by Bill Washinski
As the Pittsburgh Steelers approach the 2022 NFL Draft, there has been rampant speculation about what the organization will do to replace the retired Ben Roethlisberger. It’s an issue the Steelers have not had since 2004 and is in many ways, reminiscent of the 1983 NFL Draft, when the Steelers made the infamous decision to pass on Dan Marino knowing that Terry Bradshaw had off-season elbow surgery.
There could not have been a more perfect fit, especially to Art Rooney and Dan Rooney. Hailing from Oakland, Marino was a Pittsburgh boy who they had watched quarterback at Central Catholic and brought the University of Pittsburgh to the brink of the National Championship. If there were two things the Rooney’s had always valued, it was a love of Pittsburgh and a dedication to the Catholic faith. They were even close to Marino, who personally asked the Chief himself to draft him.
On the day of the 1983 NFL Draft, Dan Rooney tried to influence a suggestion to select Marino to Chuck Noll, Art Rooney Jr., and Dick Haley. Rooney included they should trade Cliff Stoudt to acquire a second-round pick and so they could still draft Gabe Rivera, the DT that Noll had targeted. But Dan Rooney made a mistake in not presenting the idea as his own but suggested by John Clayton. The chorus of groans and heckles ended that discussion. Instead, the decision would haunt the franchise for 20 years as the one that got away.
Marino’s draft stock dropped after a disappointing senior season at Pitt which was stained by rumors of drug use. Coming off a junior season which he threw 37 TDs, Marino had only 17 TDs and 23 INTs as a senior, the unsubstantiated rumors were enough to stick and keep teams from drafting Marino. That included Noll and the Steelers, as he admitted when appearing on a WTAE-AM talk show and reported by the AP in May 1992.
Noll never doubted Marino’s ability, but there were three considerations:
Given the relationship between Noll and Bradshaw, it’s a revelation that one would never have expected. But it shows that Noll was not as cold as his demeanor appeared. Interestingly, Noll’s real opinion about Marino may have surfaced when the Miami Dolphins selected him six picks later as Noll called Don Shula to congratulated him with a very prophetic statement: “You probably got the best guy in the draft.”
As the Pittsburgh Steelers approach the 2022 NFL Draft, there has been rampant speculation about what the organization will do to replace the retired Ben Roethlisberger. It’s an issue the Steelers have not had since 2004 and is in many ways, reminiscent of the 1983 NFL Draft, when the Steelers made the infamous decision to pass on Dan Marino knowing that Terry Bradshaw had off-season elbow surgery.
There could not have been a more perfect fit, especially to Art Rooney and Dan Rooney. Hailing from Oakland, Marino was a Pittsburgh boy who they had watched quarterback at Central Catholic and brought the University of Pittsburgh to the brink of the National Championship. If there were two things the Rooney’s had always valued, it was a love of Pittsburgh and a dedication to the Catholic faith. They were even close to Marino, who personally asked the Chief himself to draft him.
On the day of the 1983 NFL Draft, Dan Rooney tried to influence a suggestion to select Marino to Chuck Noll, Art Rooney Jr., and Dick Haley. Rooney included they should trade Cliff Stoudt to acquire a second-round pick and so they could still draft Gabe Rivera, the DT that Noll had targeted. But Dan Rooney made a mistake in not presenting the idea as his own but suggested by John Clayton. The chorus of groans and heckles ended that discussion. Instead, the decision would haunt the franchise for 20 years as the one that got away.
Marino’s draft stock dropped after a disappointing senior season at Pitt which was stained by rumors of drug use. Coming off a junior season which he threw 37 TDs, Marino had only 17 TDs and 23 INTs as a senior, the unsubstantiated rumors were enough to stick and keep teams from drafting Marino. That included Noll and the Steelers, as he admitted when appearing on a WTAE-AM talk show and reported by the AP in May 1992.
Noll never doubted Marino’s ability, but there were three considerations:
- The experience with Joe Gilliam haunted Noll and, fair or not, he did not want to bring in a quarterback with similar question marks.
- He recognized that the league was transforming into a passing league and felt that Rivera, a behemoth defensive tackle from Texas Tech with an uncanny ability to pressure the quarterback, would be the cornerstone of the defense like Joe Greene.
Given the relationship between Noll and Bradshaw, it’s a revelation that one would never have expected. But it shows that Noll was not as cold as his demeanor appeared. Interestingly, Noll’s real opinion about Marino may have surfaced when the Miami Dolphins selected him six picks later as Noll called Don Shula to congratulated him with a very prophetic statement: “You probably got the best guy in the draft.”
