10 historical facts about Pittsburgh Steelers football

1. The Pittsburgh Steelers were originally called the Pittsburgh Pirates in the team's first season.
2. When was that first season? Way back in 1933.
3. The name "Steelers" would not be applied to the team until 1940.
4. In 1943, the Steelers were merged for one year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Officially the name of this combined team was "Eagles," but fans often referred to it as the "Steagles." Why the merger? Because both teams had lost numerous players to military service for World War II, and each franchise alone did not have enough players to field a full team.
5. In 1944, the Steelers merged for one year with the Chicago Cardinals, and the team was called "Card-Pitt." The Steelers would go it alone and fully reclaim the name "Steelers in 1945.
6. Not counting the upcoming 2010 Super Bowl appearance, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl a total of seven times. And they won six times. The team has had more wins at the Super Bowl than any other NFL team.
7. Only one team, the Dallas Cowboys, has been to the Super Bowl more than the Steelers. The Cowboys have been eight times, and the Steelers will tie that number in a few days at Super Bowl XLV.
8. The Steelers is the only team in NFL history to regularly place its logo on only one side of its players' helmets.
9. The Steelers were one of three original NFL teams, along with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts, to join the new American Football Conference in 1970.
10. In 2007, the Steelers got their first official mascot, Steely McBeam. More than 700,000 fans of the team made suggestions for the mascot's name before a winner was picked.