The Steelers are known for having a logo on only one side of their helmets, for always producing tough, outstanding linebackers and for winning consistently in an environment that keeps the team above any individual glory.

"They have a certain standard that they all understand," said former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, an NFL Network analyst, "and when new players come in, they get it quickly."

Trying for their record sixth Super Bowl victory Sunday against Arizona, the Steelers claim a level of popularity and success the Jazz and a lot of other professional sports franchises only can envy. Among favored teams nationally, they are rivaled only by the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in the NFL. Unlike baseball's Chicago Cubs, they have managed to remain lovable without losing.

"When you win, people love you," said Pittsburgh's Chris Hoke, a veteran defensive tackle from Brigham Young University.

There's more to it than that. The Steelers are admired because of the way they do business, regularly developing players like Hoke and former BYU teammate Brett Keisel, who fit into the team's culture and have fans identify with them.

"The fans love the image of blue-collar, tough guys being happy at what they do, not worrying about money or who gets more attention," said Trish Tierney, who lives in Ohio and runs the unofficial Keisel fan club's Web site.

Mike Tomlin is only the Steelers' third coach in 40 seasons, following Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. "The [owners] are not fickle or greedy," Tierney said. "They keep coaches forever and don't have knee-jerk reactions to bad seasons -- not that they have many of those."

Besides winning some NBA titles, the Jazz would have to be owned and managed by one of Larry Miller's grandsons to match the Steelers' model. Founded in 1933 by Art Rooney Sr., they actually took awhile to find success. Not until the mid-1970s, after director of player personnel Dick Haley built a team that won four Super Bowls during that decade, did the Steelers become champions.

So now Todd Haley arrives in the Super Bowl as Arizona's offensive coordinator and discovers the team that once employed him as a ballboy on the other side.

"There are a lot of similarities between the Arizona Cardinals of 2008 and the Pittsburgh Steelers of 1972," Todd Haley said. "That is when you really started to say this is a team that can start to have success. They built on that, and now you can't talk about Pittsburgh without mentioning the Steelers, and you would like to think you are a part of building that in Arizona."

OK, let's check back with Arizona in a few decades. As impressive as the Cardinals' playoff run is, and regardless of what happens Sunday, they have a long way to go before challenging the Steelers in the public consciousness.

"The fan base is spectacular," Mariucci said. "They're loud, they're passionate, they buy the apparel, they're fanatical. ? It's been like that for years, and it's never going to change. That's what sets them apart from most franchises."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com