The Pittsburgh Steelers just had their 90th anniversary on July 8, 1933, making them the fifth oldest NFL team. When Art Rooney Sr., or "The Chief" as everyone called him, started the team, he had hopes to help build a National Football League. He is now credited with being one of the founding fathers of American football.
During those 90 years, the Steelers have become one of the most popular and well-respected football teams with fans spanning the globe. Many of those NFL fans are celebrities in their own right. The Steelers are no exception boasting a huge celebrity fan base.
Pittsburgh likes to get their celebrities involved, inviting them to throw out pitches at Pirates games, stand sideline at Steelers games or help out with charity events. Some of the most famous, famous fans include Squirrel Hill native Wiz Khalifa who wrote a song called "Black and Yellow" that celebrates his Pittsburgh pride.
Comedian and actor Adam Sandler is such a big fan, he got Bill Cowher to do a cameo in one of his movies. Actors Paul Rudd, Jeff Goldblum, Billy Gardell, Joe Manganiello, and Michael Keaton are all also huge fans. There are even some unexpected ones such as wrestler Kurt Angle, SNL alum Seth Meyers, race car driver Jimmie Johnson, author John Grisham, and golfer Arnold Palmer, plus so many others.
Supposedly Elvis Presley was a Steelers fan. He grew up a Cleveland Browns fan, became an adult, saw the light, and never looked back. While watching the Steelers play the Dallas Cowboys during Super Bowl X, he told his nurse he wasn't cheering for the Cowboys because he was a Steelers fan.
Let's not forget Frank Sinatra. He posed for a famous photo with Franco Harris, supporting "Franco's Italian Army." You can't claim to have an Italian Army without the support of one of the most famous Italians of all time.
These celebrities use their status to show support for and even participate with their team often to help raise money or awareness for charities. Poison frontman and Pittsburgh native, Bret Michaels has helped with numerous charity events including a Veteran's Day program to honor service men and women he hosted with former Steelers running back and Vietnam vet Rocky Bleier.
However, sometimes the tables are turned. Sometimes the players are more star-struck than the celebrity fan. That was the story told by former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster.
Steelers' Ramon Foster Has Unexpected Celebrity Encounter
Foster spent 11 seasons playing for the Steelers on one of the best offensive lines the team has ever had. Now he co-hosts, with reporter Dejan Kovacevic, a podcast that airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports, called The Ramon Foster Show. On a recent episode, Foster was asked who his favorite celebrity Steelers fan he'd met.
He said he'd met a few including Chadwick Boseman when he was in Pittsburgh filming his final movie, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." Foster said that he was shocked by how thin Boseman was and said it was before anyone knew he was sick. Unbeknownst to the public, Boseman had been battling colon cancer since 2016 and while he continued to work, his health was failing. He passed in 2020.
"I'd probably say Snoop Dogg. I know everybody meets Snoop these days, but Snoop was awesome and he's a Steelers fan."
Rapper, producer, director, and all-around music genius Snoop Dogg is a well-known and outspoken Steelers fan. Before making a name for himself in music, Snoop was a member of a gang in the east side of Long Beach, CA, called the Crips.
He began making music when he was young with some friends while he stayed in and out of legal trouble. One of his songs made its way to Dr. Dre, the influential rap producer, and that got him his start in music. He now dabbles in everything from rap, acting, directing, writing, charity events, and even TV shows with Martha Stewart. Foster doesn't stop there. He adds that there was one more famous encounter he was so star-struck by that it blew his mind.
"I also ran across Suge Knight from Death Row Records, Marion Knight, he was at Chris Kemoeatu's house, outside on the cell phone, smoking a cigar with the red jacket, just like we've always seen him before."
Chris Kemoeatu, an offensive guard, was selected by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. He spent his whole seven-year career in Pittsburgh. In 2007, Kemoeatu took over for legendary guard Alan Faneca.
Marion "Suge" Knight is a record executive and co-founder of the famous Death Row Records. He is widely considered one of the founding fathers of "gangsta' rap" and is responsible for it becoming more mainstream. His label released albums by Dre, Tupac Shakur, and Snoop.
"I was so scared and shook that I walked into the house like, 'Is that Suge Knight outside?' 'Cause all we've ever heard about Suge was that he's crazy. It was good to meet somebody I listened to growing up. That was crazy. I heard he was a heck of a football player too."
Knight was briefly in the NFL, playing for the Los Angles Rams during the 1987 players' strike. Despite his talent, Knight is also well known for his involvement in violent situations. He was with Shakur when he was shot and many believe the shooting was a retaliation for an earlier attack that Knight and Shakur made on a gang member.
He had been charged over the years with numerous violent and drug-related crimes. He is currently serving a 28-year sentence for attempted murder for hitting two men with his car. He is not eligible for parole until October 2034.
Knight's violent history, gang connections, and talent have given him this larger-than-life status. Regardless of his crimes, he is responsible for transforming both West Coast rap music and hip-hop in general.
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