Picks-burgh palooza
Fans from all over descend on Steel City for NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH 鈥� 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.
鈥淲e moved to Arizona in the 鈥�60s and the Steelers weren鈥檛 very good, and they were never on TV on the West Coast,鈥� explained Kruper. 鈥淲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鈥� uniforms, and I liked their quarterback, Roger Staubach, the way he played and carried himself.鈥�
From then on, said Kruper, he was a fan.
鈥淢y family remained Steelers fans, but I always rooted for the Cowboys,鈥� 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 鈥� He does not root for the Buffalo Bills or the New York Giants or Jets, which are closer geographically.
鈥淲hen I was old enough to start watching football, it was in the 1970s when the Steelers were doing well and winning Super Bowls,鈥� said Klatz. 鈥淥riginally, I loved their uniforms 鈥� they looked like a bunch of bumble bees out there 鈥� and then I idolized the ball players. I鈥檇 play football in the back year and we鈥檇 play as Franco Harris or Lynn Swann or Joe Greene.鈥�
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 鈥� the globe, actually 鈥� 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 鈥淐aptain Seahawk,鈥� made the trip from Seattle to Pittsburgh 鈥� it is Powell鈥檚 sixth consecutive NFL Draft 鈥� 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.
鈥淚 love Pittsburgh. It鈥檚 beautiful, clean and safe, and it鈥檚 a great city,鈥� said Powell.
For five friends who graduated from Keystone Oaks High School and now are college students, the NFL Draft 鈥渋s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.鈥�
鈥淎s soon as we heard the draft was going to be in Pittsburgh, it was a must-go-to event for us,鈥� said Jacob Wagner, who, along with his friends, was clad in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.
Said his friend Hayden Kenny, 鈥淚 am so ready for the energy the draft is going to bring. We鈥檙e excited to watch the draft with Pittsburghers.鈥�
Football fans were plenty busy Thursday, listening to musical performances and engaging in a variety of football-themed activities 鈥� 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 鈥� pierogies and Primanti鈥檚 鈥� 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 鈥� Feb. 4 鈥� 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鈥檛 have picked a better place to host the draft.
鈥淭his is gorgeous, it鈥檚 stunning,鈥� said Morano, pointing to the Pittsburgh skyline. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been to Pittsburgh, but I would come back here. I just can鈥檛 ride the incline without my wife while I鈥檓 here. Also, I鈥檝e met fans from all over the place, and that鈥檚 been a lot of fun. It鈥檚 a very good vibe.鈥�
At least 500,000 fans are expected to pour into Pittsburgh for the three-day Draft Experience 鈥� enough to fill seven Acrisure stadiums, and almost double the city鈥檚 population of around 307,000 residents.
鈥淚 love this craziness,鈥� 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 鈥淪teeler Jesus鈥� 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, all the stuff that鈥檚 going on, and that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e down here. We love meeting people, we love talking to people and talking about football. It鈥檚 the best,鈥� 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. 鈥淭鈥� 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 鈥� although, fans point out happily, the Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Lombardi trophies.
鈥淲hen we found out it was going to be in Pittsburgh, we thought it was close enough that we had to drive here,鈥� 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鈥檚 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 鈥� 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鈥檛 Robinson鈥檚 first visit to Acrisure. She has flown in to watch the Seahawks play the Steelers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great venue, but I do want to note that they do not have many sweets at the stadium,鈥� said Robinson, laughing. 鈥淚 walked all over and I found a good chocolate shake, but you need more sweets.鈥�
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.
鈥淭his is like our bucket list,鈥� said Kruper. It鈥檚 one of those bucket list things that I鈥檝e always wanted to do. I鈥檓 so glad we鈥檙e doing it. You just gotta do stuff. When you have the chance, do it.鈥