I remember this game like it was yesterday. It had been 5 yrs since the Steelers had made the playoffs which is a eternity when your a teenager. We had moved out to California and never got to see Steeler games during those yrs. Was back in Pittsburgh for Christmas and all me and my brother wanted for Christmas was the Steelers in the playoffs. We needed a Christmas miracle and Santa delivered
Fun fact about that 89 playoff run? They weren't one-and-done either. They beat the Oilers in overtime--leading to the dismissal of Jerry Glanville--and nearly upset the Broncos at Mile High the following week. Had they held on to win that game, they would've played the Browns for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Granted, they are by far the worst Steelers team to make the playoffs (though last year's team can make a strong case), but they weren't pushovers either. And it set the tone for Cowher Power in the 1990s.
I get a little tired of how bad this Steeler team is often potrtayed. Yes, they started terrible, down 92-10. They went 9-5 afterwards, and a gawdawful call by the inept Ben Dreith in a November home loss to the Oilers in bad weather kept the Steelers from going 10-6 and winning the AFC Central. Had the Oilers beaten the Browns the Saturday night before - the Browns pulled out a last second win to go 9-6-1 and the Oilers ended up 9-7 - the Steelers would not have needed all the help they got on Sunday and Monday night. I remember that cold. I was working in Washington, DC and drove home on a bitter cold Thursday night. I was going 70 on Interstate 70 and the PA Turnpike - screw the 55 speed limit and no state trooper was going to pull anyone over for speeding that night. My heater was turned up full hot and the air was still chilly. I stopped in Cranberry, PA to get a hot chocolate. It was there that I was reminded to put a sheet of cardboard over the radiator to keep the frigid air out. It warmed up a few days after Christmas. Had the Steelers beaten the Broncos, and they should have - they would likely have beaten the aging Browns and gone to the Super Bowl. An 8-7 1987 Steeler team beat the 49ers so a 49er blowout was not certain.
@@penguinsfan251 Yes, a very underrated team and probably Noll's best job if coaching. Tons of great young talent that got off to a historic bad start but came of age. Lipps' last hurrah before back and hamstrings cut his career short. 90' was going to be our Super Bowl year! Then Bubby hurt his knee and elbow, Lipps' injuries and several other key injuries killed us. But this 89' team will always be special. Brister, Lipps, Hoge, Anderson, Ikin, Dawson, Woodson, Lloyd, Lake. What an entertaining team.
I went to this game with my brother who was a big steelers fan. It was really cold that day in fact my brother tried to get money for the game from several ATM machines and the weather was so bad that they weren't working. Inside the stadium when you were in the stands it was comfortable a little cold but comfortable. When you went to the concession stands though it was brutal, the wind was kicking bad and it was extremely cold. We knew going in to the game that the steelers had to win and needed a lot of help. Needless to say my brother was happy at the end of the day because they got in to the playoffs. It was a nice day overall with my brother. For the record I am a bucs fan and didn't like the out come of the game but still enjoyed the day.
I didn't attend that game, so I couldn't watch it (blacked out throughout Central Florida) and I didn't hear about ATMs failing due to the frigid weather. Thank goodness you were still able to enjoy the day despite our Bucs' awful performance.
That's Pittsburgh when it really comes down to it. I've lived there for two years so I've seen it first hand. When the whole city knows a major event is bound to take place, everyone bands together like good neighbors to accommodate and to help make something good happen, even if it's a bad situation. Buffalo is the same way.......that's why they're called the city of good neighbors. That title could also apply to Pittsburgh, but they have a greater title.
isn't it ironic that the steelers played tampa and almost a year later the gladiators moved there? even so, the gladiators/storm were the only original arena football team that lasted throughout the leagues' existence ('86-'19). #nerdalert
The Gladiators moved to the then-Florida Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field) in downtown St. Petersburg and had some crazy attendance figures there. Thankfully, they moved to a more conventional Arena Football environment when the Ice Palace (now AMALIE Arena) opene.d in downtown Tampa in the mid-'90s. I enjoyed watching the Storm in person when it moved to downtown Tampa and I even attended one of its ArenaBowl wins.
@@marcus813 I remembered before the rays existed, the lightning was housed there and it was named the thunderdome. Too bad they didn't make that their permanent home, they shattered attendance records in that place. They could've shared it with the rays if they wanted to. Just saying.
