John McCain:
Was it the Steelers
or Packers?
Presidential hopeful John McCain couldn't BS this
Steelers fan!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday evening
I was watching the local evening news on KDKA-TV, the CBS affiliate in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Presidential hopeful John McCain was in
town campaigning that day and a news reporter was covering his
visit.
My ears perked up when Senator McCain mentioned the Steelers,
and the fact that he had used the names of the 'Steel Curtain'
defensive linemen to provide false information to his Vietnamese
interrogators. Right away my BS Detector went off!
I became a Steelers fan following my all-expenses-paid tour
to Vietnam by Uncle Sam in 1971, so I was intimately aware of the
Steelers history as it related to the Vietnam War timeline.
It was time for me to do some further research to verify my gut
feeling....
THE
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
1969-1975
 |
(Click image to enlarge)
"In 1972,
the Steelers won their first division title in franchise
history..."
STEELERS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
DISPLAY AT HEINZ FIELD |
According to
Wikipedia, McCain had been a prisoner from 1967 until
early-1973. From the extensive biography, you could easily surmise
that the year he claimed to have used the names of the Steel
Curtain defense was 1968. Something just wasn't right. The dates
didn't line-up. Next I researched the Steelers' draft picks
preceding their four Super Bowl wins in the 70's.
History confirmed what my BS Detector had indicated --
the first two members of that fearsome foursome -- Greene and
Greenwood were drafted in 1969. White was drafted in 1971
and Holmes, the final member of that famous front four, was drafted
in 1972. I sent out an email Wednesday evening to share my
insights with a few friends. Late Thursday, a major blog finally
picked up the story.
On their 11pm broadcast Thursday night, KDKA
followed-up with yet another news story. It turns out that in his 1999
best-seller "Faith of My Fathers,"
McCain wrote that he gave interrogators the names of Green
Bay Packers offensive linemen.
Here's the KDKA News video:
http://kdka.com/video/?id=43612@kdka.dayport.com
As former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll once said,
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!
|
 |
"The Steelers chose defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene
with their first pick in the 1969 draft. He would turn
out to be the foundation of one of the greatest defenses
of all time. Displayed is his helmet from 1981, his
final season."
STEELERS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
DISPLAY AT HEINZ FIELD |
|
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