A resolution honoring the life and career of Charles "Chuck" Noll.

Whereas Chuck Noll was born on January 5, 1932, in Cleveland, Ohio;

Whereas Chuck Noll excelled at multiple positions on the football field during a preparatory career at Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio and during a college career at the University of Dayton;

Whereas, after being drafted in the 20^th round of the 1953 National Football League Draft by his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, Chuck Noll enjoyed a 7-year career as a linebacker and offensive lineman;

Whereas, after his playing career ended, Chuck Noll joined coaching staffs headed by 2 future Hall-of-Famers, including Sid Gillman of the San Diego Chargers;

Whereas, after serving as an assistant coach for nearly a decade, Chuck Noll was selected by the Rooney family to serve as 14^th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team on January 27, 1969;

Whereas the current owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers is quoted as saying hiring Chuck Noll was the best decision we ever made for the Steelers;

Whereas, in 1972, in Chuck Noll’s fourth season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Steelers won 11 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 1947;

Whereas, on January 12, 1975, the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty was born when Chuck Noll led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a victory over the Minnesota Vikings to win Super Bowl IX—the first of the Pittsburgh Steelers' now 6 Super Bowl titles;

Whereas, over the 5 football seasons after winning Super Bowl IX, Chuck Noll’s Pittsburgh Steelers went on to capture an additional 3 Super Bowl titles—Super Bowl X and XIII, both by defeating the Dallas Cowboys, and Super Bowl XIV, by defeating the Los Angeles Rams;

Whereas Chuck Noll is best known for masterminding the Steel Curtain, one of the most stout and prolific defensive units in National Football League history;

Whereas both Chuck Noll’s ability to identify talent and his hands-on coaching technique led to Hall of Fame careers for more than 10 of Chuck Noll's players;

Whereas, following 23 football seasons and 193 football game wins, including a record 4 Super Bowl titles as a head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chuck Noll was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as part of the Class of 1993; and

Whereas, on June 13, 2014, Chuck Noll passed away surrounded by loved ones at his home in Sewickley, Pennsylvania at the age of 82: Now, therefore, be it