Iron City Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

1980 Steelers Team of the Decade Can

This 12-ounce crimped steel tab top can was issued in 1980 by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' dominant dynasty of the 1970s. Emblazoned with the banner "The Team of the Decade ~ 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers," the label showcases a full team portrait alongside medallions documenting historic Super Bowl triumphs over Dallas. Manufactured with a glued seam construction and dual metric volume statements, the can represents the late-era steel packaging that accompanied the culmination of one of professional football's greatest championship runs.

Iron City Beer originated in the nineteenth century as a flagship American lager. Heavily marketed to the region's blue-collar industrial workforce, the brand established an inseparable bond with western Pennsylvania culture. Through decades of local campaigns and stadium sponsorships, Iron City embraced Pittsburgh's signature black-and-gold identity. Although the brand experienced multiple ownership transitions during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, it remains an enduring regional favorite.

The Pittsburgh Brewing Company was founded in 1861 by German immigrant Edward Frauenheim in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood. In 1899, the operation joined with twenty other regional breweries to incorporate under the Pittsburgh Brewing Company name. While many competitors collapsed under the weight of Prohibition, PBC survived by shifting production to soft drinks, ice cream, and non-alcoholic near-beer. Following repeal, the brewery became an industry innovator; most famously, PBC collaborated with Alcoa in 1962 to introduce the world's first pull-tab aluminum-top beer can. Despite subsequent waves of national consolidation, the historic brewery persevered and continues brewing for the region today.

Commemorative sports issues from Pittsburgh Brewing hold a prominent place in breweriana history. Released at the peak of the beer can collecting boom, this tribute can carries broad appeal for both can collectors and sports memorabilia enthusiasts, standing as a tangible artifact of Pittsburgh's storied sports heritage.