Fans jam Heinz at Steelers' pep rally

An extimated 30,000 fans were on hand to send off the team to Detroit.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' road to the Super Bowl in Detroit ran through Heinz Field for a pep rally on Friday, and running back Jerome Bettis made a bold prediction.
"We carry Pittsburgh in our hearts wherever we go. ... And you better believe, when we come back, we will have one for the thumb," Bettis said in reference to the Steelers bid for a fifth Super Bowl victory.
An estimated 30,000 people gathered at the stadium, with Steelers fans awash in black and gold to honor of the AFC champions.
It was a hometown celebration for a team that earlier this season seemed a long shot to even make the playoffs.
"This is monumental for me. I've been waiting so long for this," said 23-year-old Chris Feldman, of Dormont.
Blue-collar team
For Feldman, the Steelers are more than just a sports team.
"They're blue collar like the city. Even if they are football players, they feel like blue collar to us," Feldman said.
"They put the city on the map. After the steel mills closed, they were the only things going for us."
Anita Wobrak, of Hopewell, remembers the team's glory days of the 1970s, when the Steelers became a dynasty by winning four Super Bowls.
She brought her daughters, 10-year-old Tia and 9-year-old Autumn, to Friday's pep rally so they could experience the excitement.
Fans painted their faces black and gold, tucked Terrible Towels in their waistbands and donned jerseys of their favorite players.
Most jerseys celebrated current players, but some recalled the Steelers' heyday and stars Jack Lambert and Rocky Bleier.
And at least one fan's jersey paid tribute to Neil O'Donnell, the last quarterback to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl.
In that title game, O'Donnell threw two interceptions and Dallas won 27-17. Since 1980, Steelers fans have been craving "one for the thumb."
Waved Terrible Towels
Fans inside the stadium waved their Terrible Towels as they waited for the rally to start at 5 p.m. Others chose to wait outside, turning the stadium parking lots -- normally used by commuters -- into a big tailgate party.
Three friends -- Greg Boerio, 20; Will Merchant, 21; and Tom Petrini, 22 -- stood outside their SUV drinking beer.
As fans in the background chanted and cheered for the team, Boerio said there's nothing that would have kept him away from the celebration.
"If it was raining and minus 5, I'd still be here," Boerio said. "It doesn't matter."
The crowd didn't mind waiting a few hours for the celebration to officially begin.
They broke into impromptu chants of "Here we go, Steelers!" -- the popular Steelers' anthem -- and cheered raucously as highlights of the AFC championship game win over Denver was replayed on a video screen.
"I've never felt this way about the team," said self-employed carpenter Justin Eswein, 25, of Shaler Township.
"This is the year. There's no stopping them," he said, chasing nachos and cheese down with beer in the stadium's Great Hall.
Brought entire family
Jim O'Donnell, 43, of Pittsburgh, started work early Friday so he could finish in time to bring his family to the rally.
"It gets in your blood," he said. "Once you're a Steeler fan, you're always a Steeler fan."
As some of the players took the stage, the crowd got more boisterous.
"Wow, this is amazing. You guys make us go out and play with passion in our hearts each and every Sunday," wide receiver Hines Ward said.
Bettis, who will be returning to his hometown of Detroit for the Feb. 5 Super Bowl for what might be his final game, sported a Tigers jacket and cap at the rally.
"I want to thank everybody here for believing in us," he said.
"When we were the sixth seed going into the playoffs, nobody thought we could get it done. But everybody out here and everybody in Pittsburgh, from the bottom of our hearts, all of us on this stage, we want to thank you guys because you are just as much a part of us as everything we do."
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