Who was the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw’s favorite receiver?

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an incredible run of success in the 1970s and it can all be attributed to great coaching and an incredibly talented roster. On both sides of the ball, offensive and defensive, the team had several players who would eventually make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the key components of Steelers teams during that era was the strong, armed quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

Terry Bradshaw didn’t get off to the best start to his career as he lost several games early on and threw a ton of interceptions. He would eventually establish himself and with the addition of some great talent around him, he would help the Steelers win four Super Bowl titles in six years.

Yet through all that time and with all those great players, who was Terry Bradshaw’s favorite catcher? He is most often associated with two of the Steelers’ all-time great receivers, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Lynn Swann was the most striking and well-known player. She was famous for making incredible catches seem somewhat routine. Stallworth was seen more as the reliable and stable receiver, although he could also go deep and make the big catch. Stallworth’s career lasted much longer as Swann’s was cut short due to injury, but both ended up being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Basing the discussion solely on touchdown passes as the determining factor, Lynn Swann surpasses John Stallworth as Terry Bradshaw’s favorite receiver. During the course of their time together in the league, Bradshaw hooked up with Swann for a touchdown 49 times during the regular season.