Among my sports memorabilia is a souvenir license plate touting the words “Pittsburgh, City of Champions.” The Pirates in 1979, the Steelers in 2009, the Penguins in 2017, all black & gold glory, all ancient history. Oh yes, perhaps Dean Martin’s 1955 hit record “Memories Are Made of This” says it all for western Pennsylvania sports fans.
But could this be ‘next year’ for fans of the Burgh? The Penguins are in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2022 (although losing the first three matches with the Philadelphia Flyers), the Pirates are showing early signs of actually playing like a Major League Baseball team, and Pittsburgh native and veteran NFL coach Mike McCarthy has returned home to replace Mike Tomlin as the Steelers new boss.
Time will tell on all three, but a recent weekend visit gave proof that there is a new kind of buzz in the air in the Steel City. With a 13-inning, 6-hour, rain-delayed marathon loss sandwiched in between, the Pirates won the three-game series against Tampa Bay before large enthusiastic crowds gathered for the team’s new City Connect uniforms reveal and Paul Skeens bobblehead night.
The crowds were electric. Downtown venues were bustling. Pirates and Penguins gear seemed to be the dress of the day. But the excitement building for last week’s NFL Draft had the whole town in a party atmosphere. As you read this, that event is history, but it was a watershed moment for the community.
In a city with a population of 304,759, making it just the 68th-most populous city in the country, Pittsburgh had been preparing to host an expected crowd of 500,000-700,000 visitors to be the largest event the city had ever hosted to experience the NFL frenzy during the three-day April 23-25 player selection hoopla.
The NFL Draft events took place across a two-site campus connecting Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore and Point State Park downtown, with the famed Roberto Clemente Bridge serving as a pedestrian-only corridor between the two venues. Public transit, including light rail lines, inclines, and buses, provides free public transportation. The famed Gateway Clipper operated a water taxi service, taking fans back and forth between venues. Road closures were many, and parking garages near the venues were charging up to $100-$250 per day, with temporary meter rate increases established for April 22-27.
Multiple ‘credit cards only’ fan experiences, entertainment, and party locations abounded, with fans encouraged to bring reusable water bottles, while the Pittsburgh Public Schools shifted to remote learning to reduce transportation challenges.
The frenzy was in stark contrast to the first NFL Draft held in 1936 in Philadelphia. There were no formal scouting departments, no agents, and no 24-hour media coverage. It wasn’t until 1980 that television covered the Draft for the first time. From 1963-2014, proceedings were held in New York City.
Beginning in 2015, the NFL made the decision to conduct the annual player draft in different cities as a strategic move to increase the event’s appeal and visibility. Pittsburgh became the tenth city to host the draft since then.
The process to select a host city involves interested cities submitting bids to the NFL. Those bids are reviewed and voted on by the 32 NFL team owners. Green Bay hosted last year’s draft, while the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will be the site in 2027.
It is only fitting that 106 years after the NFL’s beginning in 1920 and 90 years after its first draft, Pittsburgh benefits from the seven-round, 257 total pick showcase, as it was in Pittsburgh that the first professional football game was played.
On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $500 to participate in an American football game for the Allegheny Athletic Association, thus becoming the first person to be paid to play football. That first professional football game was played at Recreation Park, with Heffelfinger scoring the only points in a win over the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.
Fast forward 134 years, and pro football has fielded thousands of games, in Pittsburgh and beyond, featuring tens of thousands of players. Along the way, the city has earned the reputation of the ‘cradle of quarterbacks’ for the prominent players it has produced at the position. Among them are Jim Kelly, George Blanda, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, and Joe Montana.
Art Rooney brought the NFL to Pittsburgh when he founded the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933.
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Local baseball diamonds have lost a true champion with the recent passing of Mike Sharrow. For decades, teams, players, coaches, and fans could be certain that if Mike was umpiring, the baseball game would be in good hands. His umpiring career included Little League, for whom he worked two World Series, Babe Ruth, and high school baseball.
I had the honor of calling a few games under Mike’s tutelage and will always remember him fondly as “two-two” for his signature call when the count reached those numbers.
Mike will be missed by all those who knew him.
