1959 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head coach	Buddy Parker
Home field	Forbes Field
Results
Record	6–5–1
Division place	4th NFL Eastern
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
← 1958 Steelers seasons 1960 →

The 1959 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 27th in the National Football League.

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record
1	September 26	Cleveland Browns	W 17–7	1–0
2	October 4	Washington Redskins	L 17–23	1–1
3	October 11	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 24–28	1–2
4	October 18	at Washington Redskins	W 27–6	2–2
5	October 25	New York Giants	L 16–21	2–3
6	November 1	at Chicago Cardinals	L 24–45	2–4
7	November 8	Detroit Lions	T 10–10	2–4–1
8	November 15	at New York Giants	W 14–9	3–4–1
9	November 22	at Cleveland Browns	W 21–20	4–4–1
10	November 29	Philadelphia Eagles	W 31–0	5–4–1
11	December 6	at Chicago Bears	L 21–27	5–5–1
12	December 13	Chicago Cardinals	W 35–20	6–5–1

Game summaries

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Week 1 (Saturday September 26, 1959): Cleveland Browns

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	7	0	0	7
Steelers	0	0	10	7	17

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 33,844
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Cleveland – Plum 1 run (Groza kick) CLE 7–0
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 26 CLE 7–3
Pittsburgh – Orr 20 pass from Layne (Layne kick)PIT 10–7
Pittsburgh – Brewster 19 pass from Layne (Bobby PIT 17-7ne kick)

Week 2 (Sunday October 4, 1959): Washington Redskins

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	3	6	14	0	23
Steelers	0	0	10	7	17

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 26,750
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Washington – FG Baker 25 WSH 3–0
Washington – FG Baker 47 WSH 3–0
Washington – FG Baker 48 WSH 9–0
Washington – Anderson 70 pass from Gugliemi (Baker kick) WSH 16–0
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 32 WSH 16–3
Washington – Walton 26 pass from Gugliemi (Baker kick)WSH 23–3
Pittsburgh – Brewster 30 pass from Layne (Bobby WSH 23-10 NEKICK)
Pittsburgh – Krutko 2 run (Layne kick)WSH 23–17

Week 3 (Sunday October 11, 1959): Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Three: Pittsburgh Steelers (1–1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	3	7	7	24
Eagles	7	7	7	7	28

at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date: October 11, 1959
Game attendance: 27,343
Referee: Bud Brubaker
Box Score

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Steelers	Passing	Bobby Layne	18/33, 209 Yds, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Tom Tracy	11 Rush, 33 Yds
	Receiving	Tom Tracy	4 Rec, 70 Yds, TD
Eagles	Passing	Norm Van Brocklin	13/27, 172 Yds, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Clarence Peaks	14 Rush, 42 Yds
	Receiving	Tommy McDonald	4 Rec, 66 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	PIT	PHI
1					Steelers	Bobby Layne 10-yard touchdown run, Bobby Layne kick good	7	0
1					Eagles	Billy Ray Barnes 3-yard touchdown run, Bobby Walston kick good	7	7
2					Eagles	Punt returned 58 yards for touchdown by Art Powell, Bobby Walston kick good	7	14
2					Steelers	12-yard field goal by Bobby Layne	10	14
3					Eagles	Norm Van Brocklin 1-yard touchdown run, Bobby Walston kick good	10	21
3					Steelers	Tom Tracy 11-yard touchdown reception from Bobby Layne, Bobby Layne kick good	17	21
4					Eagles	Tommy McDonald 18-yard touchdown reception from Norm Van Brocklin, Bobby Walston kick good	17	28
4					Steelers	Jimmy Orr 17-yard touchdown reception from Bobby Layne, Bobby Layne kick good	24	28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							24	28

Week 4 (Sunday October 18, 1959): Washington Redskins

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	14	7	0	6	27
Redskins	6	0	0	0	6

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 28,218
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Krutko 1 run (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Tarasovic 38 fumble run (Layne kick)
Washington – FG Baker 30
Washington – FG Baker 39
Pittsburgh – Krutko 4 run (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 23
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 22

Week 5 (Sunday October 25, 1959): New York Giants

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	14	0	0	7	21
Steelers	10	0	3	3	16

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 33,596
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Layne 37
New York Giants – Gifford 77 pass from Conerly (Summerall kick)
New York Giants – Gifford 28 pass from Conerly (Summerall kick)
Pittsburgh – Dial 35 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 19
New York Giants – Huff 5 fumble run (Summerall kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 17

Week 6 (Sunday November 1, 1959): Chicago Cardinals

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	10	7	7	24
Cardinals	14	21	0	10	45

at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance:
Referee:
TV announcers:

Week 7 (Sunday November 8, 1959): Detroit Lions

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	7	0	0	3	10
Steelers	0	0	3	7	10

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 24,614
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Detroit – Rote 1 run (Perry kick)
Pittsburgh – FG Layne 29
Detroit – FG Martin 27
Pittsburgh – Tracy 20 pass from Layne (Layne kick)

