PEP RALLY -- PITTSBURGH IS ON THE WAY TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
L to R: Matt Spaeth #89, Rashard Mendenhall #34,
Jared Retkofsky #61
(CLICK ON, TO ENLARGE IMAGES BELOW)

BIG BEN RUNNING MAKING AN ENTRANCE

THE FANS GO WILD!

On Friday, January 23, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted a pep rally for the team. It was to be a sendoff by the fans as the team leaves to engage the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl next Sunday. The scope and detail of the celebration was not a surprise for me, having prior relationships with the franchise; the Rooney family is very classy, and loyal to the fan base. The event was the vehicle for the fans, AKA extended-Steelers-family, who will not have a seat in Tampa, to hitch a ride on the wave of excitement buzzing around Biltzburgh! A kind gesture, and a wise one!

The portrait of 3 Steelers holding up my support banner, are as follows:

Left: Matt Spaeth #89

POSITION TE
HEIGHT (WT) 6-7 (270 lbs.)
BIRTHDATE: 11/24/84
NFL EXP: 2
COLLEGE Minnesota


Middle: Rashard Mendenhall #34

POSITION RB
HEIGHT (WT) 5-10 (224 lbs.)
BIRTHDATE: 6/19/87
NFL EXP: R
COLLEGE Illinois

Right: Jared Retkofsky #61

POSITION LS
HEIGHT (WT) 6-5 (260 lbs.)
BIRTHDATE: 3/16/83
NFL EXP: 1
COLLEGE TCU

The Pittsburgh Steelers are fully behind you guys over there serving our country. Big Ben makes it a point when he talks to express his strong support. I would have had more players, but the traffic near Heinz Field from the thousands of fans coming to the rally caused most of them to arrive late. I had to grab whoever was present and accounted for. It was very busy, but these are the players that could get away. We shot it in Mr. Rooney's office, which is filled with sports history via photographs and artifacts from the beginning of the team to today.

I was on the field getting shots of the team running out of the locker room through the crowd, the excitement was contagious, so like a little boy, I was able to high-five Big Ben, Willie Parker and others; I will admit that I had a fun time doing it!

A BIG THANKS goes out to the PITTSBURGH STEELERS for their cooperation in getting the support banner portrait done. Now go and kick some Cardinal Butt!!!

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The Steelers fans are the most intense in the country, bar none! I lived in Colorado for 25 years. The Bronco fans are great, but they are mostly from other places that moved in, it is a learned experience. Here in Pittsburgh it is intrinsic by nature, passed down though the parents genes! Pittsburgh fans were born here, as folks do not move in from other areas at as high of a rate as they do in Colorado.

A true story: A baby was born on the day of the Super Bowl when we played the Cowboys in our second Bowl. When the baby was delivered, the doctor who was holding him was wearing a Dallas Cowboy hat. When the newborn child had her eyes cleaned out, the first thing she saw was that hat. That little bare bum baby dove off of the table, tackling the doctor so hard he was knocked out cold, right there on the spot! A true story, a true story….

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Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania