Sunday will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ seventh trip to the Super Bowl, which as we’ll hear ad nauseum over the next week, is only one short of the Dallas Cowboys.
You could make the argument that if the Steelers win Sunday, which would be their sixth, that they’re the most successful franchise of the Roman Numeral Era.
But where do they stand as of today? That’s Tuesday’s Top Five — the top five franchises since Super Bowl I in January 1967:
5. Green Bay (three wins, one loss) — While the Packers have been to fewer Super Bowls than six other teams, their Super Bowl were appearances spread out over decades, as opposed to the teams that, say, went four times in four years and never won. And the Packers get extra credit for winning the first two Super Bowls to end a run of six championships in eight years.
4. New England (three wins, three losses) — If anything, this selection is more debatable. Why the Patriots over the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and New York Giants, all of whom have won three Super Bowls as well? As much as we hate to do it, we’ll give Bill Belichick credit for building a dynasty despite the salary cap, which no one else has been able to do.
3. San Francisco (five wins, no losses) — Nobody was better in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense dominated the league — and under two different quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young. But this is about the Super Bowl Era, and the 49ers never went before Walsh took over or after George Seifert left.
2. Pittsburgh (five wins, one loss) — Consistently one of the league’s best teams in any era, thanks to the strong ownership of the Rooney family, the Steelers’ five Super Bowls are spread over a 31-year span. Only the Cowboys, in Super Bowl XXX, could blemish the Steelers’ record. (The Steelers did beat the Cowboys in Super Bowls X and XIII.)
1. Dallas (five wins, three losses) — Clinging to the top spot. If Pittsburgh wins Sunday, giving the Steelers wins under three different coaches while the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1995, the Cowboys will take a dip here. But for the moment, their multi-generational success under first Tom Landry and then Jerry Jones remains the standard for NFL success since the 1966 season.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 829-8947 or 
Comments
Unbeaten when it matters most
Tue, 01/27/2009 - 11:13 — mikbarrettPersonally, I think you've got to give some credit to the Niners for going to five Super Bowls and maintaining a perfect record in the big game. Throw in the number of nail-biting NFC Championship games they lost over the years (two or three of which they should have won), and they're nipping at the Cowboys' heels for Super Bowl appearances.
But I'm obviously biased. And the fact that they haven't been to the game since 1994 is a depressing splash of cold water to the face.