After his first year coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 5-5-1 season, Coach Jock Sutherland observed, “That’s all history, I hope we can do better next fall.” His goal was to improve on that record, and he began work immediately to ensure he succeeded, sending his scouts out looking for talent as soon as the season finished.
In April 1947, Sutherland joined in the search for players when he went on an extensive automobile tour of the south intending to visit twenty-three colleges.
The organization announced they would be moving their training camp from Hershey to Alliance College, Cambridge Springs as it was closer to Pittsburgh.