1968 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1968 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 36th in the National Football League.
1968 continued the team's descent in the NFL's basement, finishing with a third league-worst 2–11–1 record and the dismissal of head coach Bill Austin at the end of the season, leading to the eventual hiring of Chuck Noll. To this date, Austin is the last head coach to be fired by the Steelers.
The season is notable in that the Steelers had their last tied game before the NFL adopted the overtime rule in regular-season games in 1974 in Week 9 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 28–28 stalemate; that game actually was the deciding game in the NFL Century Division that season, as the Cardinals had swept the Cleveland Browns but finished the season 9–4–1, 1/2 game behind the 10–4 Browns. Since that game, the Steelers have only had two tied games, both happening after the overtime rule took effect.
In addition, the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Colts at home, 41–7, in Week 3, as the Colts went on to play in Super Bowl III, in which they were upset by the AFL's New York Jets. After that loss, the Steelers would go another 40 years before losing to the Colts at home again, winning 12 straight before losing to the now-Indianapolis Colts, 24–20, on November 10, 2008.
Offseason
No major player transactions happened in the offseason, although the team would draft Notre Dame running back Rocky Bleier with their last pick in the 1968 draft. Bleier's drafting by the team was mainly at the insistence of Steelers owner Art Rooney, who thought Bleier was Catholic for attending Notre Dame, even though Bleier was actually Presbyterian. Bleier would play ten games for the Steelers before being drafted again—this time by the military to fight in Vietnam. Despite being wounded the following summer, Bleier would go on to be a major contributor to the Steelers' success in the 1970s.The most notable offseason change happened with the team's uniforms. After just two seasons, the team ditched the so-called "Batman"-themed uniforms and adopted a modified version of their pre-1966 black design for both jerseys. The team brought back the Northwestern-style stripes on the sleeves, but put a white stripe in between each gold stripe on the black jerseys and black trim on each of the stripes on the white jerseys. The team also adopted white numbers on the home jerseys, while the team retained the gold pants from the "Batman" uniforms as well as the team's helmet, which was adopted in 1963. Save for wearing white pants with the white jerseys in 1970 and '71, as well as changing the font of the jersey numbers in 1997, these uniforms remain in use as of 2020.
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday September 15, 1968): [New York Giants]
at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 45,698
- Referee: Bernie Ulman
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – Hoak 6 run 6–0
- New York Giants – Morrison 10 pass from Tarkenton 7–6
- Pittsburgh – Gros 5 pass from Nix 13–7
- New York Giants – Morrison 13 pass from Tarkenton 13–14
- New York Giants – Minniear 1 run 13–21
- New York Giants – Tarkenton 4 run 13–28
- Pittsburgh – Compton 9 pass from Nix 20–28
- New York Giants – FG Gogolak 23 20–31
- New York Giants – FG Gogolak 17 20–34
Week 2 (Sunday September 22, 1968): [Los Angeles Rams]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 49,647
- Referee: George Rennix
- TV announcers:
- Los Angeles – Casey 5 pass from Gabriel 0–7
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 20 3–7
- Los Angeles – FG Gossett 12 3–10
- Pittsburgh – Gros 1 run 10–10
- Los Angeles – Casey 55 pass from Gabriel 10–17
- Los Angeles – Bass 28 pass from Gabriel 10–24
- Los Angeles – Bass 10 run 10–31
- Los Angeles – Bass 1 pass from Gabriel 10–38
- Los Angeles – Ellison 4 pass from Plum 10–45
Week 3 (Sunday September 29, 1968): Baltimore Colts">History of the Indianapolis Colts">Baltimore Colts
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 44,480
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers:
- Baltimore – FG Michaels 38 0–3
- Baltimore – Mitchell 4 pass from Morrall 0–10
- Baltimore – Brown 2 run 0–17
- Baltimore – Boyd 25 interception return 0–24
- Baltimore – FG Michaels 19 0–27
- Baltimore – Stukes 60 interception return 0–34
- Baltimore – Hilton 13 interception return 0–41
- Pittsburgh – Gros 7 pass from Shiner 7–41
Week 4 (Saturday October 5, 1968): [Cleveland Browns]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 81,865
- Referee: Fred Swearingen
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 25 3–0
- Cleveland – Leigh 20 run 3–7
- Cleveland – Warfield 28 pass from Nelsen 3–14
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 13 pass from Shiner 10–14
- Cleveland – FG Cockroft 27 10–17
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 13 pass from Shiner 10–24
- Cleveland – Kelly 2 run 10–31
- Cleveland – Barney 8 lateral from Kelly 10–38
- Pittsburgh – Martha 60 fumble return 17–38
Week 5 (Sunday October 13, 1968): [Washington Redskins]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 50,659
- Referee: Norm Schachter
- TV announcers:
- Washington – Jerry Smith 17 pass from Jurgensen 0–6
- Washington – FG Gogolak 24 0–9
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 24 3–9
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 33 pass from Shiner 10–9
- Washington – Jerry Smith 49 pass from Jurgensen 10–16
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 30 13–16
Week 6 (Sunday October 20, 1968): [New Orleans Saints]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 32,303
- Referee: Bud Brubaker
- TV announcers:
- New Orleans – FG Durkee 23 0–3
- New Orleans – Wheelwright 1 run 0–10
- Pittsburgh – Gros 2 run 6–10
- Pittsburgh – Hoak 71 run 12–10
- New Orleans – FG Durkee 37 12–13
- New Orleans – FG Durkee 31 12–16
Week 7 (Sunday October 27, 1968): [Philadelphia Eagles]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 26,908
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers:
- Philadelphia – FG Baker 38 0–3
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 34 3–3
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 15 6–3
- This game was dubbed the "O.J. Bowl" as it was rumored that the losing team would get to draft O.J. Simpson. He would eventually be drafted by the Buffalo Bills.
