After Reading Chuck Noll: His Life's Work

After Reading Chuck Noll: His Life's Work

Michael MacCambridge

I would imagine that I share a sense of Chuck Noll with a few million Pittsburgh Steeler fans -- that Coach Noll (The Emperor, Chaz, Bubba to his next generation family) was immensely private, exceedingly professional, exceptionally talented leader of the four-time Super Bowl Champions.

From Michael MacCambridge's book, I learned that he was even more stoic than I imagined, but more importantly, it was probably to hide his immense emotions. We learn this from his childhood, his illnesses, his relationship to family (his debilitated father, his care for his widow sister and children) and most importantly in his marriage.

The underlying story is the love of Chuck and Marianne, and that story is amazing in terms of what is revealed, what is understated and how it played out. Noll's relationships are presented as beingconsistent as his character. We learn that when Marianne questioned why he never said "I love you", his reply was that he said it once, and if anything changes he'll be sure to tell her.

That was one amazing lady by the glimpses we see, the realities she endured, the depth of that marriage -- reading between the lines makes her all the more heroic and fascinating.

We learn that Coach Noll was never one to reveal his emotions, but then again, we Steelers Fans knew that well. For example, his reactions to winning championships was to get ready for the next season. It is ironic that the book reveals so much of that hidden emotion, through the quotes and stories and interactions with his players, seemingly none of whom ever connected with him personally, and in the rare times he opened up, he reverted back -- to himself -- on the next interaction.

Those infamouse jibes at Franco, Bradshaw and others about getting on with their life's work becomes all the more meaningful after reading this book.

As a coach, we learn that Noll was first and foremost a teacher. He hired out his staff to implement his vision and his methods. He was a strong advocate of hard-hitting practices, repetition, preparedness, positioning, technique. The glimpse of him teaching his niece about math when she was confused was one more show of his consistency.

He taught by example, persistence and a level of indifference to get it done.

It was interesting to learn how brilliant Noll was from his college days. We learn of his epilepsy and his thirst for knowledge, both of which impacted his efforts, his will, to get to Notre Dame. But he landed at Dayton and the rest of the story just seems to be one of his willpower and drive. The man called the "pope" because of his knowledge and intense interest in learning, seemed to be vastly in control of his future.

It is easy to envision Chuck Noll as an unknown teacher who could have impacted hundreds of lives in various professions.

Yet he was a more famous teacher who impacted hundreds of lives of football players and coaches.

Whether pushing for and selecting Joe Greene or taking a chance on a very young Tony Dungy, Noll seemed to get the most out of his players. I'll have a bit more about this later.

Vastly interesting is the early career of Noll. He played for his hometown Cleveland Browns and coached in San Diego for Gillman in the AFL. His peers included Al Davis and Don Shula.

If you want the stories, depth and details of the Steelers under Chuck Noll, this book has it all and I'll not rehash the Super Bowl era nor the "one for the thumb" near misses of the 1980's. In hindsight many may write off that era, but after reading the book, there are some questions -- despite his reputation and his dismissal of Franco, his indifference and "get on with your life's work" quotes, and his lack of friendliness with his players -- about his being too loyalty, about his being too trusting, about his insistence on having a great team and staying the course.

Was it the few bad picks, the tragic accident of a first round pick, a stubborn loyalty to aging stars, and an understated trust in Bradshaw (despite Bradshaw's keeping secret his arm trouble)?

Noll led by practice, hard work, example. His take on race with his players was a shining example for the Steelers Nation and the world at large. With some notable exceptions where players got more slack. Noll never forgot how White left the hospital to cement the first Steeler Super Bowl win. The saga of Joe Gilliam and the rotation of Bradshaw/Hanratty/Gilliam leading to that first Super Bowl is fascinating in that the most popular guy was Hanratty, the long term was with Bradshaw, but Gilliam very well could have been the first black Super Bowl winning QB if not for his apparent drug use.

Opportunities given to Greene and Dungy as very young coaches cannot be overlooked.

With his avoidance of rah-rah speeches and understated motivation, things Noll did say, from the 'criminal element' situation with the Raiders and the ensuing lawsuit, to the response to the Raiders dismissal -- Noll stated that the "the best team in football is right here in this room" before the Steelers went out and won the AFC Championship.

I found one statement by Noll to be the most telling and motivating - "A lack of preparation is the killer of success." Strong, simple words for all of us.

Of course the powerful story framing this book is the love of Marianne and Chuck and the fading years of the all-time great coach. Alzheimer's is not pretty, and the secret was held (for better or worse, but decisions based on marriage are deeply respected and ultimately the best course).

Joe Greene

One of the biggest take-aways is the appreciation felt by Noll for Greene. This is one of those items for me to say -- read the book, because I cannot do the references justice out of context.

John Stallworth

Like a number of the aging Super Bowl players, one sensed that Noll could be either be brutally heartless or silently, stubbornly dedicated. Stallworth seemed to understand Noll more than most, and it seemed to be reciprocated.

Cliff Stoudt

I can re-tell the story, explain the letter he sent to his coach, the involvement of Marianne Noll, but I want you to read the book, not the pull-quotes. This seems to perfectly summarize Chuck Noll's relationships -- the unspoken depths on either end, the apparently pain of that silence, but the unmistakable bond and impact.

Merrill Hoge

No Steeler fan would question Hoge's intellect and appreciation of the game, but Noll called him out in a rather painful fashion after mental mistakes ... as if to coax the man into earning his reputation? Noll seemed to have a knack for pushing the right buttons, even if those buttons were a mixed message on multiple levels, which of course leads to...

Terry Bradshaw

Nothing is quite so frustrating as the high level story of the relationship of coach and quarterback. Brady and Belichick seems so mundane after delving into the details in this book. To plumb the depths of either Noll or Bradshaw's psyches would be unimaginable, but the sense of Bradshaw not understanding Noll while bemoaning Noll's indifference to his drama is probably not so difficult to spell out, yet amazing to read. Would either man be historic without each other? Would either be great if they never had the relationship so fraught with tension?

It's easy to be overly kind to a book that touts a legendary figure in your hometown, but what I enjoyed from Michael MacCambridge was a keen collection of insights and well-crafted stories. He helped the reader understand the subject, relived the glory days and the what could have been years with a difficult balance that can only be called integrity. Most of all, MacCambridge told a story about the human condition that we can learn from, especially that stifled emotions for one's protection might have made for a better teacher, but often caused confusion among those who needed a bit that level of connection.

Thankfully Chuck had that in his private life, with his wife.