History of the Steelers Logo

The Steelers logo is one of the most recognizable logos in professional sports. But even after seven decades in the NFL and six Super Bowl victories, the logo's origins are still widely unknown.

The logo, the Steelmark, was originally created for the United States Steel Corporation. The color of the three hypocycloids (the four-pointed star-shaped figures inside the circle) represent the three materials used to create steel: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore, and blue for steel scrap. In the early 60's the Steelers had to petition the American Iron and Steel Institute to change the word 'Steel' in the logo to 'Steelers'.

They debuted the logo in the 1962 season, putting the logo on one side of the helmet only in order to test it out. That year the team played to a record of 9-5, the winningest in the franchise's history, and switched their helmets from gold to black for their postseason run. The helmets have stayed the same ever since.

More about the logo's history can be found at the American Iron and Steel Institute.