Blue-collar ethic underneath all that black and gold

We realize that not every reader of this page is a Steelers fan. Some of you may even hate the Steelers. Those readers might want to skip to another column now.
The last of the soggy confetti that fluttered down on the conquering heroes Tuesday as they rode through downtown Pittsburgh is being ground underfoot about now, leaving nothing but memories -- and about a billion dollars worth of Super Bowl memorabilia -- to remind Steelers fans of a glorious season.
Super Bowl XL may not have been an artistic success -- Rich Hoffman, a Philadelphia Daily News columnist wrote that the NFL will send the game film to Canton only out of habit -- but for Steelers fans this was one for the thumb, and just as sweet as the four Super Bowl wins of a generation ago.
And people in the Mahoning Valley, regardless of which team they root for during the regular season, have to take a measure of joy in seeing an old steel town show the world what it means when a team decides that it just isn't going to quit.
No football team has ever picked itself up from a 7-5 record entering the last quarter of the season and then won every game, almost entirely on the road, to bring home the Vince Lombardi trophy.
It says something about a team, about a spirit, that should touch Steelers fans and nonfans alike, football fans and nonfans alike.
Look at Cowher
Coach Bill Cowher, a guy with one of the most recognizable faces in football -- sideline cameramen love to capture that famous scowl and can't resist focusing in so that they memorialize the spit coming out of his mouth when he's chewing out a player or a referee -- was developing a reputation for not being able to win the big game. He lost four AFC championships and a Super Bowl in his 14 seasons with the Steelers. No NFL coach has ever won the Super Bowl in his 14th season with a team. But then very few coaches last 14 years in one city -- except in Pittsburgh. There, only two men have been head coach since 1969. Chuck Noll stayed for 23 seasons and is the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls. Then Cowher took over.
That solidity may be part of the Steelers' secret of success and part of the reason the Steelers sell more team clothing than any other -- surpassing what was once dubbed as America's team, the Dallas Cowboys.
It may be why Myron Cope's Terrible Towel is often imitated, but never duplicated.
We'll pause here to stipulate that Seattle Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren had reason to complain about some of the officiating Sunday, but his complaint about Ford Field in Detroit being like a home game for the Steelers was silly. Asked about the obvious advantage the Steelers had in the stands, Holmgren said, "That part of it wasn't all that fair. Pittsburgh has wonderful fans, but to sell the yellow towels on every row of the stadium, I'm sure there were a few non-Pittsburgh fans that were waving those things because they got the towel. And I didn't see too many green towels being sold. It was the first Super Bowl I have ever been involved with where it was that lopsided that way."
Mike, if people wanted to buy green towels, they could have. And Vindicator sports writer Tom Williams tells us that the gold-to-green ratio could have been higher. He saw lots of people in black and gold outside the stadium trying to find a scalper with a ticket, but not having any luck. None wearing green.
The fans support the team, and the team, to the best of its abilities, rewards the fans for their loyalty. And the fans, players and coaches are all loyal to the Rooney family, which has owned the team from those days when the Pirates owned Pittsburgh and the Steelers were a sideshow.
Most Valuable Player
Sunday's MVP, Hines Ward, was a holdout at the beginning of the season, but Cowher brought him back into the fold with a "father-to-son" talk. After the game, Cowher got a little mushy. "For him to get that award I think it's indicative, like I said, of the type of player that he is. He's a tough player, he's a dependable player, and he's a really good player. You surround yourself with guys like that, you're not going to get all guys like that, but you get a core of guys like that, it rubs off."
Said Ward: "Everything worked out for the best. And I get the opportunity to be able to retire as a Steeler. That was my whole thing going into it. I couldn't picture myself in another uniform. I just thought I was the perfect fit for the offense we ran, the city of Pittsburgh, a blue-collar town. That's how I look at myself, a blue-collar player."
Obviously a lot of players aspire to play their careers as Steelers. Of the 18 top draft picks the last six years, 13 were in Detroit Sunday and will get Super Bowl rings. Good for them. Good for the Steelers. Good for Pittsburghers and honorary Pittsburghers everywhere.