The home near East 74th Street belonged to Noll's grandparents. That certainly wasnt my view of the world at the time. Craig Wolfley played offensive tackle and guard for the Steelers from 1980 to 1989 and is a color analyst/sideline reporter for the teams radio broadcast. He couldnt be nicer. And [Noll] taught me that. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. I'm really not a celebrity; I'm just a teacher. The day of the event, February 9, 2003, the Post-Gazettes Ed Bouchette wrote a story about the significance of the reconciliation. Marianne Noll (25 May1957 - 13 June2014)( his death)( 1 child). His greatest asset, I think, was the way he communicated. Some citizens are so good that nothing a leader can do will make them better. Charles Henry Noll is considered as one of the best coaches of all time in the world. When I was a senior at Syracuse, Chuck flew up and he worked me out. Ron Lippock. All rights reserved. The next two years the Browns were NFL champions. At that point in time, the Raiders, after Chuck talked to us, they had no chance of winning that ballgame. Posted on February 3, 2022 at 6:20 am. Chuck Noll: Always more than just a coach . Charles Henry Noll (January 5, 1932 June 13, 2014) was an American professional football player and head coach. So we would go on the computer and wed go through the pictures, said Glenn, but we kept going through the pictures more than once, and he wasnt sure if he looked at them yet. And she could see him weighing the reality, and the implications, and a life-time of things that had been left unsaid. The way Chuck Noll handled his retirement came in typical Chuck Noll style, according to one of his Super Bowl stars. Chuck Noll, the man who forever changed the image and fortunes of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, died Friday night at the age of 82. . That is very, very difficult to do as a coach. He never was harder on you than anybody else. Noll was an assistant coach for the American Football League's then Los Angeles and later San Diego Chargers from 1960 to 1965. Or is this the new normal? Dick Shiner: "Chuck Noll was the best defensive coach in the NFL. Coaches Main Page. ET. I highly recommend the book "The Ones Who Hit The Hardest". . It wasnt until they went back to the intercostal waterway that her stomach calmed. The next day, Noll interviewed for the head coach position in Pittsburgh. There was so much to him. Chuck and Marianne drove back to Sewickley mostly in silence, NPR playing over the car stereo. On September 30, 2011, Pittsburgh honored Noll by naming a new street after him. Chuck Bednarik. But Greene, as the player most responsible for the Steelers dynasty, and the firstand most importantplayer Chuck ever drafted, had to be considered for the job. No one wanted to say it, but they couldnt help but notice. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these. When he was 17, he saw it destroyed. Joanne fretted to herself and later to Glenn. The last team he coached gave him a gift of a stationary bicycle, which he avidly used. Ive been able to teach them principles in the form of football. That doesnt go hand in hand a whole lot. He told Dan Rooney that he decided against becoming a lawyer because "he didn't really like the constant confrontation and arguments that come with being a lawyer. His players didnt fit a cookie cutter. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. During the next few years, the Steelers drafted quarterback Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech) and running back Franco Harris (Penn State) as round one picks. The recovery time for each malady was slower than usual. Now you have to call your family, DeKosky said. Chuck Noll Way connects North Shore Drive to West General Robinson St. He finally understood, I think, later. Only later would people look back and wonder, Was it a sign? When are you going to give it up, Terry? Stoudt asked. He wed her in 1957. Everybody else is staying back. Dungy on his job interview for defensive coordinator: In 1984, I was on his staff and I was pretty sure I was going to get the defensive coordinator job, but I was only 28 or 29 at the time so I wasnt completely sure. ? All of these expletives and everything. We are driving through a light snow to Chuck Noll's house in suburban Upper St. Clair, south of Pittsburgh. At 82 years old, Chuck Noll height So there had been murmurs, and others thinking that he might one day consider a return. Before you can win a game, you have to not lose it. Under Noll, Joe Gilliam became the league's first African American starting quarterback just a few seasons after the AFL started Marlin Briscoe, and James Harris (Gilliam started ahead of Terry Bradshaw briefly during the 1974 season). Charles Henry Chuck Noll (January 5, 1932 June 13, 2014) was a professional American football player, assistant coach and head coach. We Want Chuck! they thundered, and all he could do was bashfully smile. But were dealing