Growing up in western Pennsylvania, I’ve been a Steeler fan since my mom changed my first diaper. I loved the rivalry the Steelers had with Oakland during my youth. I still love watching reruns of Franco Harris’s Emmaculate Reception. I thought Chuck Noll was the greatest coach of all time. I thought Lynn Swann was magical when he took to the sky for a reception. Terry Bradshaw seemed to be the ‘Pete Rose’ of football and his loyal fans formed the ‘Bradshaw Brigade’. He is not the biggest talent, but definitely the biggest heart. And I think Ben Roethlisberger could be remembered in the same way. We were all so proud of the team that “The Chief” Art Rooney had put together and the real fans seemed unaffected by the near freezing temperatures at “Blast Furnace”, Three Rivers Stadium. Fans waved their “Terrible Towels” and yelled “Here we go Steelers.” What few people know is that Terrible Towels’ profits, more than $2.5 million since 1996, go to the Alleghany Valley School, which serves nearly 1,000 children with special needs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers logo was adopted in 1962. Many may not realize the meaning of the symbols in the logo. The logo consists of a circle of three astroids (I suppose the mathematical term is hypocycloid) with the word ‘Steelers’. Astroids consist of three colors: yellow represents steel, red represents iron ore, and blue symbolizes scrap steel. The motto attached to the symbol is: “The steel light illuminates your work, illuminates your leisure, and expands your world.”

Steelers fans were disappointed in Dallas this year when Pittsburgh lost to Green Bay. But Steeler fans will be back in full force and loyal fans include many of the rich and famous. Consider some of the more notable fans you’ll be watching: Rush Limbaugh, Hank Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels, Michael Keaton, Adam Sandler, Snoop Dog, Seth Myers, Jim Furyk, John Grisham, and Burt Reynolds.

Notable Steeler Quotes:

“Now that I’m here, I don’t want to stay here, I want to be here for a long time.” Hines Ward, selected in the fourth round in 1998.

“Chuck and I hit it off the first day we met. We had an argument.” rooney art

“I’m very aggressive and very physical. On the pitch, I guess I’m just bad.” Jack Lambert.

“He had no teeth, and he was drooling all over himself. He was thinking, ‘You can get your money back, just get me out of here. Let me be an accountant’. I can’t tell you how badly he wanted out of there.” Denver rookie QB John Elway on Jack Lambert after playing his first game as a pro in 1883.

“The Steelers drafted guys that were bigger, stronger and faster than me, but they never found one that could take my job away from me.” jack lambert

The uniqueness and hallmarks of the Steeler organization are attractive to its fans.