Picks-burgh palooza
Fans from all over descend on Steel City for NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Arizona resident Dave Kruper remembers rooting for the Dallas Cowboys when he was a kid growing up in the 1970s and 1980s.
Kruper was born in Brownsville, and lived there until his parents moved to Phoenix when he was 3 years old.
无毛视频淲e moved to Arizona in the 无毛视频�60s and the Steelers weren无毛视频檛 very good, and they were never on TV on the West Coast,无毛视频� explained Kruper. 无毛视频淲hen I was 8 or 9 years old and started watching football, and the Arizona Cardinals were still in St. Louis, the only teams we got on TV were the Rams and the Cowboys. I liked the star on the Cowboys无毛视频� uniforms, and I liked their quarterback, Roger Staubach, the way he played and carried himself.无毛视频�
From then on, said Kruper, he was a fan.
无毛视频淢y family remained Steelers fans, but I always rooted for the Cowboys,无毛视频� said Kruper.
Until this week, Kruper had never been to Acrisure Stadium and had visited Pittsburgh only once. But on Tuesday, he and a buddy, John Klatz, landed in Columbus, Ohio, and drove to a hotel in Delmont, about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh. The friends plan to attend all three days of the NFL Draft.
Klatz, it turns out, grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., but is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan 无毛视频� He does not root for the Buffalo Bills or the New York Giants or Jets, which are closer geographically.
无毛视频淲hen I was old enough to start watching football, it was in the 1970s when the Steelers were doing well and winning Super Bowls,无毛视频� said Klatz. 无毛视频淥riginally, I loved their uniforms 无毛视频� they looked like a bunch of bumble bees out there 无毛视频� and then I idolized the ball players. I无毛视频檇 play football in the back year and we无毛视频檇 play as Franco Harris or Lynn Swann or Joe Greene.无毛视频�
Kruper and Klatz were out and about near Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park on Thursday morning ahead of the first night of the NFL Draft.
They were not alone.
Hundreds of football fans from across the country 无毛视频� the globe, actually 无毛视频� roamed the streets around Acrisure Stadium and Pittsburgh, hours before the NFL Draft campus opened to the public.
Greg Powell and his friend, Wallace Watts, a retired airline captain affectionately known as 无毛视频淐aptain Seahawk,无毛视频� made the trip from Seattle to Pittsburgh 无毛视频� it is Powell无毛视频檚 sixth consecutive NFL Draft 无毛视频� and they plan to be inside the NFL Draft Stage area to watch their Super Bowl champion Seahawks and the 31 other NFL teams select the best eligible college football players in the country for their rosters.
Powell has visited the Steel City five times, to watch the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners play the Steelers and Pirates.
无毛视频淚 love Pittsburgh. It无毛视频檚 beautiful, clean and safe, and it无毛视频檚 a great city,无毛视频� said Powell.
For five friends who graduated from Keystone Oaks High School and now are college students, the NFL Draft 无毛视频渋s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.无毛视频�
无毛视频淎s soon as we heard the draft was going to be in Pittsburgh, it was a must-go-to event for us,无毛视频� said Jacob Wagner, who, along with his friends, was clad in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.
Said his friend Hayden Kenny, 无毛视频淚 am so ready for the energy the draft is going to bring. We无毛视频檙e excited to watch the draft with Pittsburghers.无毛视频�
Football fans were plenty busy Thursday, listening to musical performances and engaging in a variety of football-themed activities 无毛视频� kicking field goals and testing their vertical jump, posing with the Lombardi Trophy and giant-sized NFL helmets, scoring autographs from current NFL players and Steelers legends, sampling traditional Pittsburgh food 无毛视频� pierogies and Primanti无毛视频檚 无毛视频� and other cuisine and beverages.
Tony Morano drove 4 1/2 hours from his hometown of Windsor, Canada, near Detroit, but he is a New York Giants fan because he shares a birthday 无毛视频� Feb. 4 无毛视频� with NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
Morano, who brought a Steelers NFL jersey that he planned to get autographed, said the NFL couldn无毛视频檛 have picked a better place to host the draft.