with something else now. The 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, List of National Football League head coaches with 50 wins, List of professional gridiron football coaches with 200 wins, "The invisible legend: A near recluse in retirement, Chuck Noll brought the Browns-Steelers rivalry to life", "Legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll dies", "Noll gets three years to build Steelers", "Chuck Noll / Coach who led Steelers to 4 Super Bowl titles", "Cowher not universally adored in hometown", "Steelers set the standard for diversity in the NFL", "Chuck Noll's low profile belies lasting legacy", "Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Chuck Noll Deserves Proper Appreciation", "Legendary Steelers Coach Chuck Noll Fact Blitz", "Meet Author of "Chuck Noll: His Life's Work", "Interview: Tony Dungy Used Chuck Noll's Teachings To Become A Great Head Coach", "Life lessons Tony Dungy learned from Steelers HC Chuck Noll", "Tony Dungy shares the private reason Chuck Noll passed on Dan Marino - SteelerNation.com", National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chuck_Noll&oldid=1141991398, Players of American football from Cleveland, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, NFL player missing current team parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13. He was often credited with maintaining the morale of the Western Pennsylvania region despite its steep economic decline by creating a team of champions in the image of its blue-collar fan base. Then he gets on the elevator and goes to his room. Ron, if it will help you make a sale, Ill sign it., John Stallworth also visited with Chuck at the same event. Chuck and Marianne reveled in their freedom, traveling up and down the intercostal waterway, scouting out possible locations before deciding to stay on Hilton Head (they soon sold the house on Warwick Drive, down-sizing and making a clean break from the Steelers years). We lived on the boat for months and I loved it, said Marianne. [3] The family lived in the house Noll's mother grew up in with her 12 siblings, near East 74th Street,[4] in a neighborhood with a large African-American population,[3] a fact that helps account for Noll's early championing of opportunity for African Americans in the NFL (both players from traditionally black colleges and later as coaches). After Chuck stepped into the hallway, DeKosky leveled with Marianne, uttering the inevitable, dreaded word. He is from USA. Noll's Dayton years are part of the story told by Michael MacCambridge in his book Chuck Noll: His Life's Work.MacCambridge's journey to writing the book about the coach who moved the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise from laughingstock to Super Bowl legend took some time. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 5 January. Another call came, two weeks later, informing Chuck that hed been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh Steelers have built through the NFL Draft for decades and it has resulted in nine losing seasons since they hired Chuck Noll. Noll is considered part of Sid Gillman's coaching tree. He said that the Steelers and all of Pennsylvania . His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. It was a festive weekend, with Rita surrounded by her brood, and Chuck and Marianne in for the weekend. We were at the combine, which was in New Orleans at the time. And they turned around and left. He asked me about that and that probably was the longest conversation I had with him. It seemed like a blip at the time, but the recovery from the injury took nine months. So we would be on vacation, and we were together for two weeks, and it was really clear because he covers it so well.. Thank God. [24] As a result of Noll's attention to detail, Russell went on to become a key member for the first two Super Bowl teams and started the linebacker tradition that continues today in Pittsburgh. He was 82. Turn the tables.. In addition to his wife, Marianne, Noll is survived by his son, Chris; and two grandchildren, Katie, and Connor. After the tests were completed, they went to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to see Dr. Steven DeKosky, the head of neurology. He said, I want you guys to know that the Super Bowl is played three weeks from now. The headline told much of the story: One-Way Feud Finally Ends as Bradshaw Shows Appreciation, Love for Noll.. