Pittsburgh Steelers: Best Coaches All-Time

Pittsburgh Steelers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Forrest Douds: When Art Rooney Sr. bought himself a pro football team in 1933, he stayed local to find the franchise’s first-ever head coach. That man was Forrest McCreery Douds, better known as “Jap.” Douds lasted but just one season and served as a player/coach leading the team to just three wins in 11 games with two games finishing in a tie.

Born in Rochester, Pennsylvania, Douds played college football as a tackle at Washington & Jefferson College, and when he passed away at the age of 74 in 1979, he died in Sewickley, PA. His pro football career began in 1930 with the Providence Steam Roller and from there he played with the Portsmouth Spartans, Chicago Cardinals, and finally the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1933 and 1934, coaching them in that very first season.

Jap Douds is also a member of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame being inducted in 1976.

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