@@jwbogacki I attended my 1st NHL game on Feb. 22, 1996, when the Bolts hosted the Avalanche, the eventual Stanley Cup Champion. The Bolts set many attendance records, but they were better off in a more conventional hockey setup in a superior venue. I'm not sure how sustainable hosting games in downtown St. Pete would've been long term.
@@marcus813 I saw them play many times when they came to Philly(I used to cover the Soul until the league shut down for the 2009 season) and had some good conversations with coach Marcum. Nice guy and a football encyclopedia.
I'm an Arena Football fan and it's a shame this league is no more. It was a fun league. And yes while teams moved around, sprung up, and folded, the league was still able to last over 30 seasons. The Gladiators moved to Tampa and became the Storm in 1991 and became one of the league's most successful franchise winning 5 titles(tied with the Arizona Rattlers). As for their field, an AFL field is much softer than an NFL field and if the players were complaining about practicing on cement to be honest the playing surface at Three Rivers wasn't much softer.
The same day as Bucs - Steelers, I was in NJ watching the Giants host Bo Jackson and the Raiders. We had good tickets about 8 rows up on the 20 yard line because nobody wanted to go in the freezing cold. I only remember the halftime show was a guy throwing Frisbees to a dog who jumped to catch them.
I remember the story of the Steelers using the convention center and the arena turf. I can tell from experiencing that week that it was brutally cold, and we didn't have school as you mentioned in the video. A few years later the Steelers started using a bubble at Duquesne University that the Rooney's had donated money to install
I had just moved to Florida from PA 3 years before and that was the first NFL game I ever attended. It was so cold that day that Tampa Stadium's metal bleachers were quickly draining all my body heat away, so I bought a program to sit on. The Steelers kicker Gary Anderson was on the cover so that kind of tells you how the Steelers were lacking star players at the time. I saw the day's events as a Christmas miracle. I had no idea of all the efforts that went into preparation for the game.
Civic Arena couldn't be used for Steelers practice that week as the Penguins had home games during the week. And being the primary tenant, and owners at the time, got to use it first. And in a month would be hosting the NHL All-Star game. So I don't think Edward DeBartolo, Sr. would want anything to happen to his arena.
It wasn't cold just here in Tampa that day. All of Florida was frigid! Even the Dolphins had to host the Chiefs in icebox-like conditions just outside Miami that day. I remember us having a brownout that month and I have rarely been that cold here in the Tampa Bay Area. I think that might be the coldest home game in Bucs history. It was blacked out throughout Central Florida and given how bad the Bucs looked that day, maybe it was for the best.
@@Unknown-bq9id I didn't know coastal Texas was that frigid back then, too. I've always known that H-Town could get cold during the winter sometimes, but not THAT cold.
It's not really a shock when you think about the Pittsburgh if you know the background here. The teams always have a pretty good working relationship with one another. Anytime the Steelers or penguins are playing a big prime-time game? The Pirates will usually accommodate them by changing their night game to A-Day game so people, and working media, can attend both.
This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about the Steelers-Jets game in 2003 in which inclement weather condition preparation (or lack thereof) didn’t go the Steelers way.
Jack Lambert had a legendary practice with the Steelers before being drafted in 1974, in which he was flying all over a parking lot. He would have been right at home with the cement floor.
Schooling in the Pittsburgh area wouldn’t have needed to close for the cold weather. Christmas vacation was approaching and would have been closed anyway.
![ค้าง (STILL) - GEMINI [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ftxx3hk5vkU/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember this game like it was yesterday. It had been 5 yrs since the Steelers had made the playoffs which is a eternity when your a teenager. We had moved out to California and never got to see Steeler games during those yrs. Was back in Pittsburgh for Christmas and all me and my brother wanted for Christmas was the Steelers in the playoffs. We needed a Christmas miracle and Santa delivered
Fun fact about that 89 playoff run? They weren't one-and-done either. They beat the Oilers in overtime--leading to the dismissal of Jerry Glanville--and nearly upset the Broncos at Mile High the following week. Had they held on to win that game, they would've played the Browns for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
Granted, they are by far the worst Steelers team to make the playoffs (though last year's team can make a strong case), but they weren't pushovers either. And it set the tone for Cowher Power in the 1990s.