无毛视频淭his is gorgeous, it无毛视频檚 stunning,无毛视频� said Morano, pointing to the Pittsburgh skyline. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e never been to Pittsburgh, but I would come back here. I just can无毛视频檛 ride the incline without my wife while I无毛视频檓 here. Also, I无毛视频檝e met fans from all over the place, and that无毛视频檚 been a lot of fun. It无毛视频檚 a very good vibe.无毛视频�
At least 500,000 fans are expected to pour into Pittsburgh for the three-day Draft Experience 无毛视频� enough to fill seven Acrisure stadiums, and almost double the city无毛视频檚 population of around 307,000 residents.
无毛视频淚 love this craziness,无毛视频� said Don Zadach, aka Pope Yinzer, who was dressed in Steelers-themed papal garb.
The Finleyville, Washington County, resident was strolling with his friend, Sean 无毛视频淪teeler Jesus无毛视频� Steinmetz of North Hills, while a steady stream of football fans approached them to pose for a photo.
The pair attend all home Steelers games, and plan to be near the Draft Stage when the Steelers make their selection with the 21st pick.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 amazing, all the stuff that无毛视频檚 going on, and that无毛视频檚 why we无毛视频檙e down here. We love meeting people, we love talking to people and talking about football. It无毛视频檚 the best,无毛视频� said Zadach, as he and Steinmetz paused to take a photo with three Steelers fans from Huntington Beach, Calif., who have rooted for the Black-and-Gold since 1994, when the former Los Angeles Rams left Orange County to move to St. Louis.
Harrisburg residents Zoran and Angelina Hernandez, who moved from Miami, Fla. more than 20 years ago, were decked out in Miami teal-and-orange shirts and jewelry and took the 6:15 a.m. 无毛视频淭无毛视频� from South Hills Village to Acrisure Stadium to make sure they arrived before the crowds showed up.
It is the first NFL Draft the football fans have attended, and they figured the event was their best chance to attend a major NFL event in person. Pittsburgh is likely too cold to host a Super Bowl 无毛视频� although, fans point out happily, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Lombardi trophies.
无毛视频淲hen we found out it was going to be in Pittsburgh, we thought it was close enough that we had to drive here,无毛视频� said Zoran Hernandez, a fan of Plum native and former NFL kicker Pat McAfee, who hosts a popular sports show. Hernandez said he was eager to try a Primanti无毛视频檚 sandwich while in town.
Also taking in the draft activities was Elise Robinson, a U.S. Army veteran from Seattle, Wash., who is a 2025 NFL Fan of the Year and president of the Sea Hawkers Booster Club. She has attended NFL Drafts since 2018.
For Robinson, football fosters camaraderie and a strong sense of community among fans of all teams, and she struck up conversations with other fans at the draft 无毛视频� including a Minnesota Viking fan who joked that Robinson should thank the Vikings for letting Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold walk away from her team and sign with the Seahawks.
It wasn无毛视频檛 Robinson无毛视频檚 first visit to Acrisure. She has flown in to watch the Seahawks play the Steelers.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a great venue, but I do want to note that they do not have many sweets at the stadium,无毛视频� said Robinson, laughing. 无毛视频淚 walked all over and I found a good chocolate shake, but you need more sweets.无毛视频�
By the afternoon, thousands of fans had filled the grounds around the stadium and strolled around Point Park. It was sunny, the temperature was in the 70s, and the mood was festive. A majority of fans were wearing jerseys, hats, or colored clothing in homage to their favorite teams.
无毛视频淭his is like our bucket list,无毛视频� said Kruper. It无毛视频檚 one of those bucket list things that I无毛视频檝e always wanted to do. I无毛视频檓 so glad we无毛视频檙e doing it. You just gotta do stuff. When you have the chance, do it.无毛视频