Jim Wexell spent weeks during the summer of 2023 in the library, but not just any library.
It was the Pro Football Hall of Fame library in Canton, Ohio. There, he perused everything written about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ storied franchise as he researched book ideas.
Wexell filled 10 legal pads — all by hand — with what he calls “nuggets.”
Little did he realize he would be contacted to use some of those nuggets in the book “Pittsburgh Steelers: An Illustrated Timeline,” by Reedy Press. The hardcover, photo-filled coffee-table book encompasses vignettes chronicling the team’s history, leading up to when the franchise was founded in 1933 through the 2023 season.
“I believe this book will be interesting to football aficionados and also to the casual fan,” said Wexell, of Irwin.
Noteworthy games and memorable moments — including the Steelers’ six Super Bowl championships — are brought to life through Wexell’s prose. Vivid photographs, courtesy of Getty Images and the Pittsburgh Steelers, complement the 160 vignettes.
The book has five sections: The Troubles, Rough-and-Tumble, The Chuck Noll Years, The Bill Cowher Years and The Mike Tomlin Years.
Wexell was recommended to the publisher by a longtime Steelers beat writer. This is Wexell’s sixth book. He is in his 30th season covering the Steelers and has spent more than 40 years writing about Pittsburgh sports since graduating from Pitt-Greensburg in 1983. His writing career includes stints as sports editor of the Standard Observer, freelance Steelers beat writer for the Uniontown Herald-Standard, Beaver County Times and Pro Football Weekly. He is currently a columnist for Steelers Digest and publisher of CBS Sports’ SteelCityInsider.
“Having written several books about Steelers history, and having covered the team for decades, Jim was the ideal person to author this rich collection of dramatic highlights,” Josh Stevens, owner of Reedy Press, said via email.
A love of football has always led the Steelers organization, Wexell said. The book highlights Bill Nunn, who transformed the NFL as a Steelers scout from 1968 through 2014.
It includes defensive tackle Joe Greene as the first player selected by Noll in 1969 and the drafting of quarterback Terry Bradshaw the following year. Photos depict players before they had face masks on their helmets.
Among the pages is the “The Fog Bowl II,” played in January 1997 at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts against the New England Patriots, when a thick fog limited visibility. The team’s Super Bowl XL victory in 2006 was played in running back Jerome Bettis’ hometown of Detroit against Seattle.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to a Super Bowl XLIII victory in 2009, which had the “Immaculate Interception.” Linebacker James Harrison intercepted a pass by Arizona’s Kurt Warner and returned it 100 yards for a score. The book ends with defensive tackle Cam Heyward being named the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
“I love researching for books,” Wexell said. “That is so important to me. I unearthed some good nuggets.”
