So I heard one of my daughter's listening to Wiz Khalifa this morning and it got me to thinking about Pittsburgh sports teams (naturally) and wondered how it actually happened that all three sports teams there have the same colors. Did the Steelers pick those because Pirates had it and then Penguins did the same? I cannot think of any other explanation than this. Anyone know for sure how this came to be?
They joined the nhl in 67 in the 1st expansion .. just found this on nhl.com
On Jan. 30, 1980, the Penguins wore black and gold for the first time. With the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and the Pirates capturing the World Series title in the same year, the struggling Penguins hoped to gain fan support by aligning their colors with the other teams in the “City of Champions.
On Jan. 30, 1980, the Penguins wore black and gold for the first time. With the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and the Pirates capturing the World Series title in the same year, the struggling Penguins hoped to gain fan support by aligning their colors with the other teams in the “City of Champions.
The article said the Bruins opposed the changing of the color scheme because it was the same as there's. The nhl let them do it because there use to be a Pittsburgh Pirates hockey team with the same black and yellow scheme lol.. It is crazy they're all the same.. All my philly teams are every color under the sun lol
I'm a Iowa Hawkeyes fan, here's another lil tid bit I copied off Wikipedia involving them and the steelers...
1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tiger Hawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets.[SUP][15][/SUP] Since both teams shared the colors of black and yellow gold, Fry sought and gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant National Football League (NFL) team of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greenefor a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team
1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tiger Hawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets.[SUP][15][/SUP] Since both teams shared the colors of black and yellow gold, Fry sought and gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant National Football League (NFL) team of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greenefor a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team
Good Catch.
Drawn from the family coat of arms of William Pitt, the Lord of Chatham, for whom the city was named, the colors Black & Yellow have evolved into an Identity for Pittsburgh's sports teams.
Pittsburgh was officially named in 1758 for William Pitt, who as secretary of state made key decisions that helped British forces in the colonies successfully capture from the French the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.
Just over 140 years later, Pittsburgh's council decided that the city flag would use the black and gold -- really more of a yellow -- from the Pitt family's coat of arms.
In 1933, a new football team adopted those colors as its own, even emblazoning Pittsburgh's crest -- also borrowed from William Pitt's coat of arms -- on its jerseys. The only year the team's players wore different colors was in 1943, when they wore green and white during a brief merger with the Philadelphia Eagles that also saw them renamed the Steagles.
In 1948, the Pirates make the switch from their red, white and blue uniforms to black and gold, and in 1980 the Penguins followed suit.
The city's first National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the first to wear black and gold as their colors. The colors were adopted by founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art Rooney, in 1933. In 1948, the Pittsburgh baseball Pirates switched their colors from red and blue to black and gold.
First I'd ever heard of this "Steagles" deal.
My Mind is blown....thats why I like questions like this that make me research stuff cuz how I'd lived as a lifelong NFL Fan unaware of this Steagles Deal is perplexing
They merged due to both teams losing so many players to military service in WWII.
Exactly. NFL Films, as they do.....once again "Nails It." :
(cannot embed Video here, gotta watch it at NFL Films page....worth it though....serious talk existed of stopping Pro Sports altogether, during The War....)
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap1000000069338/NFL-Films-Presents-The-Steagles
Earle "Greasy" Neale was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1941 to 1950 and one of TWO Head Coaches of The Steagles in 1943 (with Walter Keasling). The 1943 Steagles accomplished Philadelphia Football's first winning season.
Although it took Neale a while to pull together the needed talent to build a winning team, once he had the right ingredients, they stayed among the league's best for nearly a decade.
From 1944 through 1949, Neale's Eagles finished second three times and in first place three times.
The Eagles won the NFL Championship in 1948 and again in 1949, and were the only team to win back-to-back titles by shutting out their opponents, beating the Chicago Cardinals 7–0 in the snow ridden 1948 NFL Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams 14–0 in the 1949 NFL Championship Game in a driving rain storm.
Earle Greasy Neale played Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1924 and briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies for part of the 1921 season. Neale was the starting right fielder for the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. He batted .357 in the 1919 World Series and led the Reds with ten hits in their eight-game series win over the scandalous White Sox.
Neale spent all but 22 games of his baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds.
He had a career batting average of .259 and finished in the top ten in stolen bases in the National League four times. When football season came around, often he would leave baseball and fulfill his football duties (albeit playing about 90% of a baseball season most years, with the exception of 1919 when he played the entire season, including the 1919 World Series).
