The 1933 Pittsburgh Pirates season marked the debut of the team known today as the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team was established by Arthur Rooney Sr., a former boxer and semi-pro football player, who paid the National Football League (NFL) its $2,500 expansion fee with winnings from successful weekend gambling at the Saratoga Race Track in New York. Rooney named the team "Pirates" and made use of black-and-gold team colors as a means of attaching his fledgling team to the Pittsburgh Pirates of baseball's National League. Home games were scheduled for Forbes Field, stadium used by the baseball Pirates. The new squad was composed largely of local semi-pro players. Rooney quickly ran into Pennsylvania's blue laws, which prohibited professional sports from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games took place. Rooney slyly circumvented the law by providing the superintendent of police with free box seats. Except for a brief period in 1940 and 1941, Rooney would remain the franchise's principal owner until his death in 1988. The Rooney family has retained a controlling interest ever since. The Pirates took the field for the first time on September 20 against the New York Giants at Forbes Field, losing 23–2. The following week, the team got its first win, defeating the Chicago Cardinals at home 14–13. The team finished 3–6–2 for the season.

Regular season

Schedule

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1 (Wednesday September 20, 1933): New York Giants

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 2 (Wednesday September 27, 1933): Chicago Cardinals

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 3 (Wednesday October 4, 1933): Boston Redskins

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 4 (Wednesday October 11, 1933): Cincinnati Reds

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 5 (Sunday October 15, 1933): at Green Bay Packers

at City Stadium, Green Bay, Wisconsin Scoring drives:

Week 6 (Sunday October 22, 1933): at Cincinnati Reds

at Redland Field, Cincinnati, Ohio Scoring drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 29, 1933): at Boston Redskins

at Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts Scoring drives:

Week 8 (Sunday November 5, 1933): at Brooklyn Dodgers

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York Scoring drives:

Week 9 (Sunday November 12, 1933): Brooklyn Dodgers

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 10 (Sunday November 19, 1933): at Philadelphia Eagles

at Baker Bowl, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Scoring drives:

Week 12 (Sunday December 3, 1933): at New York Giants

at Polo Grounds, New York City Scoring drives: