The 1940 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 8th in the National Football League. It was also the first season in which the team was known as the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not the copycat "Pirates" moniker. The 1940 team was led by head coach Walt Kiesling in his first full season as the head coach. Kiesling's assistant coaches were Wilbur "Bill" Sortet and Hank Bruder, who both also played.

Offseason

They held training camp at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. In the 1940 NFL draft the Steelers continued their pattern of trading away high picks when they dealt their first-round selection (second overall), halfback Kay Eakin from Arkansas, to the New York Giants for tackle Ox Parry, who would never play for the Steelers.

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday September 8, 1940): Chicago Cardinals

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 2 (Sunday, September 15, 1940): New York Giants

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 3 (Sunday September 22, 1940): Detroit Lions

at Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan Scoring Drives:

Week 4 (Sunday September 29, 1940): Brooklyn Dodgers

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 5 (Sunday October 6, 1940): Washington Redskins

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Week 6 (Sunday October 13, 1940): Brooklyn Dodgers

at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York Scoring Drives:

Week 7 (Sunday October 20, 1940): New York Giants

at Polo Grounds, New York, New York Scoring Drives:

Week 8 (Sunday October 27, 1940): Green Bay Packers

at Wisconsin State Fair Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Scoring Drives:

Week 9 (Sunday November 3, 1940): Washington Redskins

at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC Scoring Drives:

Week 10 (Sunday November 10, 1940): Philadelphia Eagles

at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives: The Steelers defeated the Eagles 7–0. The game is the last in NFL history as of 2013 to not have a penalty called on either team.

Week 13 (Thursday November 28, 1940): Philadelphia Eagles

at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Scoring Drives:

Standings