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How did you become a Steeler fan? Let's hear your story....

TV was spotty growing up. I still vividly remember getting cable taking it from 3 channels to like 8. Very little NFL. But it was 70's turning 80's so you can imagine what we got was the Steelers. Got away from it a bit in the mid to late 80s. Fell back in love with it in the transition from Noll to Cowher. I was probably one of the first to get Sunday Ticket here in I'm gonna say '97 or so. Missed very few games since. Mostly cause I coach a lot on Sundays. Have went to 6 games live. Just booked #7 tonight. San Fran. Me and my buddy and his son are all Steelers fans. Other friend cheers for 49ers. Should be great weekend.
 
Steelmann said:
As 1972 was the last year that the NFL forbade any local telecasts of home games, the game itself wasn't shown live on Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WIIC-TV (now WPXI), nor was it shown on nearby NBC affiliates WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio; WBOY-TV in Clarksburg, West Virginia; and then-NBC affiliate WTRF-TV in Wheeling, West Virginia, all of which are secondary markets to the Steelers—WICU-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania and then-NBC O&O WKYC-TV in Cleveland, Ohio, were the closest stations to air the game (although WIIC-TV showed the game on tape delay the following day). Starting the next year, any home games that sold out 72 hours before kick-off could be televised locally. As the Steelers began their home sell-out streak in 1972, blackouts have never been needed in the
Pittsburgh area.

From what I have read so far you are right in some ways. Many people in the Pittsburgh area couldn’t watch it on tv because of the blackout rule. Some of the articles I have read say they did not broadcast it in the Pittsburgh area. In Canada they typically pickup the NBC feed and broadcast it over a Canadian channel. Especially as it was a playoff game. Now,I am not going to swear I watched it live,but I believe I did,but I was 11 years old,and god knows if I saw a tape or extended highlights. But I would like to thank you for trying to remedy my little boys memory. Why you felt the need to do it truly “ perplexes” me.
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As stated in my original post Steelmann wasn’t pointing any fingers at you specifically, so don’t take it personally. It is always a interesting topic when it’s discussed casually because of broadcast rules back then. Smizik and Bouchette have had discussions about it. I myself didn’t even get to see the actual Franco clip until a couple weeks after it happened, and that was only because of all the noise Madden, Davis and a couple players were still making of it.


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I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. No one came right out and said it, but it was made clear what team you were expected to root for. I remember my grandfather would have the TV on, sound muted, listening to the game on his transistor radio with the ear piece in. Same thing with Pirates games. He died when I was young, so I never got to ask him why he didn't let anyone else hear the game.
 
Ike Kelly said:
Ok..little bit of a clarification request from folks who may know how the broadcasts went back in the 60s/70s. Not finger pointing at you Steelmann. Roberto and Pops was always...still are my favorite Pirates/baseball players.

Paternal Grandfather and family are from Pittsburgh. From the early 60s the family lived in McKeesport until the 90s. My Grandfather and Uncle saw the game on TV. Most of the writers, PG/Tribune/Beaver etc. have all written articles about how “millions” of people have said they were at the game or watched on TV the Immaculate Reception when it happened. However, it’s reported that the game was broadcast only in the Pittsburgh and Oakland markets. It wasn’t picked up on the national broadcast. Plus Three Rivers held maybe 51-52k capacity back then. My father got the call from my Uncle about Franco winning the game right after it happened. He could still hear my Grandfather celebrating in the background. My siblings and I found out shortly thereafter.

The market I lived in at the time only included Washington and Baltimore and Miami. Radio Broadcasts were the same.

How is it folks who didn’t live in Pitt or out in the Bay area were able to “see this game”? That always has perplexed me.
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I think your information may be a little incomplete. I lived in Picksburg at the time but had relatives in Warren Ohio that got the game on TV. Our whole fam damily drove out, watched the game and decorated our cars with streamers and shoe polish for the drive home. I don't know how much of the rest of the Country but there were plenty of places around that got the game when the city was blacked out.

Oops, If I would have read one more post Steelmann answered the question...sorry.
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I was 9 years old in 1976, and really didn't have a favorite team at the time. I remember I liked drawing, and drew many NFL teams' logos as a pastime.