Neale also played professional football in the Ohio League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1917, the Dayton Triangles in 1918, and the Massillon Tigers in 1919. He starred as an end on Jim Thorpe's pre-World War I Canton Bulldogs as well as the Dayton Triangles in 1918 and Massillon Tigers in 1919. He coached the Triangles in 1918.
Neale was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Both inductions recognized his coaching career.
Neale died in Florida at the age of 81 and is buried at Parkersburg Memorial Gardens in West Virginia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasy_Neale
Although it took Neale a while to pull together the needed talent to build a winning team, once he had the right ingredients, they stayed among the league's best for nearly a decade.
From 1944 through 1949, Neale's Eagles finished second three times and in first place three times.
The Eagles won the NFL Championship in 1948 and again in 1949, and were the only team to win back-to-back titles by shutting out their opponents, beating the Chicago Cardinals 7–0 in the snow ridden 1948 NFL Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams 14–0 in the 1949 NFL Championship Game in a driving rain storm.
Earle Greasy Neale played Major League Baseball as an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds between 1916 and 1924 and briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies for part of the 1921 season. Neale was the starting right fielder for the 1919 Cincinnati Reds. He batted .357 in the 1919 World Series and led the Reds with ten hits in their eight-game series win over the scandalous White Sox.
Neale spent all but 22 games of his baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds.
He had a career batting average of .259 and finished in the top ten in stolen bases in the National League four times. When football season came around, often he would leave baseball and fulfill his football duties (albeit playing about 90% of a baseball season most years, with the exception of 1919 when he played the entire season, including the 1919 World Series).
Neale also played professional football in the Ohio League with the Canton Bulldogs in 1917, the Dayton Triangles in 1918, and the Massillon Tigers in 1919. He starred as an end on Jim Thorpe's pre-World War I Canton Bulldogs as well as the Dayton Triangles in 1918 and Massillon Tigers in 1919. He coached the Triangles in 1918.
Neale was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Both inductions recognized his coaching career.
Neale died in Florida at the age of 81 and is buried at Parkersburg Memorial Gardens in West Virginia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greasy_Neale
"Tell them how you got the films of the Chicago Bears' T formation when you were coaching the Eagles," Pritchard said.
"Oh, yes," said Greasy.
"I had seen George Halas beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 with the T in the title playoff in 1940. I decided that I would scrap the single and double wing I had used in my collegiate and professional coaching if I could just get the full details of how Halas was using the T. Well, sir, I was having lunch with some old friends one day and—"
"Where did you eat, Greasy?" interrupted Pritchard.
"Parisien Restaurant, on 56th Street west of Eighth Avenue, New York City. At the table there was a fellow from the Fox Movietone News, and after we had ordered—I took the chicken pot pie—
I got talking to this newsreel man and I said, 'I marvel at the way you fellows seem to catch the outstanding plays of every game in the few minutes you show on the screen. How are you able to do that?' The fellow said, 'Oh, we film the entire game and select the important plays from the complete footage.'
I almost choked on my rye whiskey—this was before I swore off—and I said after a minute, 'Would you by any chance have the entire footage of that Bears-Redskins game?' The fellow said, yes certainly he did. I said, 'Could I buy it?' I was beginning to shake all over.
You must remember this was before the days when teams began exchanging the game films. Well, to cut it short, I bought that film for $156, and I believe I ran it three, four, five hours a day for three months in the apartment of Lex Thompson, the Eagles' owner, until I had it down pat.
I made some alterations, of course, gave it some outside running strength. It was the T, adapted to our horses, that won us three divisional titles and our two NFL championships."
"Say, Greasy," said a man, pushing a young man through the group, "I'd like you to meet my son."
Greasy put out his hand. "Glad to know you, young fellow."
"Son," said the father, "you're shaking hands with the only man in history who did these three things—played in a World Series, took a team to the Rose Bowl and coached the Philadelphia Eagles to two national championships."
"What World Series, sir?" asked the young man.
"Why," said Greasy, "it was the famous Black Sox Series. I played right field for the Reds. That was the year of 1919. Long before you were born."
"Gee," exclaimed the young man, "that was before my father was born."
The father shushed him. "You led the Reds in hitting, Greasy. Right?"
