<P> The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL first took to the field as the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20 , 1933 , losing 23 -- 2 to the New York Giants . Through the 1930s , the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division , or with a record better than . 500 ( 1936 ) . Pittsburgh did make history in 1938 by signing Byron White , a future Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court , to what was at the time the biggest contract in NFL history , but he played only one year with the Pirates before signing with the Detroit Lions . Prior to the 1940 season , the Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers . </P>
<P> The Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL first took to the field as the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20 , 1933 , losing 23 -- 2 to the New York Giants . Through the 1930s , the Pirates never finished higher than second place in their division , or with a record better than . 500 ( 1936 ) . Pittsburgh did make history in 1938 by signing Byron White , a future Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court , to what was at the time the biggest contract in NFL history , but he played only one year with the Pirates before signing with the Detroit Lions . Prior to the 1940 season , the Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers . </P>
when does the steelers play their first game
when does the steelers play their first game
September 20 , 1933
September 20 , 1933