For Immediate Release
January 30,
2006
THE STORY BEHIND THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS LOGO
How AISI’s
Steelmark made it to the Super Bowl
WASHINGTON,
D.C.– The Pittsburgh Steelers famed
three-star logo is one of the most familiar symbols in
sports. Displayed on the right side of each
player’s helmet, the logo symbolizes the strength of the Steelers
and the Steel City the team represents. Seven decades after Art Rooney purchased the NFL franchise and
four Super Bowl victories later with a potential championship this year,
the story of the Steelmark and how the Steelers acquired it, is widely
unknown, even to some of the team’s most avid fans and
supporters.
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| With the interest
generated by having the logo on only one side of their helmets along
with the team’s new success, the Steelers decided to leave the
helmet that way permanently. Today's helmet reflects the way the
logo was originally applied and it has never been changed. |
The three four-pointed starlike figures within the
circle, called hypocycloids for their geometric origin, made it to the
NFL in 1962, when Rooney adopted the Steelmark for his football
team. The Steelers logo is based on the
Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute
(AISI). The Steelmark was originally created for United States Steel Corporation to
promote the attributes of steel: yellow
lightens your work; orange brightens your leisure; and blue widens your
world. The logo’s meaning was later
amended to represent the three materials used to produce
steel: yellow for coal; orange for iron ore;
and blue for steel scrap.
Back in the early 60s, the Steelers had to petition AISI in order to
change the word "Steel" inside the Steelmark to "Steelers" before the
logo was complete. Cleveland's Republic Steel suggested to the
Steelers that they use the Steelmark as a helmet logo.
In order to test out the Steelmark and see how it looked on their
all-gold helmets, the Steelers equipment manager was instructed to put
it on only the right side of the helmet. That year the Steelers
finished with a 9-5 mark and became the winningest team in franchise
history to date. They wanted to do something special for their first
postseason game, so they changed the color of their helmets from gold to
black, which helped to highlight the new logo.
The interest generated by having the logo on only one side of their
helmets along with the team’s new success, the Steelers decided to
leave the helmet that way permanently. Today's helmet reflects the
way the logo was originally applied and it has never been changed.
AISI serves as the voice of
the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and
advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material
of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in
the development and application of new steels and steelmaking
technology. AISI is comprised of 33 member
companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and
118 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of
the steel industry. AISI's member companies
represent over 75 percent of both U.S. and North American steel
capacity. For more news about steel and its
applications, view AISI’s website at www.steel.org.
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For More Information:
CONTACT:
Elizabeth
Vago
Director, Communications
American Iron and Steel Institute
tel: 202.452.7126
Deanna
Lorincz
Director, Automotive
Communications
American Iron and Steel Institute
tel: 248.945.4763
fax: 248.352.1740
Katie
Gallagher
Communications Associate
American Iron and Steel Institute
tel: 202.452.7116
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