Fantastic, filled with articles written by people who - University of ...

SPORTS/FOOTBALL
MAY
384 PP. ■ 6.125 X 9.25
0-8229-5945-3 ■ PAPER $19.95t
Randy Roberts, professor of history at Purdue
University, is the author or editor of fourteen
books, including Pittsburgh Sports: Stories from
the Steel City. He is the recipient of the Ray and
Pat Browne Award from the Popular Culture
Association.
David Welky is assistant professor of history at
University of Central Arkansas. He is coeditor,
with Randy Roberts, of Charles A. Lindbergh:
The Power and Peril of Celebrity, 1927–1941.
One for the Thumb
The New Steelers Reader
Edited by Randy Roberts and David Welky
“An excellent publication all fans of the Steelers must read.”
—Dan Rooney
“A touchdown! This book is sure to touch the heart and soul of every Pittsburgh Steelers
fan. Highly recommended reading.”
—Franco Harris
“Fantastic, filled with articles written by people who were fascinated with the players
and understood the aspects of the game . . . interesting for the die-hard fan and the casual
observer alike, giving a complete picture of the Steelers and their impact on Pittsburgh
sports, from their less-than-memorable moments to their greatest achievements.”
—Pittsburgh City Paper
“What better way to learn the history of the Steelers than through the words of the
sportswriters who covered them and the athletes who played for them?”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On February 5, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers joined the ranks of the elite teams
in National Football League history, celebrating their fifth Super Bowl victory.
From an unspectacular 7-5 start, to completing the greatest playoff run ever,
to the fairy tale ending of Jerome Bettis’s Hall of Fame career and the vindication of Bill
Cowher’s coaching tenure, the 2005 season was not only one for the thumb, but “truly
one for the ages.”
One for the Thumb is a collection of the best stories about the fabled franchise by
local and national sportswriters, and former players. It covers the team’s history from Art
Rooney Sr.’s purchase of the NFL franchise in 1933 for $2,500 to their Super Bowl XL
victory. From their frustrating early days as the Pirates, Steagles, and Card-Pitts, through
their four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, to the fateful day in 2004 when they selected Ben
Roethlisberger as the eleventh overall pick in the draft, One for the Thumb captures the
essence of the team whose identity is forever linked with the spirit of the hardworking,
blue-collar city it represents.
From immortals Bobby Layne, Ernie Stautner, and John Henry Johnson, to Chuck
Noll, Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene, Rocky Bleier, and Neil O’Donnell, to current greats
Troy Polamalu, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, and Bill Cowher, One for the Thumb is
the definitive anthology of the Pittsburgh Steelers—a must-read for all fans of the team and
the game of football.
FA L L & W I N T E R 2 0 0 6 ■ U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H P R E S S 1