/ AP file

The Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, including this Super Bowl XIII victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 1979.

Championships: Super Bowl titles following 1974, ’75, ’78 and ’79 seasons.

Star: Nine Hall of Famers played for the Steelers in the 1970s, and although quarterback Terry Bradshaw might be the most famous, the team was known for its steel-tough defense, appropriately nicknamed “The Steel Curtain.” So we’ll go with Mean Joe Greene, that old softy of the classic Coke commercial. Greene was NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice (1972 and ’74), was voted to 10 Pro Bowls and anchored perhaps the most star-studded, if not flat-out best defensive unit in NFL history.

Choose a football dynasty below: Packers Steelers 49ers Cowboys Patriots Others

Supporting cast: Award-winning performances all-around for the black-and-gold-clad Steelers and their loud, loyal fans. In addition to Greene, the other Hall of Fame performers were Bradshaw, RB Franco Harris, WRs Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, CB Mel Blount, LBs Jack Lambert and Jack Ham and C Mike Webster. There were numerous other standouts, too, including RB Rocky Blier, LB Andy Russell, DE L.C. Greenwood, DB Donnie Shell and PK Roy Gerela.

Coach: Chuck Noll, the wine connoisseur himself, had a vintage team and knew how to motivate and manipulate the talent. He coached Pittsburgh for 23 years and is the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls.

Peak of power: The high point of this dynasty came during a dominating 1978 season in which Pittsburgh went 14-2 with the league’s No. 1 defense, allowing a total of 195 points. The Steelers won their third Super Bowl of the decade after that season, and despite an aging cast, earned back-to-back titles for the second time in the ‘70s a year later.

How it ended: After the 1979 season, Bradshaw saw the cracks in the foundation. “That entire offseason I thought about retiring,” Bradshaw said. “I should have retired.” After four Super Bowl championships in six seasons, the core players got old or worn down from the physical and emotional stress of all those big games for all those years. In 1980, several key regulars missed multiple games due to injury, including Harris, Stallworth and Swann as the team limped home at 9-7. In 1980, the dynasty was officially over as Pittsburgh finished 8-8, with Greene and Greenwood limited to spot duty.

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