The recent rumor that the Detroit Pistons are moving to Pittsburgh is likely false, but that rumor proliferated because of the fact that these two cities have a lot in common. Detroit today is where Pittsburgh was in the 1970′s – it’s main industry has just collapsed and it is losing its identity. Hopefully Detroit can someday remake itself the way Pittsburgh did, but for now the folks who still live there are using sports as a means of regional identity much like Pittsburghers did when the steel mills closed. When it comes to those sports, these cities have crossed paths on multiple occasions. This week’s America Loves Countdowns® series looks at ten of those connections.

Michael Moorer
Boxer Moorer gained fame in 1994 when he defeated Evander Holyfield to become the heavyweight champion. He became even more famous later that year when he lost the title to old man George Foreman. Moorer grew up in Monessen but moved to Detroit when he started seriously training to become a boxer. This generated some controversy amongst the folks here in Pittsburgh as Moorer was often introduced as being “from Detroit”. He also got himself into legal trouble back in Monessen. He was arrested in 1989 for being involved in a bar brawl and again in 1991 for assaulting a police officer. This led some to believe that Moorer simply didn’t want to be associated with his hometown.

The Curse of Bobby Layne
The Steelers and Lions do not have much of a history on the field. Off the field however, the two teams are famous for a trade that happened over 50 years ago but still haunts Detroit to this day (at least according to superstitious Lions fans). In 1957, QB Bobby Layne led the Lions to their third NFL championship of the decade. The following season, Detroit decided that he was past his prime so they traded him to Pittsburgh. Layne was supposedly furious about the trade and proclaimed that the Lions would not win for another 50 years. Sure enough, the two teams have gone in opposite directions since then. The curse did however expire after the 2008 season, but it went out with a bang – the Steelers became the first NFL team to win six Super Bowls while the Lions became the first NFL team to go 0-16.

Dick LeBeau
LeBeau was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. Few people have been more deserving. LeBeau has spent more than 50 seasons in football, with his most significant contributions coming in Detroit and Pittsburgh. As a player for the Lions, he set a league record that still stands today by appearing in 171 consecutive games. He also ranks 3rd all-time amongst cornerbacks with 62 career interceptions to go along with several Pro Bowl appearances. As a coach for the Steelers, he presided over three Super Bowl defenses. His innovative zone blitzing schemes have been widely copied, and his defenses have been ranked #1 overall in three out of the past six seasons. He is truly a football legend in both cities.

Jim Leyland
When Leyland took over the Pirates in 1986, they were a joke of a team. By the time he left 11 seasons later, they had captured three NL East division titles and had given us 35 and under Pittsburgh baseball fans the only moments of glory we will ever experience in our lifetimes. When Leyland took over the Tigers in 2006, they were arguably an even bigger joke of a team than the Pirates were 20 years earlier. He immediately took them to the World Series and has them consistently competing each year. It takes a great coach to revive a sport in a city where it is dead. Leyland did that in two cities.

Jerome Bettis
Detroit native Bettis became a Pittsburgh sports legend. The power back spent ten seasons in the Steelers backfield, retiring as the NFL’s 5th all-time leading rusher. His bruising, physical style was emblematic of the blue collar history of both Detroit and Pittsburgh. The Bus was beloved by Pittsburgh fans. In his hometown, he was honored by being given a key to the city. He will in all likelihood be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a couple of years as a proud representative of both places.

Larry Murphy
Murphy was part of four Stanley Cup winning teams – two in Pittsburgh and two in Detroit. In 1991 and 1992, he was an integral part of the Penguins’ championships. His skills on defense and anchoring the power play were invaluable. In 1997 and 1998, he provided the same leadership for the Red Wings in their cup runs. He played for other teams during his long career but it was in those two cities where he left his mark. Murphy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004 as a representative of the proud hockey history of both Pittsburgh and Detroit.

Joe Louis vs Billy Conn
Boxer Billy Conn, aka “The Pittsburgh Kid”, was a huge underdog when he fought legendary Detroit fighter Joe Louis at the Polo Grounds on June 18, 1941. Louis was the heavyweight champion and a huge celebrity. Conn was a light heavyweight from East Liberty who few people had ever heard of. However, Conn fought Louis hard for 12 rounds and would have won the fight had it gone to the scorecards, but he made the fateful “dumb” (as he called it) mistake of trying to go for the knockout in round 13. Louis was able to instead knockout Conn, but the fight went down as one of the greatest ever and captured the public’s attention so much that a rematch was planned. Unfortunately, World War II postponed that rematch until 1946 when both fighters were way past their primes.

Super Bowl XL
In 1980, the Steelers coined the phrase “one for the thumb” in reference to their pursuit of a 5th Super Bowl ring. That did not happen in 1980, nor did it happen in 1981, 1982, 1983…. In fact, it would be 26 years and a number of heartbreakingly close attempts before the Steelers would finally be poised to realize the dream of a 5th world championship. On February 5, 2006, Pittsburgh took on Seattle in Super Bowl XL. The game was not played in the usual sunny paradise of Florida or California, but rather in Detroit. Steelers fans (myself included) tailgated in the icy parking lots near Ford Field, watched the Steelers win a sloppy game, celebrated like crazy, and then drove through a snowstorm to get home to Pittsburgh. It sure doesn’t sound glamorous, but Steelers fans will always hold a special place in their hearts for Detroit because of that game and what it took to get there.

1909 World Series
In the early part of the 20th century, Major League Baseball had two marquee hitters: Ty Cobb of Detroit and Honus Wagner of Pittsburgh. In 1909, each won the batting title of their respective leagues and met each other in the World Series. At one point in the Series, Cobb allegedly called out shortstop Wagner while standing on first base, calling him “krauthead” and saying he was going to steal second. As the story goes, Cobb was not only caught stealing, but Wagner tagged him hard in the mouth with his glove. This story was told for years but many now believe it was fabricated to enhance the rivalry between the two players. Here is what we know for sure: the Pirates defeated the Tigers in seven games, giving them their first World Series title. We also know that Cobb was not much of a factor in the Series. Any alleged rivalry that Wagner had with Cobb was addressed by the scoreboard.

2008/2009 Stanley Cup Finals
The Penguins and the Red Wings never had much of a history before 2008, but now those two clubs are forever etched in each other’s history books. In 2008, the young Penguins dominated their way thru the Eastern Conference to set up a Stanley Cup showdown with the veteran Wings, who had already won three cups in the previous decade. Detroit jumped out to a 2-0 lead and despite a miracle 3-OT win by the Pens in game 5, the Red Wings still won the series in six games. In 2009, each team posted great seasons once again, and all throughout the playoffs, it seemed inevitable that they would meet again in the Finals. Sure enough, the rematch happened. Detroit again took the first two games but this time Pittsburgh battled back. Eventually, it all came down to game 7 in Detroit, where the Penguins captured their third Stanley Cup thanks to a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Wings. Two great hockey teams, two great finals, and two proud cities forever linked by their people, their economies, and their sports teams.

Honorable Mentions:

• Scotty Bowman: The only guy who can say that he coached both a Pittsburgh team and a Detroit team to a professional sports championship.
• Kevin Colbert: The Steelers GM was hired from the Lions and managed to pillage Detroit for some of the team’s best talent during a decade in which they won two championships.
• Pittsburgh Hornets: The Hornets served as a minor league development club for the Red Wings in the 1960′s.
• Swin Cash: The Pittsburgh native helped deliver a championship for the Detroit Shock of the WNBA.