The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been blue collar. It could be because of all the NFL owners in days gone by, Art Rooney “The Chief” seemed the most like a regular man of the people and his spirit ran through Dan Rooney and now his namesake Art Rooney II. They did not quite have the common touch of the founding Rooney, but the Steelers are still run like a family and have a fanbase that extends well beyond Western Pennsylvania.
Steeler Nation travels well, but they are greatly aided by Steeler fan clubs across the nation when they visit teams across the NFL. Many Steeler fans won’t ever make it to Heinz Field to see a game and the only chance to watch their beloved team is when they visit the nearest NFL city.
The Steelers don’t have cheerleaders or mascots. The closest thing they have is the Terrible Towel. But they are the real “America’s Team.” The working man’s team, not like the wine and cheese crowd that roots for the Dallas Cowboys and their gaggle of celebrity fans who can name the quarterback and that is about it.
I grew up and fell in love with the Steelers in the 1970’s. We moved around a lot and my dad was a Cowboys fan because of Roger Staubach. I like the guys in the black hats, they weren’t villains, they seemed like the underdogs who weren’t going to take crap from anyone. You can probably guess my boyhood hero was Jack Lambert.
I always envied the crowd shots in the 1980’s in high school when they started flashing to the celebrity fans in the crowd. The Cowboys, Los Angeles Raiders and San Francisco 49ers had glamorous fans and it seemed like as hip hop was emerging, every kid in my high school had become a Raider fan. It didn’t seem to me, or I just wasn’t paying attention to, that the Steelers had any fans in Hollywood. I thought it would be fun to look at some of the best-known celebrity Steeler fans currently.
Bret Michaels
Steelers.com
The Poison Front man and Pittsburgh native Bret Michaels grew up on the Steelers and does a lot of work with the team. He has participated in honoring Veterans in 2021 on Monday Night Football preceding Veterans Day and can often be seen at Heinz Field. You can watch here. Michaels even went so far as to lobby for Matt Corral on The Rich Eisen Show prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, but something tells me he is okay with another hometown hero in Kenny Pickett being drafted instead.
Michael Keaton
On February 8, 2015, Brooks was surprised by Mike Tomlin, Lynn Swann and Mel Blount at a concert in Pittsburgh. You can watch a clip here of his obvious joy and watch him turn into a fanboy on stage. Brooks developed friendships over the years with Brett Keisel and Mason Rudolph who played for the Oklahoma State football team and Roethlisberger. Brooks may have Friends in Low Places, like your local Steelers Bar.
Snoop Dogg
Steelers.com
The 50-year-old rapper and Long Beach native is a vocal and visible Steelers fan. Snoop Dogg is not only a successful rapper, entertainer, and Super Bowl Halftime Show performer, he is also a long-time youth football coach in the Snoop Youth Football League. He has appeared on virtually every platform that covers football professing his love for the Steelers and during Roethlisberger’s last home game, he appeared on the Manningcast to share how a young man from Long Beach, CA became a Steelers fan:
"Well in the 70s, you know, watching your dad [Archie Manning] and watching the Steelers and the Raiders and the Cowboys and the teams from the 70s, I fell in love with the great defense, the way they moved the ball, just the way they played football, Snoop said. “It was fun to watch as a kid and as I got older, I fell more in love with them because I got a chance to meet the players, I got to meet coach [Bill] Cowher and Ben Roethlisberger, you know, Jerome Bettis and the rest of the guys and you know, I became a part of Steeler Nation.”
Snoop Dogg actually coached a player that made it all the way to Steeler stardom, JuJu Smith-Schuster. It must be quite a thrill for a long time Steeler fan to be able to say he actually coached a future Steeler Pro Bowler.
There is a growing list of celebrity fans of the Steelers, and I am sure everyone has their favorites. Older fans may be partial to Frank Sinatra or Burt Reynolds and Hank Williams Jr. Younger fans might wonder how I could forget to mention Stephen A. Smith, Joe Manganiello, Sal Vulcaro, Steve Byrne or Wiz Khalifa. I am happy to welcome anyone to the best fanbase in the NFL, but one small request to Mr. Khalifa. Could we maybe get a remix with the correct colors “Black and Gold?” I am kidding, sort of…
Other notables -- Christina Agulara, Curt Schilling, Garth Brooks, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey Jr.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Who is your favorite Steelers celebrity fan? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq
