The second a Pittsburgh Steelers fan hears, "Oh Mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law..." they immediately go into hype mode. The Styx hit Renegade has become the de facto anthem of the Steelers' defense.
Itz Yinzburgh
The Styx song "Renegade" has become synonymous with the Steelers' hard-nosed style of defense.
The song, which was written by Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw, was released in 1979. The Steelers happened to win the Super Bowl on January 21, 1979, defeating the Dallas Cowboys. Coincidence? I think not.
The song, now a classic rock icon, tells a story from the perspective of an outlaw who gets caught by a bounty hunter and is facing execution by hanging for his crimes. It begins with low a cappella singing (no instruments), but is suddenly transformed into a rock song by a thunderous drum beat and rhythm guitars. While it was well received, it never climbed higher than 16 on the Billboard Charts.
However, now the song has been immortalized by the Steelers. It immediately conjures up images of huge crowds waving their Terrible Towels and cheering their team to victory. It has been used in that format for over 20 years as a way to pump up fans and intimidate opposing offenses.
The Steelers' usage of the song Renegade began in 2002. It was a playoff game between the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The good guys seemed to be on the ropes that day. Their offense hadn't scored and the only points they had were from a punt return for a touchdown by Antwaan Randle El. According to legend, after another punt, the jumbotron crew made a historic decision.
Associated Press file photo
Pittsburgh Steelers Antwaan Randle El throws a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL.
Initially the slow, downbeat of the song added to the general malaise in the stadium, but then suddenly the tempo of the music lifted and so did the fans. I was at the game that day, I can't even describe how electric the stadium was, fans just went wild. Just like that, everyone was back in the game, except the Browns.
Having the crowd behind them gave the team the boost it needed. The defense stopped the Browns on their drive and then Tommy Maddox took the field and drove down for 66 yards to score, cutting the lead to 24-14. The Steelers continued to shut down the Browns and the game ended with a touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and a pass from Randle El to Jerame Tuman for the two-point conversion. The final score was 33-36.
While the Steelers didn't make the Super Bowl that season, they did find their hype song. But does the song really work? Does it get the team pumped up and produce results? Do the players love it or hate it? Recently, Steelers phenom T.J. Watt appeared on future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger's podcast and they discussed it.
USA Today Sports Images
Former Steelers RB Chris Fuamatu-Maafala
Steelers' T.J. Watt Has A Love-Hate Relationship With Renegade
Since retiring, Roethlisberger has been hosting a wildly successful podcast called Footbahlin' With Ben Roethlisberger and recently had his former teammate on and Renegade was one of the topics that came up.
"I like Renegade, I mean the fans love Renegade, but the problem is there was a stretch there when Renegade was being played and we were not backing it up," said Watt.
Roethlisberger agrees that can be a problem. He recalled a game where Renegade came on and former Steelers defender Brett Keisel just shook his head in disgust.
"It never really hit me until I went home after a game one day and my dad was like, 'I told them to stop playing Renegade. After they play Renegade, they run it right down your throats.' I never thought about it and then there are those stretches where it's like, 'D*mn, we need to back this up.'"
Jeffrey Phelps/AP
Steelers great Brett Keisel could always be counted on to get the fans pumped during Renegade.
Agreeing, Roethlisberger said that it does get players going because it gets the fans so riled up. Watt agrees and says that he doesn't hate the song, it signals to all that this is a pivotal or huge moment in the game. Watt is asked if it gets him going, or if it adds an extra layer of expectation to what they are already feeling.
"I don't know, I mean if it gets the fans loud and it creates havoc for the offense, I'm all for it."
There have been stories over the years about opponents blasting Renegade inside their practice facility while prepping for the Steelers. Just as teams use soundtracks to simulate crowd noise to get players acclimated, Steelers opponents have to prepare their offenses for Renegade.
"It's always funny," says Roethlisberger. "Like with the Ravens, they tried, I know [John] Harbaugh tried to do it in practice, he would play it in practice and tell the guys, 'Yeah yeah yeah, get hyped' during it. And it's like y'all aren't hyped during this."
Brett Carlsen | Credit: Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers fans go wild and wave their Terrible Towels the second the song Renegade starts.
Does Renegade make a difference? We don't have to take the word of Watt's dad, researchers at Point Park University give us the answer and it's a good one. According to their study, which analyzed 54 home games from 2014-2021, Renegade has a positive impact. After Renegade is played during a game, the Steelers maintained a lead in 61.1% of games and came from behind to win or tie in six games. Conversely, they only lost a lead in 14.8% of games and only continued to lose in 13% of games. In addition, opponents are seven times more likely to fumble on the very next play.
What do you think? Do you love or hate Renegade? Tell us what's on your mind! Click to comment below.
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