You probably remember the No. 10 jersey darting across the Three Rivers Stadium turf like a glitch in the matrix. Kordell Stewart was a strange, beautiful anomaly in an era of statuesque quarterbacks and "three yards and a cloud of dust" football. Long before Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes made off-script magic the league standard, Stewart was doing it for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a way that truly baffled the traditionalists.
He wasn't just a dual-threat. He was a "Triple Threat."
When the Steelers drafted him in the second round out of Colorado in 1995, nobody—not even Bill Cowher, honestly—seemed to know exactly where to put him. He had that legendary "Miracle at Michigan" Hail Mary on his resume, but he also had a 4.52-second 40-yard dash. So, they just called him "Slash." Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Running Back. It was a nickname coined by the late, great Myron Cope, and it stuck like glue because it was the only way to describe a guy who might throw a touchdown, catch a 40-yard bomb, and then punt the ball 40 yards into the corner on the same drive.
The Birth of Slash and the 1997 Explosion
The early years were electric. In 1995 and 1996, Stewart was the ultimate gadget player. Imagine being a defensive coordinator trying to account for a guy who could line up in the slot, take a reverse, or suddenly take a snap under center. In the 1995 AFC Championship against the Colts, he caught a touchdown pass that helped send Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XXX.
He was the only rookie in NFL history to take a snap at quarterback in a Super Bowl. That's a wild stat when you think about it.
By 1997, the experiment went full-time. Cowher handed Kordell the keys to the kingdom. What followed was a season that, at the time, felt like it came from a different planet. Stewart became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns and run for 10 in a single season.
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He finished that '97 campaign with:
- 3,020 passing yards.
- 21 passing touchdowns.
- 476 rushing yards.
- 11 rushing touchdowns.
The Steelers went 11-5 and reached the AFC Championship Game. But here's where the narrative gets messy. They lost to the Broncos, and Stewart turned the ball over four times. That game created a shadow that followed him for the rest of his career in Pittsburgh. The city's blue-collar fan base loved the wins but grew frustrated with the "unconventional" mistakes that sometimes came with his improvisational style.
The 2001 Resurgence and the Rollercoaster Years
People forget how good 2001 was. Seriously. After a few years of being benched, moved back to receiver, and even reportedly crying on the sideline after a particularly brutal game against Tampa Bay, Stewart had a massive comeback.
Under offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and QB coach Tom Clements, Stewart finally looked like a refined, elite pocket passer who just happened to be able to run. He led the 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers to a 13-3 record. He was the team MVP, a Pro Bowler, and fourth in NFL MVP voting.
He wasn't just "Slash" anymore; he was a legitimate top-tier quarterback.
He threw for over 3,100 yards and ran for five scores. He led the Steelers to a Divisional win over the defending champion Ravens. Then, the New England Patriots happened. The 2001 AFC Championship loss was another "what if" moment. Two interceptions and a stagnant offense led to a 24-17 loss.
By 2002, the leash was short. When the team started 0-2 and struggled against the Browns in Week 3, Cowher pulled the plug. He went with Tommy Maddox, a former XFL star. Just like that, the Kordell Stewart era in Pittsburgh was basically over. He spent some time with the Bears and Ravens later on, but it never felt the same.
Why We Should Stop Calling Him a "What If"
There is a bit of a misconception that Kordell Stewart failed as a quarterback. If you look at the raw numbers, he has 50 wins as a starter. That's more than plenty of guys who are remembered much more fondly.
The real issue was timing.
If Kordell Stewart played in 2026, he’d be a $200 million franchise player. Modern offensive coordinators like Andy Reid or Kyle Shanahan would have built an entire RPO-heavy system around his legs and deep-ball arm. In the late '90s, he was forced to try and be a "drop-back passer first" because the league didn't know how to value mobility.
They saw his running as a "scramble" or a "failure of the pocket," whereas today, it’s a designed weapon.
The Nuance of the Struggle
It wasn't just football, though. Stewart has been vocal in recent years about the pressure he felt as a Black quarterback in a city like Pittsburgh during that time. He dealt with vicious rumors and a level of scrutiny that often felt personal rather than professional. When you're the face of the franchise and you're breaking the traditional mold, the target on your back is huge.
Historical Impact on Today's Game
You can't talk about the evolution of the position without mentioning Stewart. He bridged the gap between Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick.
- The RPO Foundation: While they didn't call it that, the way Stewart used the threat of the run to open up deep passing lanes to guys like Yancey Thigpen and Courtney Hawkins was the blueprint for what we see now.
- Versatility as a Draft Metric: Teams now look for "Slash" players. Look at Taysom Hill or even how some teams use Justin Fields. That entire archetype exists because Kordell proved it could work at the highest level.
- Statistical Pioneer: Until 2019, Stewart was the only quarterback to have a 200-yard passing and 100-yard rushing game in a major bowl (the Fiesta Bowl). It took Trevor Lawrence 24 years to match that.
Practical Lessons for Fans
If you're looking back at those late '90s Steelers teams, don't just look at the interceptions. Look at the way he changed the geometry of the field. Teams had to play five defensive backs just to contain his legs, which opened up the "Bus" Jerome Bettis to hammer people in the fourth quarter.
Moving Forward
To truly appreciate the Kordell Stewart Pittsburgh Steelers legacy, you have to watch the 1997 or 2001 film. You’ll see a guy who was playing 2020s football in a 1990s world. He was a pioneer who took the hits—both literally and figuratively—so that the next generation of dual-threat stars wouldn't have to apologize for being athletic.
If you want to dive deeper into this era, your next move should be to look at the 1997 AFC playoff film. Pay attention to how the Denver Broncos defense specifically changed their "spy" packages just for Stewart. It’s a masterclass in how one player can force an entire league to rewrite its playbook.
Actionable Insight: If you're a student of the game, go back and compare Stewart’s 2001 season stats with modern "mobile" QB seasons. You'll find that his efficiency and win-loss record actually hold up remarkably well against today's standard, despite the lack of modern spread-offense advantages.