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, his sole head coaching position was for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1991. Coach Born in Ohio #14. . And Im like, I think we can make it, which is not good enough with Chuck. A meticulous coach, Noll was known during practice to dwell on fundamentalssuch as the three-point stancethings that professional players were expected to know. On August 2, 2007, the field at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania was dedicated and renamed Chuck Noll Field in honor of the former coach. Chuck Noll. And it was just a weird, different thing, because now he is not my boss, and we just talked. The publication of Its Only A Game had brought Bradshaws complaints back to light. . We go on to play Cincinnati the next week and we got beat 41-10. The youngest boy of the seven siblings, and the last to marry, Jerry had missed out on some of the time that the others had enjoyed. [3], He played running back and tackle on the high school football team, winning All-State honors. I was getting angry and getting angry, and then finally I realized something was wrong, said Chris. Noll maintained a residence in suburban Pittsburgh, however, he spent some time at his Florida home. Noll and his wife also never miss a chance to visit their son, Chris, and two grandchildren near Hartford, Conn. Like his dad, Chris is a teacher (computer art, history,English) and . Convalescing from his torn Achilles, Chuck took longer than expected to get back to his old self. Henry was getting ready to take an assistants job with Pitt, but he first wanted to see if his old boss might consider returning. Chuck Noll was born on January 5, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA as Charles Henry Noll. Brown recalled that Noll soon "could have called the plays himself without any help from the bench. The Steelers do a good job evaluating talent, but they . And Marianne and I are up on the top. Their son, Chris, is a teacher in a private high school in Connecticut. Longtime Steelers assistant Mitchell retiring, The NFL's highest-paid players at every position: Here's who makes the most money, from QB to punter, Trade for Aaron Rodgers? And the best team in football is sitting right here in this room. That statement doesnt mean a whole lot if he said something like that every week. When we got back to Pittsburgh I finally asked him, and he said, "Well, of course you got the job." Noll was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest of three siblings (by eight years) of William Noll (a butcher, frequently unable to work owing to Parkinson's disease) and Katherine Steigerwald Noll (who worked for a florist). So we go to dinner and instead hes telling me about New Orleans food. I was saying whatever I wanted. As he strode to the podium, he said, [fellow inductee] Dan Fouts is holding the money for the guy who cries the longest . I don't like to reflect on what we've . His mobility was limited by chronic back problems. He didnt want to get in the way or have his presence be a distraction. There was an opportunity for me to get on a private plane and I was going to work out a player at Clemson and I think he was going down to his vacation home. Start a rebuild? Movies. Football player at the University of Dayton, 1949-1953. That's obvious, I guess. My wife calls and says, "Well, do you have the job, are you the coordinator?" 54 Copy quote. Chuck Norris' Wife Fights For Her Life. Hes the greatest coach in the history of the league, I think. That entire day, there was a crush of friends and family. All of the family members contributed to the book - Chuck himself when he was alive (he died in 2014 after a long battle with Alzheimer's), wife Marianne, son Chris and niece Joanne all were extraordinarily open in discussing the family's life. Throughout the years of Chucks retirement, the issue that kept coming up repeatedly was Terry Bradshaw. Nothing was said to Chuck and Marianne. Chuck Noll, the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls, died late Friday at 82. People who know football coaches often cant imagine them doing anything else. "Chuck Noll is the . His belief in us, Im telling you, thats what I thought he did the very best. Meanwhile, Cowher in his first year coaching the Steelers had to acclimate to what his new team understood to be the norm. In "Chuck Noll: His Life's Work," Michael MacCambridge does a detailed and thorough job of using 400-some pages to paint a portrait of a man who was extraordinary in all things except the art of self-promotion. Converted by Noll into a defensive back, he played on the Steelers' Super Bowl XIII team and returned to Pittsburgh in 1981 where he served as a member of Noll's staff for eight seasons. 55 Copy quote. I didnt get there until after the draft. In the 1974 draft, Noll and the Steelers achieved a level of drafting success never seen before or since, when they selected four future Hall of Fame players with their first five picks: wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, middle linebacker Jack Lambert, and center Mike Webster. Chuck Noll: His Life's Work tells the story of a private man in a very public job. He was born into the jaws of the Depression in 1932. Noll was a well-read man who valued education and expected likewise from his team, so he sought players who studied useful or practical subjects in college and had interests outside of football. This guy could have been a priest, and he was obviously one of the great coaches. They were kind of living the life on the boat, and having a blast doing that, and he was doing some stuff with the NFL, said Chris. That began to change on this day in 1969, when the Steelers hired Chuck Noll to coach the team. When I was in college, they could never find me. Before this day in 1969, the Steelers had been anything but beacon of football excellence. