View source for Steve Furness

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1950–2000)}}
{{other people|Stephen Furness}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
| name = Steve Furness
| image = Furness Training Camp.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Furness with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1977
| nickname = Buckethead,<ref name="NFL Strongman">[https://www.espn.com/magazine/vol6no03strongmen.html Big Night], Shaun Assael, ''ESPN, The Magazine'', January 21, 2003, accessed 2009-02-11</ref> Furny
| birth_date = {{birth date|1950|12|5|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Providence, Rhode Island]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2000|2|9|1950|12|5|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| number = 64
| status = 
| position1 = [[Defensive tackle]]
| position2 = [[Defensive end]]
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 255
| college = [[University of Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]
| high_school = [[Bishop Hendricken High School|Bishop Hendricken]] ([[Warwick, Rhode Island]])
| NFLDraftedYear = 1972
| NFLDraftedRound = 5
| NFLDraftedPick = 113
| NFLDraftedTeam = [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]
| coaching_team1 = [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]]<br>Defensive line coach
| coaching_years1 = 1982&ndash;[[1990 Michigan State Spartans football team|1990]]
| coaching_team2 = [[Indianapolis Colts]]<br>Defensive line coach
| coaching_years2 = [[1991 Indianapolis Colts season|1991]]
| coaching_team3 = [[Pittsburgh Steelers]]<br>Defensive line coach
| coaching_years3 = [[1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season|1992]]&ndash;[[1993 Pittsburgh Steelers season|1993]]
| playing_years1 = [[1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season|1972]]&ndash;[[1980 Pittsburgh Steelers season|1980]]
| playing_team1 = Pittsburgh Steelers
| playing_years2 = [[1981 NFL season|1981]]
| playing_team2 = [[Detroit Lions]]
| career_highlights = 
* 4× [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] (as player) &mdash; [[Super Bowl IX|IX (''1974'')]], [[Super Bowl X|X (''1975'')]], [[Super Bowl XIII|XIII (''1978'')]], [[Super Bowl XIV|XIV (''1979'')]]
* 2× [[Big Ten|Big 10]] champion (as coach) &mdash; [[1987 Michigan State Spartans football team|1987 (Mich. St.)]], [[1990 Michigan State Spartans football team|1990 (Mich. St.)]]
| honors =  Univ. of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame (1987)<ref name="URIAHOF">[http://gorhody.cstv.com/genrel/furness72_stephenr00.html Stephen Furness profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320124507/http://www.gorhody.com/landing/index |date=2017-03-20 }}, GoRhody.com (accessed online 2009-02-11)</ref>
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 106
| statlabel2 = Opponent's [[fumble]]s recovered
| statvalue2 = 8
| NFL = FUR498348
}}

'''Stephen Robert Furness''' (December 5, 1950 – February 9, 2000) was an American professional [[American football|football]] [[defensive tackle]] for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Detroit Lions]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), and a member of the Steelers' famed [[Steel Curtain]] defense. He earned four [[Super Bowl]] rings as a member of the Steelers. He was of [[English people|English]] and [[Armenian people|Armenian]] descent.

Furness grew up in [[Warwick, Rhode Island]], where he attended [[Bishop Hendricken High School]] before accepting a football scholarship to the [[University of Rhode Island]]. In addition to being a star football player for URI, he excelled at the [[hammer throw]] and turned down an invitation to the [[1972 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|1972 Olympic Trials]] to attend the Steelers' training camp.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/rhode_island/greatest/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030714023225/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/rhode_island/greatest/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2003 |title=SI.com - SI 50th - Rhode Island - The 50 Greatest Rhode Island Sports Figures - Wednesday July 09, 2003 04:11 PM |publisher=Sportsillustrated.cnn.com |date= |accessdate=2012-09-30}}</ref> Furness was selected in the fifth round of the [[1972 NFL draft]] and initially served as a backup to [[Joe Greene]] and [[Ernie Holmes]] before replacing Holmes as defensive tackle in 1977. He started in [[Super Bowl XIII]] and was primarily known for his skills as a pass rusher, leading the team in [[quarterback sacks]] during several seasons with the Steelers. He collected 32 sacks over the course of his Steelers career.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url = http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html |title = Souls who enriched our lives, our region |work = [[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]] |date = December 1, 2002 |accessdate = 2009-02-11 |archive-date = 2007-03-24 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070324123031/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html |url-status = dead }}</ref> He was also an avid weight lifter and placed fourth in the 1980 'Strongest Man in Football' competition, which aired on CBS.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPNMAG.com - Big Night |url=https://www.espn.com/magazine/vol6no03strongmen.html |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref>

Furness was released by Pittsburgh after playing all 16 games in the 1980 season and he ended his playing career in 1981 with the [[Detroit Lions]]. After retiring from the NFL he became the defensive line coach for [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]] from 1982 to 1990, where he worked under his former Steelers defensive coordinator [[George Perles]] and helped lead the team to two [[Big Ten|Big 10]] Conference titles, a victory in the [[1988 Rose Bowl]] and appearances in five additional bowl games. During this period he earned a [[master's degree]] in Athletic Administration from [[Michigan State University]] and was inducted to the University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gorhody.cstv.com/genrel/furness72_stephenr00.html |title=Rhode Island |publisher=Gorhody.cstv.com |date= |accessdate=2012-09-30 |archive-date=2017-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320124507/http://www.gorhody.com/landing/index |url-status=dead }}</ref> He rejoined the NFL in 1991 as an assistant coach for the [[Indianapolis Colts]] before returning to the [[Steelers]] for his final two years as a defensive line coach (1992–1993). In 1999, he was named as one of the "50 Greatest Rhode Island Sports Figures" of the 20th Century by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine, earning the 14th spot on the list.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

Furness died unexpectedly of a heart attack on February 9, 2000. His son [[Zack Furness]] is a professor at Penn State University.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030714023225/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/rhode_island/greatest/ "50 Greatest Rhode Island Sports Figures," ''Sports Illustrated'', December 7, 1999, accessed 3/31/08]}}
*[http://gorhody.cstv.com/genrel/furness72_stephenr00.html University of Rhode Island Official Athletic Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320124507/http://www.gorhody.com/landing/index |date=2017-03-20 }}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070208104223/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=FURNESTE01 Statistics at databasefootball.com]}}
*[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0876902.html Death notice, infoplease.com]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070324123031/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.html ''Souls who enriched our lives, our region'', Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Dec. 1, 2002, accessed 12/07/2006]}}
*[http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2001/57/furness.html Zack Furness, "My Dad Kicked Ass For a Living," ''Bad Subjects'', Issue #57, October, 2001, accessed 3/31/08]

{{Steelers1972DraftPicks}}
{{Super Bowl IX}}
{{Super Bowl X}}
{{Super Bowl XIII}}
{{Super Bowl XIV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furness, Steve}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Bishop Hendricken High School alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Warwick, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:University of Rhode Island alumni]]
[[Category:American football defensive tackles]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Colts coaches]]
[[Category:Michigan State Spartans football coaches]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers coaches]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Rhode Island Rams football players]]