"Right," said Greasy, "I hit .357. Got a triple off little Dick Kerr, the honest pitcher. Matter of fact, I think they were all honest after that first game. The ones in on the deal didn't get the payoff they were promised. The rest of the games were straight, I am convinced. Series went eight games, you know."
"What team did you take to the Rose Bowl, sir?" asked the young man.
"Washington and Jefferson," said Greasy. "We went through the season undefeated and were invited to go out and play the University of California. We weren't supposed to have a chance. Some experts predicted we'd lose by 28 points.
I recall I was in the men's lounge of the hotel the morning of the game. I was incognito. I heard a loudmouthed fellow somewhere in the room yell out, 'I'm giving 14 points on California. Any takers?' I hollered back, 'California could start playing right now and play until sundown and they wouldn't score 14 points on us!' Well, the outcome was that we played a scoreless tie, held the California team to two first downs. It was a moral victory for W and J. Everybody, even the California sportswriters, agreed on that."
"Get that, son?" asked the father of the young man. "Played in a World Series, took a team out to the Rose Bowl and won two pro football championships."
The young man nodded. "Mr. Neale," he said, "how did you get the nickname of Greasy?"
Greasy put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I'll tell you how that came about........
http://www.si.com/vault/1964/08/24/608446/greasy-neale-nothing-to-prove-nothing-to-ask
"Oh, yes," said Greasy.
"I had seen George Halas beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 with the T in the title playoff in 1940. I decided that I would scrap the single and double wing I had used in my collegiate and professional coaching if I could just get the full details of how Halas was using the T. Well, sir, I was having lunch with some old friends one day and—"
"Where did you eat, Greasy?" interrupted Pritchard.
"Parisien Restaurant, on 56th Street west of Eighth Avenue, New York City. At the table there was a fellow from the Fox Movietone News, and after we had ordered—I took the chicken pot pie—
I almost choked on my rye whiskey—this was before I swore off—and I said after a minute, 'Would you by any chance have the entire footage of that Bears-Redskins game?' The fellow said, yes certainly he did. I said, 'Could I buy it?' I was beginning to shake all over.
You must remember this was before the days when teams began exchanging the game films. Well, to cut it short, I bought that film for $156, and I believe I ran it three, four, five hours a day for three months in the apartment of Lex Thompson, the Eagles' owner, until I had it down pat.
I made some alterations, of course, gave it some outside running strength. It was the T, adapted to our horses, that won us three divisional titles and our two NFL championships."
"Say, Greasy," said a man, pushing a young man through the group, "I'd like you to meet my son."
Greasy put out his hand. "Glad to know you, young fellow."
"Son," said the father, "you're shaking hands with the only man in history who did these three things—played in a World Series, took a team to the Rose Bowl and coached the Philadelphia Eagles to two national championships."
"What World Series, sir?" asked the young man.
"Why," said Greasy, "it was the famous Black Sox Series. I played right field for the Reds. That was the year of 1919. Long before you were born."
"Gee," exclaimed the young man, "that was before my father was born."
The father shushed him. "You led the Reds in hitting, Greasy. Right?"
"Right," said Greasy, "I hit .357. Got a triple off little Dick Kerr, the honest pitcher. Matter of fact, I think they were all honest after that first game. The ones in on the deal didn't get the payoff they were promised. The rest of the games were straight, I am convinced. Series went eight games, you know."
"What team did you take to the Rose Bowl, sir?" asked the young man.
"Washington and Jefferson," said Greasy. "We went through the season undefeated and were invited to go out and play the University of California. We weren't supposed to have a chance. Some experts predicted we'd lose by 28 points.
I recall I was in the men's lounge of the hotel the morning of the game. I was incognito. I heard a loudmouthed fellow somewhere in the room yell out, 'I'm giving 14 points on California. Any takers?' I hollered back, 'California could start playing right now and play until sundown and they wouldn't score 14 points on us!' Well, the outcome was that we played a scoreless tie, held the California team to two first downs. It was a moral victory for W and J. Everybody, even the California sportswriters, agreed on that."
"Get that, son?" asked the father of the young man. "Played in a World Series, took a team out to the Rose Bowl and won two pro football championships."
The young man nodded. "Mr. Neale," he said, "how did you get the nickname of Greasy?"
Greasy put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I'll tell you how that came about........
http://www.si.com/vault/1964/08/24/608446/greasy-neale-nothing-to-prove-nothing-to-ask