Week 8 (Sunday November 3, 1968): [Atlanta Falcons]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 47,727
- Referee: George Rennix
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 27 pass from Shiner 7–0
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 61 pass from Shiner 14–0
- Pittsburgh – Shy 3 run 21–0
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 9 pass from Shiner 28–0
- Pittsburgh – Gros 1 run 34–0
- Atlanta – Ogden 29 pass from Berry 34–7* Atlanta – Harris 55 pass from Berry 34–14
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 38 pass from Nix 41–14
- Atlanta – Long 24 pass from Berry 41–21
Week 9 (Sunday November 10, 1968): [St. Louis Cardinals]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 45,432
- Referee: Norm Schachter
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – Hoak 30 pass from Shiner 7–0
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 80 punt return 14–0
- Pittsburgh – Gros 21 pass from Shiner 21–0
- St. Louis – Williams 71 pass from Hart 21–7
- St. Louis – Williams 11 pass from Hart 21–14
- St. Louis – Conrad 80 pass from Hart 21–21
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 52 pass from Shiner 28–21
- St. Louis – Roland 1 run 28–28
Week 10 (Sunday November 17, 1968): [Cleveland Browns]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 41,572
- Referee: Fred Swearingen
- TV announcers:
- Cleveland – Kelly 7 run 0–7
- Pittsburgh – Wilburn 10 pass from Shiner 7–7
- Cleveland – Green 62 pass from Nelsen 7–14
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 13 10–14
- Cleveland – Green 11 pass from Nelsen 10–21
- Cleveland – FG Cockroft 27 10–24
- Cleveland – Morin 2 pass from Nelsen 17–24
- Pittsburgh – May 27 interception 24–24
- Cleveland – Warfield 36 pass from Ryan 24–31
- Pittsburgh – Wilburn 19 pass from Shiner 31–31
- Cleveland – Harraway 33 pass from Ryan 31–38
Week 11 (Sunday November 24, 1968): [San Francisco 49ers]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 21,408
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers:
- San Francisco – Willard 1 run 0–7
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 10 pass from Shiner 7–7
- San Francisco – Willard 3 run 7–14
- San Francisco – Crow 54 pass from Brodie 7–21
- Pittsburgh – Kotite 20 pass from Shiner 14–21
- San Francisco – Lewis 16 pass from Brodie 14–28
- San Francisco – Alexander 66 interception return 14–35
- San Francisco – FG Davis 15 14–38
- Pittsburgh – Kotite 4 pass from Shiner 21–38
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 5 pass from Shiner 28–38
- San Francisco – Belk 6 interception return 28–45
Week 12 (Sunday December 1, 1968): [St. Louis Cardinals]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 22,682
- Referee: Bernie Ulman
- TV announcers:
- Pittsburgh – Hoak 1 run 7–0
- St. Louis – FG Bakken 22 7–3
- Pittsburgh – FG Lusteg 24 10–3
- St. Louis – Smith 34 run 10–10
- St. Louis – FG Bakken 16 10–13
- St. Louis – Edwards 1 run 10–20
Week 13 (Sunday December 8, 1968): [Dallas Cowboys]
- Game time:
- Game weather:
- Game attendance: 55,069
- Referee: Bud Brubaker
- TV announcers:
- Dallas – Baynham 5 pass from Meredith 0–7
- Dallas – Hayes 90 punt return 0–14
- Dallas – Hayes 53 pass from Meredith 0–21
- Pittsburgh – Hilton 37 pass from Shiner 7–21
- Dallas – Rentzel 65 pass from Meredith 7–28
Week 14 (Sunday December 15, 1968): [New Orleans Saints]
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Sunny, 37 degrees
- Game attendance: 66,131
- Referee:
- TV announcers:
- New Orleans – Lorick 22 pass from Kilmer 0–7
- Pittsburgh – Jefferson 55 pass from Shiner 7–7
- New Orleans – McCall 25 pass from Kilmer 7–14
- New Orleans – Brown 53 punt return 7–21
- New Orleans – FG Durkee 31 7–24
- Pittsburgh – Wilburn 17 pass from Nix 14–24
Standings