Steelers Pep Rally

30,000 turn out for Steelers pep rally
Saturday, January 28, 2006By Moustafa Ayad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette photosMaria Wilkinson, 10, left front, and Emily Caligiuri, 10, front center, both of Morningside, cheer for the Steelers at a Super Bowl XL pep rally last night at Heinz Field.Click photo for larger image.

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It seemed like everyone was there -- the young quarterback who plays with the heart and mind of a veteran; the receiver with the Cheshire Cat grin and the running back who has endured 13 punishing seasons without a Super Bowl ring.
Oh, and the guy with the body bag strapped to his Jeep; the septuagenarian wearing a canary-yellow suit coat and black-and-gold briefs; and the Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
An estimated 30,000 loyalists crowded into Heinz Field yesterday for a pep rally to send the Steelers off to Super Bowl XL in Detroit. They whooped and hollered, waved Terrible Towels and created enormous traffic jams that one cop likened to those on a football Sunday.
Fans painted their faces black and gold and donned jerseys of their favorite players. Some recalled the Steelers' heyday and stars like Jack Lambert and Rocky Bleier.
One fan wore a Neil O'Donnell jersey. Mr. O'Donnell was the last quarterback to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl, throwing two interceptions in a 27-17 loss to Dallas in 1996.
"This is amazing," said fan Mel Dithrich. "How can you not be a fan of this town?"
Mr. Dithrich, 77, himself was a big part of the spectacle, clad in a ruffled mustard-yellow prom shirt, a canary-yellow suit coat two sizes too small and a pair of black-and-gold briefs, as he shook hands with other fans outside the stadium gates.
Anthony Seretti, district chief of an ambulance service in McKees Rocks, brought a body bag from work, which he had stuffed and strapped to his Jeep Cherokee to represent the "12th man" -- the moniker adopted by Seattle Seahawks fans.
"The Seahawks' 12th man is dead -- DOA," said Mr. Seretti, 28, as fans walloped the corpse with Terrible Towels. He plans to drive to Detroit Friday with the body bag, despite not having tickets to the game.

Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis leave the stage following a Super Bowl XL pep rally at Heinz Field last night. The event was a salute to AFC champions as they head to Detroit.Click photo for larger image.
Through lines of people wearing whatever black-and-gold articles they could find -- pajama bottoms, boxer-briefs over khakis and even a pair of bright-yellow tights, one speck of Detroit blue stood out in a corner near a restroom.
In a Detroit Lions skull cap and light blue jersey, albeit a No. 7 jersey, Gerry Heintz looked as if he was hiding from raiding hordes of black and gold. The central Michigan transplant might have been booed a little, but he also was high-fived and congratulated for representing the last stop on the Steelers road to a hoped-for championship.
"If Pittsburgh is going to Detroit," said Mr. Heintz, "I thought I would bring them a little piece of Detroit."
Even Abraham Lincoln, in all his tall-hatted glory, joined the throngs of Steeler faithful.
Gliding through the Coca-Cola Great Hall, Rick Miller, a Lincoln presenter, had strapped two Steeler bandanas to his Lincoln top hat and wore a Terrible Toga, which was a set of old curtains he had remade into a poncho-like yellow dress.
President Lincoln was undoubtedly a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Mr. Miller said.
What about the Illinois native's Chicago Bears?
Well, the answer was simple to Mr. Miller -- Lincoln got more votes in Pennsylvania.
Inside the stadium, nearly all of the lower level seating area was filled, and fans cheered highlights on the Jumbotron and were serenaded by the Povertyneck Hillbillies.
Then, it was time for the players to take the stage.
"We carry Pittsburgh in our hearts wherever we go. ... And you better believe, when we come back, we will have one for the thumb," said running back Jerome Bettis.
"Wow, this is amazing. You guys make us go out and play with passion in our hearts each and every Sunday," wide receiver Hines Ward said.