My dad didn't have a favorite team either. If asked, he'd reply "Who're the Cowboys playing this week? That's my team." So, he was "ABC... Anybody But Cowboys". Here in El Paso, it's pretty much Cowboys country; my dad was definitely a contrarian.

So, bicentennial year, Super Bowl X... we go over to my uncle's house and the place is full of relatives rooting for the Cowboys... except for my dad. Being 9, I wanted to like what dad liked, so I paid more attention to the game than I normally did.

The black & gold colors. Swann's acrobatic catches. Lambert playing like a madman. Lambert throwing that little ***** Cliff Harris to the ground after taunting Gerela. I was hooked forevermore.

Although (full disclosure) my teen years in the 80's, what with the bad Steeler teams, my priorities were more girls, keggers, & rock concerts.
 
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I was sittin' in the house one day---throat, kinda dry...
So, I went to the 'frigerator---guess what I saw???
I saw a glass of Kool-Aid - dat very yellow Koooool-Aid.

I poured it into a black plastic cup.

Seriously, though...

I was raised in the early 70's and my dad was a HUGE Browns fan (his mother, my grandmother, was a Bengals fan) and I couldn't stand the color combinations of either team. I remember hearing the radio broadcast of the athletic catching ability of Lynn Swann and I wanted to be like him. That's how it all began...
 
CoolieMan said:
Born and raised in the Houston, TX area Dad was a Steeler fan since he had moved to Texas from Dunbar, PA area to find work. Oddly though his two older brothers who moved here also converted to Oiler fans. First game I remember watching is the Immaculate Reception game against the Raiders.....hated them that day and still do. Even though they fell the next week, I was hooked on the Steelers.

There are 4 boys in my family. Me and my youngest brother are intelligent Steeler fans while my twin brother was an Oiler fan and now a Texan fan and my younger brother grew up a Raider fan and is now a Texan's fan...

Fun times in our house growing up
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Coolie has a twin??? Oh gosh...
 
Cope said:
I was a kid growing up in the 60s, my parents got divorced, and I was forced to live with my mom, who was a bit of a harlot. Mom hated my Dad, and Dad was a deadbeat, but loved the Steelers and always sent me Steelers gear for my birthday, and Christmas, even though we didn't see each other much. Pennants, hats, shirts, jerseys, jackets. But my mom hated my Dad, so everything I got, she would get rid of.

Now I know where all my stuff ended up. My mom's name is Marion...
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I'm dead!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHA!!!
 
Zack_of_Steel said:
Was born in Iowa in '91. Lived in KC until I was 5. Moved to Nebraska and nobody here gives a **** about the NFL. My dad was always a Broncos fan so I grew up liking Elway, but somehow never latched on to the fandom, just didn't feel right. Then in 2nd grade as a gift I was given a Steelers Starter jacket like this one: https://poshmark.com/listing/Pittsb...D/USED&utm_campaign=1820142635&utm_source=gdm

Nobody in my family knows whom it was that gave me that jacket, but as soon as I got it they were my team. I don't remember a lot prior to the early '00s, but Ben is my ******' QB.
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Damn son, you ain't even 30 yet!!!
 
Even when NBC (channel 11 in the Burgh) started to televise Steeler football after 72....and before cable was available....

We only picked channels 2 and 4 clearly everyday...

Even with the "rotor" antenna channel 11 it was difficult for us to pick up...WIIC channel 11...

I remember on a couple of occasions, when the rotor motor was broke or frozen, that myself and/or my brother would be on the roof adjusting the antenna by hand, until Dad gave us the "all good" signal!
This was in the winter time to boot!!

Good ole days !!
:)
 
Ike Kelly said:
How is it folks who didn’t live in Pitt or out in the Bay area were able to “see this game”? That always has perplexed me.


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Well you see, we all became great friends at Woodstock, and agreed that we would, from then on, attend every Steeler game.
 
steel dino said:
Even when NBC (channel 11 in the Burgh) started to televise Steeler football after 72....and before cable was available....

We only picked channels 2 and 4 clearly everyday...

Even with the "rotor" antenna channel 11 it was difficult for us to pick up...WIIC channel 11...

I remember on a couple of occasions, when the rotor motor was broke or frozen, that myself and/or my brother would be on the roof adjusting the antenna by hand, until Dad gave us the "all good" signal!
This was in the winter time to boot!!

