I became a fan in 72 at the age of nine, when my uncle took me to summer camp for a promotional gig with Sunoco dealers, they gave away books with player stamps to be filled in, and you got free stamps at every fillup. I had THOUSANDS of those stamp books and never filled the steeler team pages.
We also got to go down on the field, and I still have some very up close slides of the players, and the coaches one of Chuck a few feet away as he walked off the field.
Remember, this was prior to the "Immaculate Reception" and the Steelers at that time weren't even considered a hot team, let alone stars, so, there wasn't the mania with them at that time as there was later.
I went on and did 6 years of Jr, and Sr High School Football, and say what you will about it, it was like military boot camp for 6 falls in a row, and it forever changed me, and how I felt about myself, going from a little kid to a tough ass motherfucker who went out and hurt people for pleasure and glory, but walked away and shook hands with them at the end of every game.
I can't say how much having a star team and players in Pittsburgh meant to me, but it put us on the map, and it created what is now the Steeler Nation, and the sense of pride we and I have in our area.
Its not just Steelers anymore, its more than that, but, you have to look back at Chuck Knoll and his players, and say, really say, they were the Fathers that birthed a resurgent pride in Pittsburgh, and Western PA, and helped make all of us, part of what we are today.
Thanks Chuck.
RIP Chuck Noll
...... but in this case CC was referencing California Chrome.
