The Curse of the Super Steelers?

WTAE: Steelers Curse? Ex-Players' Deaths Puzzling

As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to defend their first Super Bowl title in 26 years, they are also dealing with a troublesome legacy.

Some might even call it a curse -- the sudden, unusual, untimely deaths of several players from the 1970s and 1980s.

The Los Angeles Times reported that 18 former Steelers -- ranging in age from 35 to 58 -- have died since 2000.

Seven of those 18 passed away over the last 16 months.

Those numbers stunned Bill Nunn, a longtime Steelers scout who is now retired.

"For that number of players to be gone at this stage -- and they were all relatively young men -- naturally, I was very surprised at the number," Nunn told Channel 4 Action News anchor Andrew Stockey.

Nunn knew those men -- including Hall of Fame center Mike Webster, one of seven ex-Steelers to die from some sort of heart failure since 2000.
Steroids have been suspected but never proved in some of those heart-related deaths, Stockey said.

And it would be easy to blame steroids -- if not for the unusual deaths of several other black-and-gold heroes.

Former lineman Steve Courson was crushed while trying to save his dog from a falling tree at his rural home.

Former guard Terry Long committed suicide by drinking antifreeze.

Former tackle Justin Strzelczyk died in a bizarre high-speed chase on the New York Thruway.

"It's an anomaly that you can point to one team that has had the success that the Steelers have had and then you break it down to that number of young men who have died," Nunn said. "I would not put it in a jinx thing, because I don't believe in jinxes."

Whether you believe in a curse or not, the facts say the Steelers have suffered their share of tragedy.

Since 2000, 77 people who played in the National Football League in the 1970s and 1980s died. Of that group, more than one-fifth wore black and gold.