I get a little tired of how bad this Steeler team is often potrtayed. Yes, they started terrible, down 92-10. They went 9-5 afterwards, and a gawdawful call by the inept Ben Dreith in a November home loss to the Oilers in bad weather kept the Steelers from going 10-6 and winning the AFC Central.
Had the Oilers beaten the Browns the Saturday night before - the Browns pulled out a last second win to go 9-6-1 and the Oilers ended up 9-7 - the Steelers would not have needed all the help they got on Sunday and Monday night.
I remember that cold. I was working in Washington, DC and drove home on a bitter cold Thursday night. I was going 70 on Interstate 70 and the PA Turnpike - screw the 55 speed limit and no state trooper was going to pull anyone over for speeding that night. My heater was turned up full hot and the air was still chilly.
I stopped in Cranberry, PA to get a hot chocolate. It was there that I was reminded to put a sheet of cardboard over the radiator to keep the frigid air out. It warmed up a few days after Christmas.
Had the Steelers beaten the Broncos, and they should have - they would likely have beaten the aging Browns and gone to the Super Bowl. An 8-7 1987 Steeler team beat the 49ers so a 49er blowout was not certain.
@@penguinsfan251 Yes, a very underrated team and probably Noll's best job if coaching. Tons of great young talent that got off to a historic bad start but came of age. Lipps' last hurrah before back and hamstrings cut his career short. 90' was going to be our Super Bowl year! Then Bubby hurt his knee and elbow, Lipps' injuries and several other key injuries killed us. But this 89' team will always be special. Brister, Lipps, Hoge, Anderson, Ikin, Dawson, Woodson, Lloyd, Lake. What an entertaining team.
Old ASTRO turf was basically like painting concrete green. That's the irony of the story to me.
1n 1989, Denver was AFC Champion for the 3rd time in 4 yrs and were rewarded with the most humiliating SB pounding yet.
Not the only humiliating pounding Denver has taken in the SB.
I went to this game with my brother who was a big steelers fan. It was really cold that day in fact my brother tried to get money for the game from several ATM machines and the weather was so bad that they weren't working. Inside the stadium when you were in the stands it was comfortable a little cold but comfortable. When you went to the concession stands though it was brutal, the wind was kicking bad and it was extremely cold. We knew going in to the game that the steelers had to win and needed a lot of help. Needless to say my brother was happy at the end of the day because they got in to the playoffs. It was a nice day overall with my brother. For the record I am a bucs fan and didn't like the out come of the game but still enjoyed the day.
I didn't attend that game, so I couldn't watch it (blacked out throughout Central Florida) and I didn't hear about ATMs failing due to the frigid weather. Thank goodness you were still able to enjoy the day despite our Bucs' awful performance.
That's Pittsburgh when it really comes down to it. I've lived there for two years so I've seen it first hand. When the whole city knows a major event is bound to take place, everyone bands together like good neighbors to accommodate and to help make something good happen, even if it's a bad situation.
Buffalo is the same way.......that's why they're called the city of good neighbors. That title could also apply to Pittsburgh, but they have a greater title.
High of 47 and Low of 27? Wow, I haven’t seen temps like that in months! That’s balmy.
isn't it ironic that the steelers played tampa and almost a year later the gladiators moved there? even so, the gladiators/storm were the only original arena football team that lasted throughout the leagues' existence ('86-'19).
#nerdalert
The Gladiators moved to the then-Florida Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field) in downtown St. Petersburg and had some crazy attendance figures there. Thankfully, they moved to a more conventional Arena Football environment when the Ice Palace (now AMALIE Arena) opene.d in downtown Tampa in the mid-'90s. I enjoyed watching the Storm in person when it moved to downtown Tampa and I even attended one of its ArenaBowl wins.
@@marcus813
I remembered before the rays existed, the lightning was housed there and it was named the thunderdome. Too bad they didn't make that their permanent home, they shattered attendance records in that place. They could've shared it with the rays if they wanted to. Just saying.
@@jwbogacki I attended my 1st NHL game on Feb. 22, 1996, when the Bolts hosted the Avalanche, the eventual Stanley Cup Champion. The Bolts set many attendance records, but they were better off in a more conventional hockey setup in a superior venue. I'm not sure how sustainable hosting games in downtown St. Pete would've been long term.
@@marcus813 I saw them play many times when they came to Philly(I used to cover the Soul until the league shut down for the 2009 season) and had some good conversations with coach Marcum. Nice guy and a football encyclopedia.
