"The Steelers nation," it's all you hear about these days since "Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl." But what is this nation, what is it that makes our fans so special?

These are the fans that will drive to every game regardless of location or weather. They are the fans who cheer in the streets and dress in Steelers' gear to show their support. They are the fans who renamed Washington, PA, "Steelerstown" until after the big game. They are the fans who hold pep rallies from Heinz Field to the City Council building. They are waving flags from their cars and banners from their windows. They are what make this city of Pittsburgh great.

The Steelers nation is not contained within the borders of our fair city. The Steelers have a fan base that draws from all over, from South Carolina to Seattle, Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XL nemesis. No matter where the fans are from, they are all crazy: crazy about football.

You can even find members of the Steelers nation among the population of Carnegie Mellon. They may be fewer and farther between than Downtown, or even the University of Pittsburgh for that matter, but they are here. Some are natives of the nation while others are converts, but all fans are the same, they are all crazy about the Steelers. Even those who are not fans are still rooting for the team.

"It almost like you have to," one first-year said. Another said he hoped the Steelers would win because "the city will be insane if they lose." The city would have been insane regardless of a win or a loss, the only difference being a happy insane or angry insane.

The excitement in Pittsburgh was growing ever since the Steelers made it into the playoffs this year as the sixth seed in the American Football Conference (AFC). From there, the season was miraculous: the Steelers are the first sixth seed to go to, let alone win, the AFC championship. To get there, quarterback "Big Ben" Roethlisberger and the boys had to knock off the first, second, and third seed AFC teams.  

By Super Bowl weekend, 99 percent, give or take a few percentage points, of the people of Pittsburgh were sporting the Steelers' black and gold.

However, not every fan watched the big game. One fan said that she was absolutely not watching. When asked why, she said, "Each of the last two times I started to watch a game, they started to lose. I'm bad luck." The rumors are true, many Steelers fans are superstitious: they will wear a certain shirt or even resort to not watching the pinnacle of the football season if they believe it will help their team.

For the fans who didn't choose to watch the gut-wrenching suspense in the privacy of their homes, waving their Terrible Towels for no one but the Steelers, there were numerous choices of places to go in the city. Most of the South Side streets were closed off for the game and afterwards for the fans. One fan said that he'd be there, on his birthday no less, having the time of his life cheering on the Steelers. Forbes Avenue was also closed off in certain sections in anticipation of the chaos that was bound to erupt after the game.

There were fans who drove to Detroit over the weekend, despite the weather and a general lack of tickets. For them, it is just enough to be in the same town as their "Boys" while they played. That is dedication, and that is what has earned the Steelers the reputation for having the best fans in the National Football League.

Although every fan celebrated Super Bowl Sunday weekend and wore the Steelers colors, each fan has his or her own favorite player. Many showed their love for number 36 Jerome Bettis, the infamous Bus, known for carrying the ball over the goal line while dragging defenders on his back. Others backed Number 86 Hines Ward, Pittsburgh's wide receiver. Some said Big Ben, number 7, was their boy, while others are cheering for Troy Polumalu, number 43, who played during the Super Bowl in spite of his injured ankle.

"Of course he'll play," one fan insisted before the game. "If Ben can play with a broken thumb, then Troy can play on Sunday."

For those of you who don't follow Steelers football, Big Ben Roethlisberger has been playing most of the season with a broken thumb, and has still been throwing phenomenally.  

One fan proudly stated, "He's the first Steelers' quarterback who can throw since Terry Bradshaw!"

If you had asked any Steelers' fan for a pre-game prediction, do you even have to guess at what they would say? ... The Steelers!

"It wouldn't be very loyal to say they'd lose," one fan said. Another predicted a 27-7 win for the Steelers. Still another, 30-14. None of the fans were too far off from the final score of 21-10 Steelers.

Hines Ward won the MVP at this year's Super Bowl for his miraculous catches. One such catch was thrown by Ward's fellow wide receiver, Antwaan Randal-El (82), who had been a QB during his college days. The Bus saw more action during the Super Bowl due to his pending retirement and the fact that the Super Bowl was being played in his home town of Detroit. Willie Parker (39) made the longest run in Super Bowl history for 75 yards in the first seconds of the second half. The defense was brilliant with the team's star safety Troy Polumalu, the trash talking, QB-sacking Joey Porter (55), and another Detroit native Larry Foote (50).

The outcome? A win for the Steelers, and, as predicted, the city went crazy. Even at Carnegie Mellon, there was cheering and chanting, and someone burnt a couch. However, due to some problems with a handful of fans, the excitement was shut down early. (See, There They Went: 21-10.)

Monday was a quiet day for Pittsburgh with most fans recovering from the night before. But that was not true of Tuesday.

The City of Pittsburgh decided to have a victory rally on Tuesday, February 7, morning. It was to start at 11 a.m. at the Mellon Arena and end at Point State Park, also known as the Point. The city officials were estimating that there would be about 60,000 fans at the rally and planned accordingly.

It would be an understatement to say that they underestimated the dedication of the Steelers fans.

People began to camp out at the Point the night before and traffic jams started as early as 6 a.m. The wait at the Trolley was estimated at 2 hours, with people lining up at each stop along the route. The trolley was jammed with more people trying to squeeze on at every stop. By the time the train reached the halfway point, the doors were having trouble closing.

It was as crazy Downtown. The Rally had to be relocated to the Gateway Center in the heart of Downtown because the Point could not hold the 250,000 fans who had shown up. This posed a problem: the Point has a large stage, and the Gateway Center does not. Instead, a portable stage was brought in that was built into the side of a truck. The fans were so tightly packed that all you could see was the tops of the players' heads as they rode to the stage on flatbeds. Fans were on top of buildings and standing in the roads, and everyone was cheering for the Steelers as they were introduced.

Speeches were given by coach Bill Cowher, owner Dan Rooney, Hines Ward, Joey Porter, and even the Bus. As each man took the stage, the crowd burst out into cheers of "Cowher Power" or "Rooney," making it impossible to hear what was being said. The culmination of the event was when the Lombardi Trophy was lifted up by Jerome Bettis, as his loyal fans cheered his name. Fireworks were set off at the point, but since the rally had moved, no one saw anything but the smoke.  

Is this the start of a new Steelers Dynasty? One thing is certain, Pittsburgh is once again the city of champions. Steeler Mania has infected the city, it's infected the country, it's even infected me. So let me just say this: PITTSBURGH'S WON THE SUPER BOWL!

Editor's Note: The author of this article is a native Pittsburgher, and probably loves the Steelers more than you.

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