Fuente: © Pittsburgh Steelers
http://www.steelers.com/

NFL: Steelers fans show their support

/noticias.info/ By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

Steelers fans have been showing their support for the black in gold as they prepare for Super Bowl XL.

On Friday night almost 30,000 fans attended a pep rally at Heinz Field, which was attended by the Rooney family and Steelers players.

Among the players attending were: Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, Alan Faneca, Heath Miller, Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, James Farrior, Joey Porter, Ike Taylor, Chris Hope, Clark Haggans and Jeff Reed.

"I want to thank you guys because you make us go out and play with passion every Sunday," said Ward to the raucous crowd.

Fans were decked out in everything from jerseys to t-shirts with their own messages to the Steelers written on them. Terrible Towels created a sea of gold as the seats in the lower levels of Heinz Field were packed.

"I want to thank everybody here for believing in us when we were the sixth seed in the playoffs and nobody thought we could get it done," said Bettis. "We want to thank you guys because you are a part of us."

Fans also came out in record numbers for the taping of the Jerome Bettis Show this week. Heinz Field was packed with fans wishing Bettis and his teammates luck on their way to Super Bowl XL.

"I am so excited," said Mary Machi from Pittsburgh. "I love seeing them all as a unit. They are like brothers. They all stick together. They love each other. They play for the love of the game. They all wanted to get Bettis back home and so did I. I am so excited. I have been crazy. It's good for the city. I am so proud for all of the players."

Machi will be going to the Super Bowl as she is one of the lucky ones who was selected to purchase tickets in the season ticket holder lottery.

"The day I got the letter in the mail we almost threw it away because it was from a P.O. Box we didn't know," said Machi. "I was so excited I cried. I was screaming. I was so excited. We were jumping around."

You don't have to be going to the game to be excited, though. Preston Pannicco and friends from Bethel Park, Pa., headed down to watch the show taping and were enjoying the atmosphere in Pittsburgh.

"I'm very excited. This chance doesn't come around every year, " said Pannicco. "I wanted to be here to see the atmosphere for the Super Bowl. It's very exciting. I can feel the Super Bowl fever. notas_de_prensa_archivo