Good ole days !!
:)
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Was it abuse for my dad to make me wear a tin foil hat and hold on to the TV antennae??? My kids think so...
 
Growing up 40 miles outside of Pittsburgh you were born in and that's they way it was. If it wasn't Steeler football it wasn't football. When camp started we were there almost everyday. We trolled for players everywhere on the St. Vincent campus. In those day security wasn't a huge issue. You could walk into the cafeteria and the team would be there. Wait outside the gym doors, no problem. We waited along the steps. I can't remember a player that didn't sign and I never had a bad experience. Heck, I even married a Pittsburgh girl. Economics forced us to move a few times and we landed in Maryland.

We still go to camp once or twice a year and make 3-4 home games. I would go to more but we have a hockey problem in this family. We've lived all over but our hearts have always remained the Burgh.
 
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steel dino said:
Even when NBC (channel 11 in the Burgh) started to televise Steeler football after 72....and before cable was available....

We only picked channels 2 and 4 clearly everyday...

Even with the "rotor" antenna channel 11 it was difficult for us to pick up...WIIC channel 11...

I remember on a couple of occasions, when the rotor motor was broke or frozen, that myself and/or my brother would be on the roof adjusting the antenna by hand, until Dad gave us the "all good" signal!
This was in the winter time to boot!!

Good ole days !!
:)
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Those rotors were a huge upgrade. Remember the excitement of getting ready to whatever show as the rotor turned and the channel went from heavy snow, to medium snow to light and finally to an almost crystal clear signal...
 
Was born in Iowa in '91. Lived in KC until I was 5.
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Come to think about it, my dentures are older than that...

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Born in Penn Hills moved to Columbus moved back to PA in Penn Twp. in 2nd Grade grew up watching the Stillers with my Mother and Grandfather plus loved giving my step brother **** as he was from Columbus and a die hard Buckeye. I remember watching a Superbowl on my dads friends projection TV thinking it was the best TV would ever look, back in 78 that was seriously high tech cutting edge ****. The opposite was watching with my Grandpa on his farm in Ohioville out past Midland where we could barely read the numbers on the jerseys the snow was so bad on the tv. Toook 20 minutes to get the old rotary antenna going the right direction.
 
Grandma, grandpa on mom's side, grandma, grandpa on dad's side, mom, dad, aunts, uncles all born and raised in Pittsburgh. Dad graduated Duquesne in 1952 on GI bill, worked for Gulf Oil for seven years, transferred to California in 1958, in 1959 told going to be returned to Tupelo, Mississippi, quit his job, stayed in California. That's where I was born and raised.

Mom a HUGE Pirates fan. Dad a sorta Steelers fan who was given tickets to a Steelers game in college by Art Rooney. Attendance and teams not good at the time, and Art just trying to drum up interest.

So mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents all Pirates/Steelers fans. Grew up that way my entire life. That's why I root Pirates, Steelers. Managed Little League and Pony League teams for five seasons - Pirates every time. Son now a huge Pirates, Steelers fan.

Have seen one Steelers game in Pittsburgh, as well as games in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta.
 
I was raised in Kirkwood NY. It was just across the PA border, with Binghamton NY being the closest thing to a notable nearby town. My cousin, however, who was two years older and so automatically very cool was born in Pittsburgh. My Aunt got divorced and moved the family back to our neck of the woods when I was 8 years old. My cousin was a Steelers fan, so I became one. 1980 wasn't a bad time to jump on the bandwagon.
 
SteelerInLebanon said:
Born in Penn Hills moved to Columbus moved back to PA in Penn Twp. in 2nd Grade grew up watching the Stillers with my Mother and Grandfather plus loved giving my step brother **** as he was from Columbus and a die hard Buckeye. I remember watching a Superbowl on my dads friends projection TV thinking it was the best TV would ever look, back in 78 that was seriously high tech cutting edge ****. The opposite was watching with my Grandpa on his farm in Ohioville out past Midland where we could barely read the numbers on the jerseys the snow was so bad on the tv. Toook 20 minutes to get the old rotary antenna going the right direction.
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In Penn Hills now. Not a bad area quiet,just the way I like it.
 
CoolieMan said:
Yes, the world has been blessed....even though he is a ******* idiot Texan fan
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Did he convert from another team? I mean the Texans haven't been around long.......... Was a Oiler fan?
 
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