthony Parisi
  • Field manager – Rodgers Freyvogel
  • Film director – Bob McCartney
  • Photographers – Mike Fabus, Bill Amatucci

[1]

Roster

1985 Pittsburgh Steelers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Reserve


[2] [3] [4]

Rookies in italics

Preseason

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Game Site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record
1 Saturday, August 10 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Stadium 8:00 p.m. WTAE W 42–27 1–0
2 Saturday, August 17 at Minnesota Vikings Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 8:00 p.m. WTAE L 41–34 1–1
3 Friday, August 23 at St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium 8:30 p.m. WTAE L 14–6 1–2
4 Friday, August 30 New York Giants Three Rivers Stadium 7:30 p.m. WTAE L 24–14 1–3
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Regular season

Schedule

More information Week, Date ...
Week Date Opponent Game Site Kickoff (ET) TV Result Record
1 Sunday, September 8 Indianapolis Colts Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 45–3 1–0
2 Monday, September 16 at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Municipal Stadium 9:00 p.m. ABC L 17–7 1–1
3 Sunday, September 22 Houston Oilers Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 20–0 2–1
4 Monday, September 30 Cincinnati Bengals Three Rivers Stadium 9:00 p.m. ABC L 37–24 2–2
5 Sunday, October 6 at Miami Dolphins Miami Orange Bowl 1:00 p.m. NBC L 24–20 2–3
6 Sunday, October 13 at Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 27–13 2–4
7 Sunday, October 20 St. Louis Cardinals Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS W 23–10 3–4
8 Sunday, October 27 at Cincinnati Bengals Riverfront Stadium 4:00 p.m. NBC L 26–21 3–5
9 Sunday, November 3 Cleveland Browns Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 10–9 4–5
10 Sunday, November 10 at Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 36–28 5–5
11 Sunday, November 17 at Houston Oilers Astrodome 1:00 p.m. NBC W 30–7 6–5
12 Sunday, November 24 Washington Redskins Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. CBS L 30–23 6–6
13 Sunday, December 1 Denver Broncos Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC L 31–23 6–7
14 Sunday, December 8 at San Diego Chargers Jack Murphy Stadium 9:00 p.m. ABC L 54–44 6–8
15 Sunday, December 15 Buffalo Bills Three Rivers Stadium 1:00 p.m. NBC W 30–24 7–8
16 Saturday, December 21 at New York Giants Giants Stadium 12:30 p.m. NBC L 28–10 7–9
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Week 1: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 0 003
Steelers 7 17 71445
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 8, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26.1 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Game attendance: 55,279
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph (play by play), Sam Rutigliano (color commentator)
  • [5]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 2: at Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 077
Browns 0 7 3717
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at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: September 16, 1985
  • Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 57 °F (13.9 °C), wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
  • Game attendance: 79,042
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Joe Namath & O. J. Simpson (color commentators)
  • [6]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 3: vs. Houston Oilers

Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 0 000
Steelers 14 3 3020
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 22, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 3.5 kn)
  • Game attendance: 58,752
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Sam Rutigliano (color commentator)
  • [7]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 14 71637
Steelers 0 10 14024
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 30, 1985
  • Game time: 9:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C), wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
  • Game attendance: 59,541
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Joe Namath and O. J. Simpson (color commentators)
  • [8]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 5: at Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 17 0320
Dolphins 7 7 3724
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at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

  • Date: October 6, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 80 °F (26.7 °C), relative humidity 79%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Game attendance: 72,820
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play by play), Bob Griese (color commentator)
  • [9]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 6: at Dallas Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 3 01013
Cowboys 0 10 10727
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at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: October 13, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26.1 °C), relative humidity 68%, wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
  • Game attendance: 62,932
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [10]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 7: vs. St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 3 0 0710
Steelers 14 3 6023
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 20, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
  • Game attendance: 56,478
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tom Brookshier (play by play), Dick Vermiel (color commentator)
  • [11]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 7 01421
Bengals 3 14 9026
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at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

  • Date: October 27, 1985
  • Game time: 4:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 3.5 kn)
  • Game attendance: 55,241
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
  • [12]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 6 039
Steelers 0 0 7310
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 3, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
  • Game attendance: 51,976
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Len Berman (play by play), Reggie Rucker (color commentator)
  • [13]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 10: at Kansas City Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 10 17 3636
Chiefs 7 7 01428
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at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 10, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C), wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn), wind chill 27 °F or −2.8 °C
  • Game attendance: 46,126
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play by play), Bob Griese (color commentator)
  • [14]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 11: at Houston Oilers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Oilers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 7 13730
Oilers 0 0 707
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at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 17, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 45,977
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play by play), Jimmy Cefalo (color commentator)
  • [15]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 14 6 7330
Steelers 3 14 0623
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 24, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 38 °F (3.3 °C), wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
  • Game attendance: 59,293
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play by play), Johnny Morris (color commentator)
  • [16]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 10 02131
Steelers 0 6 31423
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 1, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
  • Game attendance: 56,797
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play by play), Bob Trumpy & Paul Zimmerman (color commentators)
  • [17]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 14: at San Diego Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 7 13 141044
Chargers 21 13 71354
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at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 8, 1985
  • Game time: 9:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C), wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
  • Game attendance: 52,098
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play by play), Joe Namath & O. J. Simpson (color commentators)
  • [18]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 15: vs. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 14 0324
Steelers 0 14 61030
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at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 15, 1985
  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST
  • Game weather: 17 °F (−8.3 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn), wind chill 3 °F or −16.1 °C
  • Game attendance: 35,953
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone (play by play), Sam Rutigliano (color commentator)
  • [19]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Week 16: at New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants
More information Quarter, Total ...
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 3 7010
Giants 7 21 0028
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at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 21, 1985
  • Game time: 12:30 pm EST
  • Game weather: 27 °F (−2.8 °C), wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn), wind chill 15 °F or −9.4 °C
  • Game attendance: 66,785
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play by play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
  • [20]
More information Scoring summary, Quarter ...
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Standings

More information AFC Central, W ...
AFC Central
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Cleveland Browns(3) 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 287 294 L1
Cincinnati Bengals 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 441 437 L2
Pittsburgh Steelers 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 379 355 L1
Houston Oilers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 284 412 L4
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References

External links

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