Growing up in the football hotbed of western Pennsylvania, future All-American and Super Bowl champion Terry Hanratty was almost predestined to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. He began playing the game in elementary school and was immediately captivated by the skill, teamwork, and physicality that is the essence of football.

He later became a two-time Super Bowl champion as Terry Bradshaw’s backup signal-caller in 1975 and 1976.

“Back when I was growing up, football was everything,” Hanratty said. “You have to imagine that that’s when all the steel mills were going strong and all the coal mines were going strong. Those things bred big, strong kids. Everybody played football, that’s just what we did.”

The future strong-armed signal-caller started his football career in the defensive backfield. As a junior at Butler Senior High School in Butler, Pa., Hanratty would make the switch that would propel him to the highest of heights in the game.

“I think, at that time, we had one of the best high school teams in the nation,” he said. “We had a lot of talented kids that went on to play big-time college football. It wasn’t until my senior year that I really got to throw the ball. We put up 299 points in just nine games!”

His undeniable talent caught the attention of the University of Notre Dame. Hanratty became a three-year starter for the Fighting Irish. He would guide the school to the national championship in 1966 and  earned the Sammy Baugh Award in 1967 to close out his college career.

“When I was choosing where to go to school though, it was down to Michigan State and Notre Dame. Then I met Ara Parseghian and it was all over,” he said. “There is nothing like playing for Notre Dame and nothing like playing for Coach Parseghian. Nothing. I truly feel sorry for those who never go to play for him.”

Hanratty would go from one dynasty in college to a developing one in the NFL. He was taken in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft in what would be the legendary Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Noll’s first year at the helm in Pittsburgh. He would go on to earn the starting job in 1969 and until Charlie Batch went under center for the club in 2005, he was the last native son of Pennsylvania to quarterback the Steelers.

“When I got there, they weren’t the Steelers yet that everyone knows,” Hanratty said. “But, you could see what Coach Noll was building. He and the Rooneys were building something special there. Joe Greene was their first pick and I was there second, so this was a dream come true for me.”

While with the Steelers, Hanratty would be part of the team’s Super Bowl IX and X winning clubs. Hanratty was picked up by the then-expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 and would serve as the backup to Steve Spurrier before retiring at the end of the season. It was quite a contrast for Hanratty as the Bucs went winless in his sole season with the club.

“That was really interesting there,” he said. “At the time, I think they wanted me to take all of the knowledge I got from the Steelers and impart it onto the team. After I got there, I realized my arm wasn’t right and I saw that it was going to be a long grind there. I knew it was time to hang it up.”

An economics major in college, Hanratty quickly transitioned from football to Wall Street, where he became a stock broker for nearly 30 years. It was a world that football truly prepared him for.

“The world I was in, you had to be able to do the work with rapidity,” he said. “It was extremely fast-paced and you had to make split decisions that could cost people millions of dollars. I went through my  whole playing career making decisions in three seconds and sometimes less. I really think that helped me in my life after football.”

Now retired fully from football and the world of finance, Hanratty has devoted his time to his family. He coached both his son and daughter in their athletic endeavors and has been able to watch them both follow in his footsteps and attend Notre Dame. By his own admission, his life has been full of hard work and truly remarkable success. He is not shy in attributing some of it to the lessons he learned on the gridiron.

“I think the one thing that any kid who plays football, the one thing that they will be able to take away with them for the rest of their lives is teamwork,” he said. “In football, you have 11 guys who have to be doing the right thing all the time for you to have success. Everyone has to be on the same page and working perfectly. That’s life.”