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. When asked, Chuck readily accepted. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, his sole head coaching position was for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1991.When Noll retired after 23 years, only three other head coaches in NFL history had longer tenures with . So we are coming upon this one drawbridge and they show the height of the water, he knows the height of the boat and everybody is waiting for the drawbridge to go up, which is every half hour or whatever it is or whenever they have enough boats to go under, right? I felt that never changed throughout the course of our preparation and during the game. He remembered a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it Noll moment. [1] " Chuck made allowances for neither sentimentality nor mentoringDan Rooney had arranged for Chuck to have an office in Three Rivers, but Chuck never went there. Our opening game, we played the Cleveland Browns and we got beat 51-0. Noll retired as Steelers head coach after the 1991 season with a record of 2091561, regular season and postseason combined. He later remembered Gillman as "one of the game's prime researchers and offensive specialists. Chuck Noll was a married man in his life. Chuck Noll Popularity . [6] Noll was also a wrestler while in high school. And then, he was strong enough as a person and coach to get a lot of talented individuals with strong personalities to come together and buy into the teams scheme first. The CT scan results were clear enoughthere was damage. Noll was notoriously shy and did not like the media or give many interviews. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. They began a chant just for the coach. "[8] According to Art Rooney, Jr. (director of scouting for the Steelers before and during most of Noll's tenure), however, Noll felt demeaned by Brown's use of him in that way and "disliked the term 'messenger boy' so much that as coach of the Steelers he entrusted all the play calling to his quarterbacks. Also learn how He earned most of Chuck Noll networth? When he first started a TV show, I went with him, and when we finished, we said, Well, after the season, thats the end of that. He wasnt interested in putting makeup on and all of those things that go with being on TV. Others are so incorrigible that nothing can be done to improve them. Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 - March 21, 2015), nicknamed " Concrete Charlie ", was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). My wife calls and says, "Well, do you have the job, are you the coordinator?" And I say, "Um, I don . WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Trade Nick Chubb? He acted as the head coach in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a special man. The way he coached and thought - in one year I learned a lot from him and applied it here.". The Colts won the NFL championship by routing the Cleveland Browns 340 in Cleveland, but were shocked by the upstart AFL champion New York Jets, 167, in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami. . Is this him? According to Tom Corbett, Chuck passed into sports history. This is the second story of a two-part series that appeared in Sports Illustrated in July 1980. , money, salary, income, and assets. I take my hat off to Chuck. THE TEACHER. Hed say, Stop. It is pretty infamously known, at least in the area, that former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and head coach Chuck Noll did not get along . If we lived in San Francisco, wed be married now, he said, the tasteless joke falling mostly flat. I would have stayed there forever. They journeyed, they fished, they came ashore for a while and explored, then returned to the sea, freshly stocked with wine and provisions, and set out again. They went in to have it looked at the next day and discovered a defective heart valve, which they hoped could be managed with medication. We were practicing once and we were going at it pretty good, said John Jackson. Forever, the two of them worked so well together, she said. At age 37, Noll was named the 14th head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 27, 1969,[18][19] after Penn State coach Joe Paterno turned down an offer for the position. He was previously married to Marianne Noll. They say the meek shall inherit the earth. Now no one knew what that was, I dont think, but I knew what he was talking about. He was a real leader of men. Great book centered around Noll and the Steelers' rise from perennial cellar dwellers to 4 time Super Bowl champs. On the one side of the