Can I just say that Twitter has opened a few doors in my life that would not have been opened if this whole thing did not exist? Every week I go through the “I don’t have a clue what I’m going to write in the column” anxiety. Well, maybe not anxiety, but my mind is always blank on what to write about every Monday to Sunday. But every week something happens that makes me go, “there it is”. This week was no different. As you may know I have my @VintageSteelers account on Twitter and it has been extremely cool to see where it has gone and where it has taken me. The people who have followed me and that I have followed provide entertainment.
My wife and I are huuuuge Steeler fans, like everyone else, and it’s been really cool to interact with everyone. So anyway, my topic for this week’s column is all about 1976. I saw on the Twitter account, @PastFactory, “Back in 1976”. My brain went into overdrive with personal memories and things I remember seeing and reading. I posted the 1976 Pro Football Yearbook cover from Street and Smith on my Vintage Steelers account and received many likes, retweets, and comments. One really cool comment which I’ll talk about later. Terry Bradshaw was on the cover of that issue…hence why I posted it. I wouldn’t have done that if it was Roger Staubach…just sayin.
For those of you alive and well, and older than four years, you just may remember some of this. In 1976 a stamp cost 13 cents…today 55 cents. A gallon of gas was 59 cents…I just put gas in my truck at $2.46 a gallon!! Eggs were 84 cents…now, more than $1.00. Gallon of milk was $1.65. now, it costs somewhere around $4. In 1976, minimum wage was $2.30. Gerald Ford was president. The only president, by the way, who was not elected to the office. Apple Computer Co. was formed in ’76. Oh how I wish I could’ve invested right then and there. Nadia Comanechi scored a 10 in gymnastics making her the first to do so. Some popular songs on the radio in ’76 were “Silly Love Songs” (Wings), “Don’t go Breaking My Heart” (Elton John and Kiki Dee), “Oh, What a Night” (The Four Seasons) and “Play That Funky Music” (Wild Cherry). Also, in ’76 NASA introduced the first space shuttle, Enterprise…wonder where they got that name. Rocky premiered in theaters in ’76. Not the original Rocky. We all know who that guy is. Number 20 in your Steelers program. The popular tv shows in ’76 were Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, MASH and Charlie’s Angels. WHAT. A . YEAR!!!! BEST. YEAR. EVER!!!! Oh by the way, the Steelers won Super Bowl X in 1976. Again…BEST. YEAR. EVER!!!
Back to the cover pic I posted. I received a comment from Randy Cross of the San Francisco 49ers that that was his draft class. How cool is that. Randy Cross made a comment. Had to show my wife who he was and how cool it was that he and I are messaging each other. Some of you probably deal with celebrities and professional athletes on a daily basis. Not this guy. So, to me that’s really freakin cool. I sent a response to Randy asking about any memory he had that day and he responded! Amazing. In the ’76 draft the Steelers drafted Bennie Cunningham in the first round then Ray Pinney in the second. Randy Cross was drafted later in the second round by San Fran. I would’ve been happy with him on the Steelers, but Ray Pinney was a pretty good pick too. We’ll never see 1976 again. Nothing will even come close to it. Maybe 1975 or 1977, but not as cool as ’76.
