Steelers Forge Diversity

Bridge MuhammadMay 13, 2009

Steeler fan for life!!

I fell in love with the Steelers in 1972 after my beloved Pirates won The World Series in '71. Growing up in rural Mississippi in the late 60's,I always gravitated towards the team with the most Black players. And the '71 Pirates had more than their share of Black players. In the fall of '71 I was nine years old and into my second full season of forced integration. When I wasn't imitating Michael Jackson,I was Doc Ellis or Jim Bibby or my all-time favorite,Roberto Clemente. That following season I noticed the football team from Pittsburgh wore the same colors and also had more Black players than any other team in the league. Franco's Italian Army,'Mean Joe' Green,Ernie Holmes,Frenchy Fuqua, Preston Pearson,just to name a few. That was also the year I saw this baaaad piano player with this huge Black man on stage with him. That funny lookin' man in the crocodile costume playin' a lil' catchy tune called ' Crocodile Rock' tiurned out to be Elton John. I've loved his music ever since. So this Pittsburgh Steeler thing didn't just come in a vacuum. It started from a 9yr. old trying to identify with himself. That same year,1972, was the year of the now infamous Immaculate Reception which many people believe turned the fate of the franchise. When they drafted Lynn Swann and John Stallworth in '74,that solidified their place amongst the NFL's elite. I never thought it was racism when 'Jefferson Street' Joe Gilliam led the Steelers on their winning streak and Chuck Noll re-inserted Terry Bradshaw,after all, he publicly stated you have to go with your starters. That year began the reign of the Steelers' dynasty. They would go on to win back-to-back titles in'74 and '75 and again in'79 and '80. The drought period between '80-'84 was very disapponting for Steeler Nation. The Steelers drafted probably my all-time favorite Steeler in Louis Lipps in '84. By this time I was out of the Air Force and living in the 'mistake on the lake' otherwise known as Cleveland ,Ohio. That darned Bernie Kosar and Webster Slaughter made my football life miserable for a couple years. But I knew Lipps was gonna be a star! Everytime I think of him I think about what might have been. Southern Mississippi had come to my house in Como,Ms and offered me an academic scholarship. I had broken my ankle sliding into second base the first game of my senior year in high school. I was so hurt when Jackson State and Alcorn stopped recruiting me. If I had taken them up on their offer I would probably have played 4 years with my all-time favorite Steeler.Now they have Deshea Townsend who I've known since he was a child. And Kendall Simmons was my wife's high school classmate. I absolutely looove the Steelers!! GO STEELERS!!