Pittsburgh Steelers 75th Anniversary

Pittsburgh Steelers Announce Plans for 75th Season Celebration
Team's History to be Celebrated at Events Throughout the Year

The Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled plans today to showcase the team's 75th season with a broad range of events and festivities that will celebrate the legacy of the team and its players with fans worldwide.

From throwback uniforms to an All-Time Team and a new team mascot, the celebration will recognize the greatest moments in Steelers history. The All-Time Team that will represent the top players in the Pittsburgh Steelers history, selected by a vote of the fans. Beginning today, fans worldwide can vote for the players they feel should be part of the All-Time Team by visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers website at www.steelers.com, at any PNC Bank location or via a ballot that will appear in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 75th Season Celebration will be led by Steelers Hall of Fame member Joe Greene, who wore the number 75, and will serve as the Honorary Captain for the season. All of the festivities are detailed and will be updated throughout 2007 in a special section of the Steelers website.

The Steelers unveiled a new 75th Season logo, which will be displayed on everything from the turf at Heinz Field to team uniforms and memorabilia that will available at all Steelers merchandise outlets. Throwback uniforms that represent the look of the 1940s, '50s and '60s will be worn by the team during two home games –
September 16 vs. Buffalo and
November 5 vs. Baltimore.

Ø As part of the 75th Season Celebration, each Steelers home game will reflect a different decade of the team's history, beginning with the 1930s.
Ø The 75th Season Celebration theme will also be reflected at each of the following Steelers annual events:

Men's Fantasy Camp (Saint Vincent College) – Friday, June 1 – Sunday, June 3
Women's Training Camp (Saint Vincent College) – Late July
Hall of Fame Game – Sunday, August 5, Canton, Ohio
Kickoff Luncheon – Wednesday, August 29
The 2007 Rib Fest – Thursday, August 30 – Monday, September 3
Pittsburgh Steelers 5k Race and Fun Run – Sunday, September 2
The Pittsburgh Steelers Fashion Show – Friday, October 5

Ø July 23 – Training camp will begin. The new mascot will be on hand to meet and greet fans at The Steelers Experience, and throughout training camp.
Ø August 11 – The pre-season home opener against the Green Bay Packers will include the greatest moments in Steelers history on the jumbotron and other 75th season festivities.
Ø September 16 – At the regular season home opener against the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers will wear the special throwback uniforms for the first time.
Ø November 4 – The Steelers will hold their 75th Season Gala at the Pittsburgh Convention Center featuring members of the Steelers All-Time Team.
Ø November 5 – The Steelers will dedicate a new historical marker that will commemorate Three Rivers Stadium.
Ø November 5 – The Steelers will play the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, and introduce the All-Time Team at the game.
Ø The Pro Football Hall of Fame will produce a special 75th Season exhibit that will be on display at the following locations:
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio: July – August 2007
Heinz Field Coca-Cola Great Hall: September – October 2007
Heinz History Center: November – December 2007

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Steelers Helmet Logo History

History Of The Steelers Logo

*The Steelers logo is based on the Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Created by U.S. Steel Corp. (now known as USX Corp.), the logo contains three hypocycloids (diamond shapes).

*In the 1950s, when helmet logos became popular, the Steelers added players' numbers to either side of their gold helmets. Later that decade, the numbers were removed and in 1962, Cleveland's Republic Steel suggested to the Steelers that they use the Steelmark as a helmet logo.

*When the Steelmark logo was created, U.S. Steel attached the following meaning to it: Steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure and widens your world. The logo was used as part of a major marketing campaign to educate consumers about how important steel is in our daily lives.

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*The Steelmark logo was used in print, radio and television ads as well as on labels for all steel products, from steel tanks to tricycles to filing cabinets.

*In the 1960s, U.S. Steel turned over the Steelmark program to the AISI, where it came to represent the steel industry as a whole. During the 1970s, the logo's meaning was extended to include the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal, orange for ore and blue for steel scrap. In the late 1980s, when the AISI founded the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), the logo took on a new life reminiscent of its 1950s meaning.

*The Steelers had to petition the AISI in order to change the word "Steel" inside the Steelmark to "Steelers" before the logo was complete.

The Steelers are the only NFL team that sports their logo on only one side of the helmet. At first, this was a temporary measure because the Steelers weren't sure they would like the look of the logo on an all-gold helmet. They wanted to test them before going all-out. Equipment manager Jack Hart was instructed to put the logo only on one side of the helmet - the right side.

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*The 1962 Steelers finished 9-5 and became the winningest team in franchise history to date. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the Playoff Bowl. They wanted to do something special for their first postseason game, so they changed the color of their helmets from gold to black, which helped to highlight the new logo.

*Because of the interest generated by having the logo on only one side of their helmets and because of their team's new success, the Steelers decided to leave it that way permanently.

*Today's helmet reflects the way the logo was originally applied and it has never been changed.

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SOURCE: Pittsburgh Steelers