Pittsburgh is hosting the NFL draft this year, drawing huge crowds. Amir Grigsby, a 22-year-old Pittsburgh native, feels the city's strong winning spirit. He grew up hearing stories about the "Steel Curtain," the Steelers' dominant defense from the 1970s. That team won three Super Bowls, starting a major sports dynasty.
Grigsby believes Pittsburgh has a deep need to be great. The city expects 500,000 to 700,000 fans for the draft. This is about double Pittsburgh's population. During the three-day event, 32 NFL teams will pick college players for their rosters.
A History of Champions
This is Pittsburgh's first time hosting the NFL draft in almost 80 years. The city's passionate fans and 16 major professional league championships make it a fitting choice. The last time Pittsburgh hosted the draft was in 1947. It was a small event then, with only 10 teams meeting at the Fort Pitt Hotel.
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Start Your News DetoxPittsburgh was already a sports town by 1947. The Pirates baseball team had won two World Series titles. Professional football also started in Pittsburgh. The first documented payment for a pro football game happened there in 1892. Early pro hockey games were played in the city's Duquesne Gardens in the 1890s. Mark Fatla, a native and author of Pittsburgh's Historic Ballparks, shared this history.
The city's sports legacy grew even stronger in the 1970s. The Steelers had their Steel Curtain victories. The Pirates also won two of their five World Series titles during this time.
Fatla noted that this era "captured the imagination of sports fans far beyond Pittsburgh."
The Blue-Collar Work Ethic
Pittsburgh's winning streak continued. The Penguins hockey team won back-to-back championships in the 1990s and again in the 2010s. The Steelers added two more Super Bowls in the 2000s.
Fatla believes this success comes from the city's blue-collar work ethic. This ethic was shaped by its steel mills since the 19th century. Pittsburgh became the world's top steel producer.
This hard work ethic translates to the sports field, Fatla explained. He said Pittsburgh teams are "very workman-like, very gritty, very much get the job done."
The Steelers were built on this spirit. Founder Art Rooney once won a horse race bet, which saved the team financially. The Rooney family still owns the franchise.
Jimmy Coen, owner of Yinzers in the Burgh, a Pittsburgh sports souvenir shop, says the Rooney family keeps team standards high. He noted that Steelers players are expected to be winners and not lazy.
When the steel industry declined in the 1970s and 1980s, many Pittsburghers left. But Coen said sports helped those who stayed feel closer. "That's all we had was the Steelers," he recalled.
Pittsburghers also take their team pride with them. Fatla mentioned a "Pittsburgh diaspora" that keeps an emotional connection to the city. These fans wear their Pittsburgh gear at games everywhere.
Even people who have never lived in Pittsburgh support the black and gold teams. Albert Martinez, from Houston, is attending the draft. His mother, who grew up in Monterrey, Mexico (nicknamed the "Pittsburgh of Mexico"), loved the Steelers in the 1970s. Martinez said he "bleeds black and yellow."
The Future of Pittsburgh Sports
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor, a native, says the "City of Champions" reputation lasts because each generation sees winning teams. For some, it was the 1970s Steelers. For Grigsby, it was the Steelers of the 2000s.
The Penguins won Pittsburgh's most recent championship in 2017. Grigsby believes another championship is coming soon. He said confidence comes from past success. "We're just waiting for time to catch back up again. History repeats itself, that's how it goes," he concluded.
Deep Dive & References
Evolution of the NFL Player - NFL Operations
