Origin and History of the Pittsburgh Steelers Logo

Did you know the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't always been known as as the Steelers? Or have you ever wondered how they choose their name or logo? Read on to learn how the fifth oldest franchise (and six time Super Bowl champs!) choose their name, designed their logo and established their image in the NFL.

Credit:  Pittsburgh-Post Gazette

Founded on July 8, 1933 by Art Rooney, the Steelers were originally called the Pittsburgh Pirates, adopting the name of the city's baseball team. Although baseball was Mr. Rooney's first love, sharing a name with a professional baseball team was actually common practice in the 1930s. During that era, football was a new and unpopular sport while baseball was "America's favorite past time." The shared names were also used as a way to persuade baseball fans to support their local professional football team.

In 1940, Rooney decided his team needed its own original name and image. Working with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a contest was held encouraging fans to recommend a new team name. Some of entries were the Wahoos, Condors, Pioneers, Triangles, Bridgers, Buckarros and Yankees. Several steel-related names – such as the Millers, Vulcans, Tubers, Smokers, Rollers, Ingots and Puddlers – were also submitted. A panel led by former coach Joe Bach, was formed to select the winning entry. After reviewing the suggestions, they choose Steelers, explaining that that name was designated as a way to celebrate the city's steel industry and its principal source of employment.

While there are no records on exactly who deserves recognition for proposing the name, one of the first entrants to suggest “Steelers” was Arnold Goldberg, a sports editor for the Evening Standard of Uniontown, Pennylvania. A total of twenty-one contest winners were chosen and each received a pair of season tickets, a prize valued at about $5. Other winners included local restaurant owner Joe Santoni and Margaret Elizabeth O'Donnel, who was the girlfriend of the team's business manager, Joe Carr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers logo we know today was a bit longer in the making. Helmet logos didn't become popular until 1948 after the Los Angeles Rams player and artist Fred Gehrke hand painted Ram horns on 70 leather helmets. The following year Riddell (manufacturer of the plastic football helmets still used today) agreed to produce the helmets with Gehrke's logo. Inspired by the Rams' helmet design, other teams began to add their own individual logos. The Steelers' chose to ignore the new logo trend but did add the players' numbers and a black stripe to their distinctive gold helmets.

Pittsburgh Steelers Logo - Circa 1962

The Steelers remained without a logo until 1962 when they were approached by Republic Steel of Cleveland and asked to consider using the Steelmark as a helmet logo. Designed by the U.S. Steel Corporation, the Steelmark is an insignia made of a circle surrounded three hypocycloids (diamonds with inward-curving edges) with the word “Steel” underneath.

The design was originally intended as a way to remind consumers of the role steel played in their lives. The colors of the hypocycloids represented specific aspects of steel: yellow lightens your work; orange brightens your leisure; and blue widens your world.


The meaning of the colors was later modified to personify the materials used to manufacture steel: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore and blue for steel scrap.

Despite the fact that Republic Steel was located in Cleveland, Ohio – home of their rival the Cleveland Browns - the Pittsburgh Steelers were fond of the logo and proudly displayed it on their helmets during the 1962 season. Because they initially had reservations about how the Steelmark logo would match their gold helmets, they chose to only display it on the right side. But after qualifying for their first-ever postseason game, the Steelers changed the color of their helmets from gold to black to highlight to the new logo which they believed brought then luck and success.

In the past 40 years the Steelers have made only minor changes to their helmet design. The word 'Steel' was changed to Steelers, a gold stripe and player numbers were added and the color of the face masks was changed from gray to black. Overall, the helmet has remained relatively unchanged since 1963 – which is a fitting tribute for a football team whose reputation has been built on consistency and tradition.

Welcome To the Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Hi, I'm Danielle. You may know me through my blog Life in the Middle Ages, which follows the ups and downs in my life since I turned 40 years old and became officially known as “middle aged.” I'm excited to be writing a new blog about Pittsburgh, the city that bleeds black and gold.

A little about me: I was was born in 1965 and raised in a small town about 45 minutes from the city. I married my husband Bill in 1992 and we have one son, Justin, who is now in college and living away from home. While Bill and I enjoy traveling, we also enjoy exploring and learning more about the Steel City. In the Mysteries of Pittsburgh we'll share our discoveries.

Those who live in or around Pittsburgh can learn new and exciting facts about the 'Burg. Those who have never been to Pittsburgh but are thinking about visiting can become more familiar with our awesome sports teams, restaurants, culture and night life and history buffs can learn more about Pittsburgh's origin and architecture.

Regardless of your age or interests, you'll find some fascinating, strange, mysterious and awesome info in the Mysteries of Pittsburgh. I'm also looking forward to hearing from you. Feel free to comment on any experiences you've had in our great city! I hope you'll check in everyday to read something new and share your stories.

(PS - Right now the blog looks a little boring.  Look for some design changes and additions in the near future.)