{"id":5619,"date":"2015-07-29T05:00:25","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=5619"},"modified":"2015-07-28T16:52:07","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T20:52:07","slug":"the-57-steelers-and-their-colorful-chain-smoking-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2015\/07\/29\/the-57-steelers-and-their-colorful-chain-smoking-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"The ’57 Steelers and their colorful, chain-smoking coach"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Offensive <\/a>
Offensive lineman and tavern owner Mike Sandusky was with the Steelers through the 1965 season. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In five season with the Steelers, Jack Nisby became a Pro Bowler at offensive line and a community leader. He worked with the Pittsburgh Courier to ensure that companies doing business with the Steelers had equitable employment practices. He died at age 74 in 2011. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Jug <\/a>
Jug Girard was a veteran by the time he came to Pittsburgh. He’d played nearly a decade with the Packers and the Lions. During the ’57 season, the Steelers used his as an end and a punter. After retirement he ran a Detroit-area bar called “The Lion’s Den,” then worked as a manufacturer’s representative. He died in 1997 at age 69. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fullback <\/a>
Fullback Bill Bowman played only one season for the Steelers. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Halfback <\/a>
Halfback Billy Wells played only one season for the Steelers. He began his career in Washington and played for Philadelphia and Boston. After retiring from football, he played banjo and sang in a Dixieland band called Billie and his Bachelors and acted in a few television shows. He died on Christmas day in 2001. He was 70. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rookie <\/a>
Rookie Dean Derby was a defensive back from Washington University. He played for the Steelers until 1961, when he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The biggest newcomer to the 1957 Steelers was defensive lineman Dave Liddick who came from Detroit. He weighed 250 pounds and was cut after his second season. For a while he shared an Oakland apartment with quarterback Jack Kemp, who later became a star for the Buffalo Bills and later a Republican congressman and presidential candidate. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sid <\/a>
Sid Fournet came to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles in 1957. He also played for the Dallas Texans and the New York Titans and Jets. He died at age 78 in 2011. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Shortly <\/a>
Shortly after taking the reigns, Steelers coach Buddy Parker posed at the team’s training camp at St. Bonaventure University in August 1957. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers assistant coach Nick Skorich huddles with the Steeler offensive platoon. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers coach Buddy Parker greets veteran and future Hall of Famer Ernie Stautner at training camp. The original caption reads, “Parker is aloof with his players and mostly contacts them through aides.” (Stewart Love\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers coach Buddy Parker confers with assistant (and former head coach) Walt Kiesling (left) at training camp in August 1957. (Stewart Love\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers scrimmage during training camp in August 1957. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers assistant coach Nick Skorich runs a blocking drill. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers coach Buddy Parker with his quarterbacks. From left, Ted Marchibroda, Buddy Parker Jack Scarbath and Len Dawson. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Steelers <\/a>
Steelers coach Buddy Parker poses with film at the team’s training camp. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Meal <\/a>
Meal time at the Steelers training camp. (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

In 1957, the Steelers celebrated their 25th anniversary \u2014 a quarter century of dreadful football. The team began that year with the bumbling Walt Kiesling as coach. Kiesling is mostly remembered as the guy who cut from the team a young and promising Pittsburgh quarterback named Johnny Unitas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In late August, however, Kiesling was out. His replacement: Buddy Parker. It seemed like a great move. Parker was famous for making champions out of the once-awful Detroit Lions. Maybe he could do the same here.<\/p>\n

Kiesling said goodbye to his team in a speech most notable for its lack of drama. \u201cKiesling has no emotion about anything,\u201d said one Steelers official, \u201cunless it\u2019s a horse coming down the stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in came Parker. He was one of those profane, chain-smoking guys from professional football\u2019s early days. During games, he\u2019d squat on the sidelines (squatting gave him a better view of the blocking, he claimed) and burn through two packs of cigarettes.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This is a typical Buddy Parker pose — squatting on the sidelines. This picture was made when Parker was a coach in Detroit in 1953. (The Detroit News)
Click the image to see a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another of Parker\u2019s charms was his fear of unlucky numbers. He refused to stay in rooms whose numbers added up to 13. An example: Room 1903 was a no-no. True story. It happened in Baltimore in 1957.<\/p>\n

Upon his arrival, Parker had an immediate impact on the team. He released older players, traded others and gave up draft choices. So many new faces joined the team that, in November, The Pittsburgh Press felt compelled to introduce them by publishing a gallery of photographic portraits shot at Forbes Field. We recently found the original 4×5 negatives and, as you can see in this post, they\u2019re in splendid shape.<\/p>\n

The newbies were an earnest-looking bunch, with great names like Jug Girard, Jack Nisby and Aubrey Rozzell. Lineman Mike Sandusky grins at the camera, showing a gap where a tooth had been knocked out. Halfback Billy Wells appears to be snarling, or perhaps fighting off a sneeze.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s rebuilt Steelers finished 6-6 in 1957, then improved to 7-5 in \u201858. It seemed the city would finally have a pro football team worth bragging about.<\/p>\n

Players respected Parker as a coach. After losses, though, they feared the man. Parker was a terrible loser. After a defeat, he was known to hit the bottle and, with curses flying, go looking for a fight among the players he felt had cost him the game. Sometimes he\u2019d he\u2019d tape his hands like a boxer\u2019s to better prepare himself for fisticuffs. Players who\u2019d screwed up cowered in their rooms.<\/p>\n

\"Assistants<\/a>
Assistants meet with Steelers head coach Buddy Parker (second from right). (Stewart Love\/The Pittsburgh Press)
Click the image to see a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes Parker\u2019s actions made little sense. One loss left him so angry he cut up his necktie. Another inspired him to put his entire roster on waivers. The commissioner told him such a move wasn\u2019t allowed. \u201cWhy not?\u201d Parker asked. \u201cThey all stink.\u201d<\/p>\n

Particularly galling defeats often drove Parker to announce he was quitting the Steelers. Writers thinking they had a scoop would run with the story, only to be embarrassed when Parker showed up for work on Monday. Press sports editor Pat Livingston learned to hold news of Parker\u2019s resignations for a day or two, saving himself from writing a correction.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s best year was 1962, when the Steelers finished 9-5 and earned 2nd place in the Eastern Division. But by 1964, the Steelers were once again the losers they\u2019d always been.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I can handle this team anymore,\u201d Parker told owner Art Rooney.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so either,\u201d Rooney said.<\/p>\n

And that was the end of Parker in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\"Buy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 1957 Steelers entered training camp as a lousy team, but new coach Buddy Parker was determined to make winners out of losers, even if he had to resort to fisticuffs.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesThe ’57 Steelers and their colorful, chain-smoking coach<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[944],"tags":[961,976,977,1019,1030,1036],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Digs.TumblrHTY_buddyparker006.jpg?fit=1080%2C870&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2592,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/08\/27\/donelli-short-lived-coach-for-the-steelers\/","url_meta":{"origin":5619,"position":0},"title":"Buff Donelli, short-lived coach for the Steelers","date":"August 27, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"The team lost five straight under Donelli, who left after the NFL forced him to decide between college and the pros.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/tumblr_m99nre95aR1rr5swxo1_1280-e1418794650329.jpg?fit=1200%2C828&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9521,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2019\/07\/24\/chuck-nolls-summer-of-69\/","url_meta":{"origin":5619,"position":1},"title":"Chuck Noll’s summer of ’69","date":"July 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"First in a series looking back at Chuck Noll's first season with the Steelers Believe it or not, it's already been 50 years since legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll's first training camp in Pittsburgh. 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