Chuck Noll

His Life's Work

By: Michael MacCambridge

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls and presided over one of the greatest football dynasties in history, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 70s. Later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his achievements as a competitor and a coach are the stuff of legend. But Noll always remained an intensely private and introspective man, never revealing much of himself as a person or as a coach, not even to the players and fans who revered him.

Chuck Noll did not need a dramatic public profile to be the catalyst for one of the greatest transformations in sports history. In the nearly four decades before he was hired, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the least successful team in professional football, never winning so much as a division title. After Noll's arrival, his quiet but steely leadership quickly remolded the team into the most accomplished in the history of professional football. And what he built endured well beyond his time with the Steelers - who have remained one of America's great NFL teams, accumulating a total of six Super Bowls, eight AFC championships, and dozens of division titles and playoff berths.

©2016 University of Pittsburgh Press (P)2017 Tantor

Fantastic!!!

This is a story about the complete man, not just Chuck Noll and football. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Wonderful book on Chuck Noll

It was very well written and captured his personality and character and coaching style. Loved reading about the golden age of the Steelers being a Pittsburgh native.

A true story of leadership and character

Chuck Noll’s presence not only helped shape and define what the Pittsburgh Steeler organization represents to this day, but also made a positive impact on the many people whose lives he touched. This book goes beyond football, illustrating how Chuck Noll spent his entire life striving to be the best person he could be while also helping others realize their true potential for personal greatness. The narrator was excellent and the story was great. One of the best audible purchases I’ve made!

Must listen!

Must listen for any native or current Pittsburgher. A great study in character and leadership, but also relatable to most careers and families. Tremendous!

Much respect for Chuck Knoll

Disclaimer: Browns fan. : )
This is sort of a coming full circle moment for me. As a boy I learned to hate the Pittsburgh Steelers, Terry Bradshaw, Chuck Knoll, etc. My experience with the Browns vs Steelers rivalry was during Sipe and Brandshaw years, then Bernie Kosar and, well, yeah. I began first by watching old John Facenda-narrated highlight films of the first 4 Steelers' super bowls. John Facenda could read a phone book and make it sound exciting. The super bowls they won against Dallas and the Rams, those became my favorite super bowls to re-watch. As I did more research, I was shocked to learn Chuck Knoll was from Cleveland!!! played for the Browns! and Paul Brown! wow! Bill Cowher played for the Browns, and coached under Marty. This is getting interesting. Then I became a fan of Merril Hodge the week before the Browns lost their 3rd AFC title game to the Denver Broncos. That week, I watched stunned, my eyes glued to the television set, as Knoll's Steelers went into Mile High Stadium, during the 1989 playoffs, and nearly knocked off John Elway and the Denver Broncos in one of the most awe inspiring performances by a team, a coach, and Merril Hodge, that I have ever witnessed. Knowing that if they'd have pulled it out, they likely would have come into Cleveland for the AFC championship, and yes, beaten the Browns, All this, after having been blown out by the browns 51-0, 17 weeks earlier. It was probably Knoll's best coaching season.
Steeler fans, what more do you want me to say?

I respect you Steelers.

Maybe someday soon we will will turn it around like you did in the 70s.

Go Browns...

I am glad to have listened to this audio book.
It helped me to understand why some coaches are the way they are, and why they keep a safe distance from their players.
I like his basic philosophy " We're not going to change things. We're just going to get better" and "You've got to know what you're doing" and then "Go do it" .

I was happy to learn that Chuck's former players made peace with him years after being cut or replaced by new draftees.

I am puzzled at how insecure Bradshaw was. As a Browns fan, he came across overwhelmingly confident and cocky to the point that he would find a way to drive a dagger through our hearts. Did chuck and his scouts simply not pick up on how fragile he was? I was surprised to learn that Terry was drafted by the Steelers long before their dominance and struggled in obscurity before putting it together at the right time. That kind of patience is not found in today's game. Today, if a top drafted quarterback doesn't win by his 2nd season, I can think of countless examples, he's labeled a bust and is run out of town and is lucky to land on another team. That's the thing, He made his choice and stuck to it, committed to molding Bradshaw. This is unheard of today.

A must for fans of 70s Steelers

Really enjoyable portrait of the great Steeler coach and what kind of guy he was. I’m glad I read it. Maybe a little more detail than I needed sometimes. But even some of the things are already knew I enjoyed in the retelling.

Who chuck Noll was always seemed in personable

No real issue but interest only a steeler fan would enjoy so may be missed on the public. A steeler fan must anyone would skip. Who he really was a complex intelligent man

great book for any football fan

Noll is obviously a legend for football fans, and this book is a rare glimpse into what made him the man we all recognized.

Chuck Noll was a greater person than a football coach.

A well crafted story about a well crafted man. So many great things I learned.

Excellent book

Doesn’t get any.better. Keeps you interested from beginning to the end. Allows you to see inside the mind of the greatest coach ever.