Sports Then and Now

Through the years, my friend and I always had the Browns-Steelers Rivalry.

Certain things remind you of your friends and the great times you have shared with them.

A concert.

A party.

A trip.

Your favorite watering hole.

For me and one of my best friends, it was and still is the Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry.

Everyone has ups and downs in their lives. However, there are always constants that stay the same.

For me and MM, it’s the Browns and Steelers.

I have known MM for almost 20 years now (where has the time gone?).  He is a mutual friend of my long time friend, Rich.

We instantly connected because of our love for 80’s hair metal and sports. We both loved the Bruins, but football is where the lines in the sand were drawn.

I have always been a Patriots fan, but I had a football mistress on the side.

The Cleveland Browns.

I began following them during their glory years in the mid to late 80’s. They were always the brides maids when they lost to Denver in the AFC Championship in ’86, ’87, and ’89.

I loved Bernie Kosar, Clay Matthews, and the Dawg Pound.

I was probably the only kid in New England to have a Browns hat and jacket. I wore it with pride.

My buddy, MM, was a die-hard Steelers fan since birth I think. He owned a Bubby Brister jersey (still asking myself why) and later Hines Ward.

He ate, drank, and breathed Steelers.

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There was a time when the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders was the most competitive in the NFL. When these titans met on the gridiron there was no question it was going to be a battle and often with a lot on the line.

Between 1972 and 1983, the Steelers and Raiders met in the playoffs six times, including three straight times in the AFC Championship Game. The winner of each of those three games (Pittsburgh in 1974 and 1975 and Oakland in 1976) went on to win the Super Bowl.

With classic moments including the Immaculate Reception by Franco Harris and a big hit on Lynn Swann by George Atkinson that resulted in a lawsuit, the Steelers and Raiders did not like each other and were ready for a war whenever they met on the field.

Our Classic Rewind is not one of their playoff meetings, but instead a Monday Night Football encounter from 1980 that featured the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers against an Oakland team that was destined to succeed the Steelers as champions.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that both teams were known for their defense, this game was a high scoring affair that featured a number of big plays both on offense and defense.

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Based solely on his play on the field, it is hard to justify Dick LeBeau as a Hall of Famer.

I’m sure this article will not further endear me to members of the Steeler Nation, but the recent announcement by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Senior Committee of Dick LeBeau as one of their two “senior finalists” for 2010 further emphasizes why significant changes need to be made to the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process.

Earlier this month I completed a two-month series that ran both on  Sports Then and Now and on Bleacher Report in which I looked at the Best Players Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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