Finally, it’s the last Sunday without Steelers football. This series can die until next offseason.
On December 2, 1962, at Forbes Field, the Steelers handled their business against the St. Louis Cardinals, grinding out a 19–7 win that pushed Buddy Parker’s squad to 7–5 on the season. It wasn’t a flashy game, but it was a physical one, built on opportunistic defense and the steady leg of Lou Michaels.
The tone was set early when Willie Daniel took a pick six 49 yards for Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. That play not only gave the Steelers a quick lead, it showed the Cardinals what kind of day they were in for. Ed Brown had an uneven outing under center. He threw for 246 yards but also took seven sacks and had an interception, but his receivers made sure the offense moved the ball. Buddy Dial put on a show with 186 receiving yards, including a long 50-yarder, while Preston Carpenter chipped in with 52 more.
The real workhorse, as always, was John Henry Johnson. The veteran back carried 17 times for 98 bruising yards, while Tom Tracy added 72 and Dick Hoak went for 65, giving Pittsburgh a balanced and punishing ground attack. By game’s end, the Steelers racked up 238 rushing yards on 40 carries, wearing down the Cardinals’ front.
Michaels, who was as steady as they come, nailed four field goals from 35, 36, 23, and 10 yards, methodically adding points every time the Steelers stalled out in Cardinals territory. His leg turned what might have been a tight game into a comfortable win.
The Cardinals’ lone bright spot came late, when quarterback Charley Johnson connected with Sonny Randle on a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Johnson threw for 257 yards on the day, but Pittsburgh’s defense harassed him all game long, sacking him five times and intercepting him twice. Alongside Daniel’s pick-six, Dick Haley grabbed another interception to help keep St. Louis at bay.
By the time the final whistle blew, the Steelers had doubled the Cardinals in total yardage (412 to 271) and dominated the line of scrimmage. It was the kind of grind-it-out, defensive-minded football that defined Pittsburgh in the pre-Chuck Noll era. Far from perfect, but good enough to bully a weaker opponent and notch another hard-fought win in front of the Forbes Field faithful.
2 comments
Lou Michaels wasn’t just a great kicker for his time, he was also a very good DE, recording 7 sacks in addition to his league best 26 field goals, he even got a vote for NFL MVP that year.
Really enjoyed this series, thanks for keeping it going and doing all the research! Smart idea making it a weekly post, my daily random Steeler player posts last offseason got tough to keep up after a while.