I'm an Arena Football fan and it's a shame this league is no more. It was a fun league. And yes while teams moved around, sprung up, and folded, the league was still able to last over 30 seasons. The Gladiators moved to Tampa and became the Storm in 1991 and became one of the league's most successful franchise winning 5 titles(tied with the Arizona Rattlers). As for their field, an AFL field is much softer than an NFL field and if the players were complaining about practicing on cement to be honest the playing surface at Three Rivers wasn't much softer.
All I remember is woohoo day off from skool! That rarely/never happened at my HS because we couldn't afford school buses.
That is an interesting story. Love your vids JG9
The same day as Bucs - Steelers, I was in NJ watching the Giants host Bo Jackson and the Raiders.
We had good tickets about 8 rows up on the 20 yard line because nobody wanted to go in the freezing cold.
I only remember the halftime show was a guy throwing Frisbees to a dog who jumped to catch them.
I remember the story of the Steelers using the convention center and the arena turf. I can tell from experiencing that week that it was brutally cold, and we didn't have school as you mentioned in the video. A few years later the Steelers started using a bubble at Duquesne University that the Rooney's had donated money to install
Coincidentally, the Gladiators moved to Tampa in 1991.
Isn't it ironic that, of all of the host-cities for the Pittsburgh Gladiators to relocate to, they wound up in Tampa Bay?!
I had just moved to Florida from PA 3 years before and that was the first NFL game I ever attended. It was so cold that day that Tampa Stadium's metal bleachers were quickly draining all my body heat away, so I bought a program to sit on. The Steelers kicker Gary Anderson was on the cover so that kind of tells you how the Steelers were lacking star players at the time. I saw the day's events as a Christmas miracle. I had no idea of all the efforts that went into preparation for the game.
Civic Arena couldn't be used for Steelers practice that week as the Penguins had home games during the week. And being the primary tenant, and owners at the time, got to use it first. And in a month would be hosting the NHL All-Star game. So I don't think Edward DeBartolo, Sr. would want anything to happen to his arena.
It wasn't cold just here in Tampa that day. All of Florida was frigid! Even the Dolphins had to host the Chiefs in icebox-like conditions just outside Miami that day. I remember us having a brownout that month and I have rarely been that cold here in the Tampa Bay Area. I think that might be the coldest home game in Bucs history. It was blacked out throughout Central Florida and given how bad the Bucs looked that day, maybe it was for the best.
“Miami Ice”
And it wasn't just Florida--Corpus Christi got down to 15 degrees on December 24, 1989, while Houston got down to 7 degrees on December 22nd, 1989...
@@Unknown-bq9id I didn't know coastal Texas was that frigid back then, too. I've always known that H-Town could get cold during the winter sometimes, but not THAT cold.
You Floridians can't handle when temperatures get below 60 degrees.
It's not really a shock when you think about the Pittsburgh if you know the background here. The teams always have a pretty good working relationship with one another.
Anytime the Steelers or penguins are playing a big prime-time game? The Pirates will usually accommodate them by changing their night game to A-Day game so people, and working media, can attend both.
you should do the one about how a stubbed toe helped so-and-so win
I always wondered why the original Arena Football League had a hockey stick incorporated in the letter R
I was never a fan of Arena League but boy did they play fast & high speed. I love that a game in 30's was defensive struggle.
I miss arena league.
This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about the Steelers-Jets game in 2003 in which inclement weather condition preparation (or lack thereof) didn’t go the Steelers way.
Rooney was pissed!!!
Jack Lambert had a legendary practice with the Steelers before being drafted in 1974, in
which he was flying all over a parking lot. He would have been right at home with the cement floor.
Very interesting and watch us lose the bucs Steelers going to Super Bowl
Well you were wrong.
Thank you
@@mountaineernews2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Concrete...not cement.
Schooling in the Pittsburgh area wouldn’t have needed to close for the cold weather. Christmas vacation was approaching and would have been closed anyway.
Concrete sir, not cement. Cement is an ingredient of concrete
However, Christmas was on a Monday in 1989 and the last day before Christmas Vacation was December 22.
It's a pity the seasons didn't align; I was jonesin' for a Scrimmage or at least a Joint Practice.
Bucs wore white jerseys at home despite the chilly weather in Tampa.