stream is a fair maiden trying to cross. A few weeks after the retirement, Chuck and Marianne were sitting on the Steelers private charter jet out of Pittsburgh headed down to Hilton Head. Across pro football, the disease took root. Mike Webster was a short, undersized center who was not fast at all. Chuck had heard in 2001 about his old teammate Otto Graham, whod been diagnosed with early stage Alzheimers. One of the lessons I learned from him was that youve never arrived, that you never get to the point where you are the best that you can be, and you should admit you are always striving to be better and to get better in whatever it was -- as a football player, as a father, as a business person, as someone who was active in the community. Chuck Noll had a childhood dream. Joe Gordon became the Steelers director of communications in 1969, the same year they hired Noll as head coach. Alternately abashed and tearful during his talk to the banquet, Bradshaw apologized for every unkind word and thought I ever had, and claimed that he and Chuck were now close. Who is the top MVP candidate? . His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He couldnt think of a name, and my aunt would tell him.. Married Life. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Chuck Noll. Ive passed that on, not only to my son but all of the youth kids Ive coached. But see, I wasnt as scared either. We have estimated Chuck Noll's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Looking back, all those closest to Chuck agreed that his larger health troubles began with the injury and lengthy recovery. In personality and demeanor, he was the polar opposite of Chuck. And you know, we talked about things back then. Retired Steelers coach takes a varied and impressive list of credentials into the Pittsburgh Hall of Fame tonight . Marianne had noticed a loss in sharpness ever since the torn Achilles. Football Coaches. [16] In 1968, Noll's last season as defensive coordinator, the Baltimore Colts compiled a 131 record in the regular season and tied the NFL season record for fewest points allowed (144). On the streets of Sewickley, late in the summer of 2005, when Marianne saw the Steelers Dr. Joe Maroon, he asked about Chucks back. We did have some personal conversations when some issues that came up were dear to me. For more than 40 years the Steelers have held their summer camp at St. Vincent College, as it was Noll's idea to take the team away from the distractions in the city to prepare for the season each year. Although the undersized Noll was drafted as a linebacker,[9] Coach Paul Brown used him as one of his "messenger guards" to send play calls to the quarterback (beginning with Otto Graham). The litany of health setbacks diminished him and made traveling more of an effort. I went through a lot of things as a player, but I always thought that Chuck was there for me. On Thanksgiving day, Chuck and Chris tried to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey and wound up setting off the fire alarm, bringing a fire truck (to Connors delight) to the condo. We picked bold, outside-the-box moves for every NFL team, Steelers GM wants Trubisky around 'a long time', A new home for Michael Thomas? His wife Marianne, wearing her lucky Steelers bracelet, had been sitting on the couch, still reveling in the thrill thinking about how much it meant to Chuck, the assistants and the players, and how . Between his playing and coaching tenures, Noll won a total of seven NFL Championships as well as one AFL Championship and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility. He recalled a story that had little to do with football but said everything about Noll. They just werent going to win the game. Chuck wanted to be there; some of his old players Rod Woodson, Dermontti Dawson, Carnell Lake, Greg Lloyd, Neil ODonnellformed the nucleus of the team that Cowher had built into a perennial contender. That seems so self-evident that it feels silly . It's also more than a football story but a behind-the-scenes look at his loving relationship with wife, Marianne. He called me and asked me to come over and talk to him, and as I was going over, I was actually thinking hes calling me to compliment me on making my first Pro Bowl [in 1968]. But there were more off days, each of which provided glimpses that something wasnt right. That made the relationship special. Jun 17, 2014. Whats the matter with you! Tag Lamar Jackson? "[15] The defensive line under Noll became known as the "Fearsome Foursome," and during 1961 defensive end Earl Faison was named AFL rookie of the year. Hall of Famers Published on : 6/14/2014. Chuck Noll is survived by his wife Marianne and . The connection between boxers and dementia was a clear and understood reality for decades in American sports. His wife is Marianne Noll (25 May1957 - 13 June2014)( his death)( 1 child). Be yourself, do your best, and I am sure youre going to be fine.. He died on June 13, 2014 