The Steelers UK Supporters Club's first great American adventure began on October 14th when eleven people met up at Gatwick airport at 0930 to embark on their holiday of a lifetime. We quickly introduced ourselves and I made apologies for being slightly late. Well, when you are accompanied by two women (wife Carol and daughter Jodie), you are allowed to be late.
We made our way slowly through emigration, despite a Canadian and Irish passport, and some of us found the bar, while the others visited the duty free shop. Having put the bar in Barcelona, maybe we were trying to put the IC light in Pittsburgh.
The group consisted of Andy Duncan, Ed Veale, Giles Stevenson, James Delargy, Steven Melvin and my family who were staying for the duration, plus Mike Harris who was flying back a week later and Rob Quigley who was staying in Pittsburgh just for the New Orleans game.
Andy had some UK Supporters Club T-shirts made up for the journey with the slogan "Steelers U K Supporters Club, Pittsburgh October 14th - 26th 1993.
 |
Kathy from Pittsburgh |
As it happens, we had an all American crew on our BA flight and one of the stewardesses, Kathy, was from Pittsburgh. She fell in love with our T-shirts and said that she just had to have one, "How much would it cost?" I couldn't sell one, so I gave her mine and asked for a couple of extra glasses of wine in return - my favourite tipple.
As we came into Pittsburgh's International airport, the captain came on and said, "For those that wanted to know (us), the distance flown on the flight was 3,400 miles and he would like to extend a special welcome to those with the Steelers UK Supporters Club." Nice touch Kathy!
We made it through the people movers without much of a problem, but I was very weary and it showed when we had a problem meeting the courtesy vehicle from our hotel.
 |
Giles, James and Andy |
We were waiting one side of the building, and they were waiting on the other. Well, it wouldn't be the same if everything went smoothly. Having booked into the hotel, the Days Inn at Banksville, I had a quick flick through all the TV channels I could not believe it when my favourite English programme, "Keeping up Appearances," came on.
A quick wash and brush up was all that was needed before we hit the town and went down to Station Square, which is one of the places to find yourself in Pittsburgh (Ed's note: I did write this over a decade ago. Little did I know there was more to Pittsburgh than just Station Square.)
Situated immediately south of the river, opposite Three Rivers Stadium,it is a very popular place to eat, drink and shop. The Pro Sports shop, advertised in the Steelers Digest, was like a treasure trove of Steelers, Penguin and Pirate goodies.
Andy didn't hesitate to buy his $160 Steelers' jacket. I didn't think anything of paying $9 for a Steeler framed and glassed photo of Green, 0'Donnell and Foster. I hadn't stopped to think how I was to get it home. It was such a beautiful prize.
Across the road you can also find the famous Sports Gardens (later refurbished as Woodson's), an amazing bar which features about twenty TV screens, including a couple of giant ones showing nothing but sports. Coming from England, trust me, you just were not used to seeing all this.
Later, when we were in there on the Thursday evening, they showed the Falcons against the Rams. Who cared when Atlanta won their first game, who could believe that you could actually watch a football game and drink at same time - not if you were from England (don't forget - written over ten years ago. The point being, you can watch a soccer game in the pub in England now.)
IC Light was the recommended beer, and that is what we drank. The featured game that first evening was the Penguins losing 2-3 to Tampa.
Friday October 15th we woke expectantly, it was to be our first visit to the stadium although our first priority was getting the tickets for the Penguins game on the Saturday against Hartford.
Once we had obtained them and tickets for the following Saturday against the Blues we trekked through Point Park and across the river to Three Rivers Stadium. More photos were taken in the short time it took us to travel about a mile than at any other time during the holiday.
Having crossed the river we made our way around the stadium and found the main gate open. It was an invitation for everyone to walk onto the turf and have their photos taken underneath the goal posts. I went on ahead to try and arrange a meeting with the players. While I was waiting to meet Dan Edwards, Myron Cope walked through the lobby and I renewed my acquaintance with him.
Just then Dan came out and I tried to set up a timetable to see a practice. He asked me to ring him the next day, so I departed, well almost. I asked at the reception desk if she would mind if I brought my party in to see the Super Bowl trophies.
The four reminders of those Steeler glory days sit at the front of the Steelers front office. I met up with the others and we shuffled majestically into the lobby before I asked my daughter to take a photo of me with those icons to former famous victories.
Saturday October 16th we had a tight timetable. We ate first at the Eat 'n Park and found ourselves surrounded by orange sweaters and T-shirts. Syracuse (the Orangemen) were in town to play the Pittsburgh Panthers and it appeared that a large number of their supporters found their way to our hotel.
It's mighty strange when the opposition appear to outnumber you in you hometown. We went downtown anticipating a trip to Three Rivers, but Dan Edwards said they were not practicing, so our minds switched to Pitt Stadium.
It just happened, as it always does, that this Panthers game was homecoming. That means that all the students from previous years are welcome to revisit their university for the game. Mike Dikta was the president of the homecoming and its activities.
Pitt Stadium, where the Steelers played until Three Rivers Stadium was completed, was to be our first experience of football in America. It was a twelve o'clock kickoff and Mike Ditka came out for the coin toss.
The stadium was about half full (34,000), our side in blue and yellow, the other side mainly orange. Syracuse went three and out and then punted. The Panthers returned it for a score, and the twenty two point underdogs were looking good. Curtis Martin, the Pitt running back, ran for a record breaking 37 times for 206 yards. With the score at 24-21 to Syracuse, the Panthers had a first and goal.
Three times Martin attempted to run in the winner, but to no avail. The Panthers coach, Johnny Majors, sent out the field goal unit for the tie and then changed his mind. A tie wouldn't do it. Martin would have to. Unfortunately, Syracuse held Martin to a 1 yd gain and then ran out the clock for the win. The Panthers lost the game and I left my vocal cords behind.
It was then onto the Civic Arena for the Penguins' game. Trying to buy a beer in the arena, I was asked for my ID. Some guy behind me remarked, "He looks all of under twenty one " (I'm forty five). I volunteered to him that I would have the last laugh as the driving licence that I had given her, was an English one. Confused, she reluctantly served me with a beer.
The Penguins scored after only twenty three seconds. They made it two nil after another five minutes before putting the game well out of Hartford's reach with their third at 12:24.
Hartford hit back with a goal just as the first period came to a close when I noticed how some Pittsburgh people take their sport for granted. With the score 3-1, two young couples took their seats in front of us. Now, I ask you how could you turn up to a game missing four goals?
They were not long in their seats before the intermission happened along. They sat in their seats throughout and, when the second period started, the two girls went to powder their noses with the Penguins on the ice! Unbelievable. The Penguins went on to record their fourth win of the season with a 5-3 victory and we went back to our hotel a happy bunch.