Week 8 (Sunday November 15, 1959): New York Giants

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	7	0	7	14
Giants	0	6	3	0	9

at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 66,786
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

New York Giants – FG Summerall 21
New York Giants – FG Summerall 27
Pittsburgh – Orr 4 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
New York Giants – FG Summerall 29
Pittsburgh – Tracy 45 pass from Layne (Layne kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 22, 1959): Cleveland Browns

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	14	0	7	21
Browns	0	6	0	14	20

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 68,563
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – Tracy 4 run (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Tracy 1 run (Layne kick)
Cleveland – Renfro 30 pass from Plum (kick failed)
Cleveland – Renfro 28 pass from Plum (Groza kick)
Cleveland – Renfro 70 pass from Plum (Groza kick)
Pittsburgh – Nagler 17 pass from Layne (Layne kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 29, 1959): Philadelphia Eagles

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	0	0	0	0
Steelers	3	7	7	14	31

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 22,191
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Pittsburgh – FG Layne 17
Pittsburgh – Dial 12 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Orr 19 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Tracy 23 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Nagler 2 pass from Layne (Layne kick)

Week 11 (Sunday December 5, 1959): Chicago Bears

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	6	14	7	0	27
Steelers	0	7	7	7	21

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 41,476
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Chicago Bears – Casares 3 run (kick failed)
Chicago Bears – Casares 1 run (Aveni kick)
Chicago Bears – Casares 1 run (Aveni kick)
Pittsburgh – Tracy 2 run (Layne kick)
Chicago Bears – Casares 1 run (Aveni kick)
Pittsburgh – Krutko 7 run (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Dial 25 pass from Layne (Layne kick)

Week 12 (Sunday December 12, 1959): Chicago Cardinals

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	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	6	0	7	7	20
Steelers	0	28	7	0	35

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Game time:
Game weather:
Game attendance: 19,011
Referee:
TV announcers:

Scoring drives:

Chicago Cardinals – FG Conrad 37
Chicago Cardinals – FG Conrad 20
Pittsburgh – Layne 9 run (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Dial 35 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Dial 11 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Pittsburgh – Tracy 16 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Chicago Cardinals – Conrad 21 pass from Hill (Conrad kick)
Pittsburgh – Orr 16 pass from Layne (Layne kick)
Chicago Cardinals – Crow 7 pass from Hill (Conrad kick)

Standings

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NFL Eastern Conference
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
New York Giants	10	2	0	.833	8–2	284	170	W4
Philadelphia Eagles	7	5	0	.583	6–4	268	278	L1
Cleveland Browns	7	5	0	.583	6–4	270	214	W1
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	5	1	.545	6–4	257	216	W1
Washington Redskins	3	9	0	.250	2–8	185	350	L5
Chicago Cardinals	2	10	0	.167	2–8	234	324	L6

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

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v t e Pittsburgh Steelers seasons
Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939)
1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers
Founded in 1933 Formerly the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–1939) Based and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Franchise	History All-Time Team Seasons Logos and uniforms Coaches Players Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks Records
Stadiums	Home fields: Forbes Field Pitt Stadium Three Rivers Stadium Acrisure Stadium Training facilities: Rooney Field Point Stadium UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Chuck Noll Field
Culture	Football in Western Pennsylvania Rooney family Myron Cope Steelmark Steeler Nation Terrible Towel Steel Curtain Black Sunday Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Evening Shade The Chief "Renegade" "Here We Go" "Black and Yellow" YinzCam This Is Us Steel Curtain Roller Coaster
Lore	Steelers lore J.P. Rooneys Pennsylvania Keystoners "Pennsylvania Polka" Steagles Card-Pitt Steelerettes Immaculate Reception 1975 AFC Championship Game 1995 AFC Championship Game Jerome Bettis trade Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle 3:16 game
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles Tennessee Titans
Media	Broadcasters KDKA-TV WPKD-TV SportsNet Pittsburgh Charlie Batch Chris Hoke Radio Network WDVE-FM WBGG-AM Bill Hillgrove Tunch Ilkin Craig Wolfley Steelers figures in broadcasting
Division championships (24)	1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1983 1984 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 2001 2002 2004 2007 2008 2010 2014 2016 2017 2020
Conference championships (8)	1974 1975 1978 1979 1995 2005 2008 2010
League championships (6)	1974 (IX) 1975 (X) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 2005 (XL) 2008 (XLIII)
Retired numbers	32 70 75
Hall of Fame members	Players: Bettis Blount Bradshaw Butler Dawson Dudley Faneca Greene Ham Harris Johnson Lambert Layne Polamalu Shell Stallworth Stautner Swann Webster Woodson Coaches and administration: Bell Cowher Kiesling Noll Art Rooney Dan Rooney
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division

1959 NFL season

Eastern Conference	Chi Cardinals	Philadelphia	Baltimore	Green Bay	Western Conference
	Cleveland	Pittsburgh	Chi Bears	Los Angeles
	New York	Washington	Detroit	San Francisco