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, USA. In Pittsburgh, they began spending even more time with Glenn and Joanne, and Chuck would often show Glenn his latest photography. Chuck Noll was born on January 5, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Used by permission ofUniversity of Pittsburgh Press. He won All-State honors as a high school running back and tackle. Bradshaw still carried a grievance over Chuck speculating that it might be time to get on with his lifes work and mentioned that to Stoudt. There was one other passengerBill Cowher, whod recently been named to succeed Chuck as head coach. he explained. He was surprised, however, when he was not offered an open position on the University of Dayton coaching staff. George Perles coached on Nolls staff from 1972 to 1982, serving as a defensive line coach and then as defensive coordinator. Paul Zimmerman, who was working for Sports Illustrated, came into the office, and he saw Chuck down on his hands and knees repairing that file folder as though he had nothing else on his mind. Their neighborhood in East Cleveland had a large African-American population, and as a young boy Chuck Noll played on a local football team that included Harold Owens, the nephew of Olympic star Jesse Owens. The Cowboys won, 2717. You need to do it your way. Hed begun to see some of those traits in his own players. The Noll-led Steelers developed from a miserable 1-13 season in Noll's first campaign to the highest level ever attained by an National Football League team to date. His wife Marianne, their family and close friends did everything possible to . Merril Hoge compared Noll to Gen. George S. Patton, another one of his heroes. Chuck Noll Net Worth. Thomas played cornerback for the Steelers from 1973 to 1981 and made the Pro Bowl in 1976. In citing the example of teamwork, he mentioned the day against the Oilers when the offensive line was decimated by flu and the quarterback was injured, and he described the defense rising to the occasionJoe Greene was in the running lane, and Jack Lambert was hammering on them. Later, Chuck mentioned the first game at Three Rivers, as a preseason game in 1970 against the JetsThat was the team we lost to in Super Bowl III. And only someone who was intimately familiar with the history of the franchise, or was being scrupulously literal, would have quibbled with Chuck by pointing out that the game he mentioned against the Oilers was played in 1972two seasons before Lambert arrived in Pittsburghand that the preseason game was actually against the New York Giants, not the New York Jets. Sometime during their journey they stop at a clearing, and in the clearing is a stream. But he remained composed throughout the ten-minute speech, which emphasized the importance of teamwork and decried the wayin his viewmodern society seemed to naturally embrace conflict (male vs. female, black vs. white, labor vs. management). His Achilles tendonthe same one that had troubled him on and off since at least his days at Daytonfinally snapped. That was the weekend that the nieces and nephews first sensed something was wrong. Chuck Noll was known as "The Emperor." While he may not have negotiated contracts or dabbled in the business side of the sport the way coach/GM's such as Bill Parcells did, Noll had total control over the football operation, from coaching decisions, draft picks, to final roster choices. forget who you are, he said. Marianne Noll is 89 years old and was born on 05/19/1933. Chuck remained cordial throughout the evenings dinner. Tony Dungy, the most prominent member of Noll's coaching tree, joined the Steelers in 1977 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Minnesota. Hall of Fame Professional Football Coach, Professional Football Player. At the 2002 Daytona 500, Cliff Stoudt was there as a guest of the driver Michael Waltrip, and on pit row, he ran into Bradshaw, whod had a team that raced in a preliminary event on Saturday. But Cowher also had a deep respect for football history and the tradition he was inheriting in Pittsburgh. Head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 1969-1991. He remembered how Noll never wanted the focus to be on him. Cowhers face was an open book: nose broken by too many tackles, thick mustache giving the appearance of a new cop on the beat, an energized conversationalist who occasionally emitted clouds of spittle when he was particularly excited. 1972 UPI Coach/Year. Chuck Noll was honored on October 7, 2007, at Heinz Field during the pre-game ceremonies. Later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his achievements as a competitor and a coach are the stuff of legend. The vacant eyes, the repeated anecdotes, the slurred speech. And when they retired, I could never find them. In all, Im with him for about four hours and we get back to the hotel and he says, "I really, really enjoyed this tonight." Gene . Their family was blessed with a son, Chris Noll, who was born on December 22, 1957.