A new series to help take us through the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason. It’s easy to remember QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Franco Harris, and WR Hines Ward. Players who routinely led the team as passers, rushers, and receivers. But those household names didn’t lead the way every single year. Since the 1970 merger, there’s been a healthy number of obscure one-offs who finished first once, never to do so again.
That’ll be our trip down memory lane. The criteria are simple. Lead the Steelers in passing, rushing, receiving yards, or sacks during a season once, and only once, during their time with the team.
Today, the year QB Joe Gilliam led the Pittsburgh Steelers in passing yards.
Forgotten Leaders – QB Joe Gilliam (1974 – 1,274 passing yards)
It was 1974 when Terry Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers turned their fortunes around. Sure, the Immaculate Reception served as the dividing line between the old lovable losing Steelers but ’74 was the team’s first title run, taking its place in football history. While Bradshaw was the man who led the charge by season’s end, it was Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam who led the team in passing during the regular season. Helping get Pittsburgh to the playoffs to hoist that first Lombardi.
Gilliam beat out Bradshaw as the team’s starting quarterback to open the season against the Baltimore Colts. He dominated the game, throwing for two touchdowns in a 30-0 shutout victory. He was the first to find rookie wideouts Lynn Swann and John Stallworth like this long completion to the former.
The following week against Denver, he tossed two picks but threw for nearly 350 yards in a high-scoring 35-35 tie to the Broncos.
His play regressed the following weeks, including a ghastly 8-of-31 performance in a shutout loss to the Oakland Raiders, but the Steelers kept their winning ways. Pittsburgh began the year 4-1-1. But like Mike Tomlin calculated in 2025, Chuck Noll believed there was more the offense could do. After a 5-of-18 showing by Gilliam in a narrow win over the Cleveland Browns, Bradshaw was inserted into the lineup.
Bradshaw didn’t fare significantly better, finishing the year with an identical completion rate of 45.3 percent and more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (seven), but went 5-3 as a starter. Noll wasn’t turning back.
By season’s end, Gilliam led the team with 1,274 passing yards. Bradshaw finished second with 785. Terry Hanratty brought up the rear, starting Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns. More passes fell in the hands of the opponent (three interceptions) than in his teammates hands (two completions on 15 attempts). He threw for 95 yards on the season.
Bradshaw was the man for the postseason. He played well in the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills and did just enough to beat the Raiders in the championship game. In the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh’s defense dominated Fran Tarkenton. Bradshaw needed just 14 attempts and 96 passing yards to win, taking care of the ball in a low-scoring slugfest.
There aren’t many instances of a team winning a Super Bowl with its leading passer on the sideline. The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles are at least one example, Nick Foles leading the way in place of an injured Carson Wentz. The perfect 1972 Miami Dolphins are another example with Bob Griese winning the Super Bowl despite Earl Morrall finishing first in yardage. But Gilliam’s name might be the most forgotten of the bunch. The 1974 season was his last as a starter and he spent just one more year with the Steelers, throwing 48 passes in 1975. His career in Pittsburgh ended after and he never threw another NFL pass.
Joe Gilliam didn’t end the year in charge. But he got the team started off on the right foot to begin a dynasty.
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