Sunday was the Steelers 'Thank You Fans' game and there might not have been anyone more thankful than Dave Lynch.
Lynch was the lucky winner of Neighborhood Ford Store's Toughest Truck, Toughest Team Sweepstakes, a contest sponsored by the Steelers and Neighborhood Ford Store to win a black 2019 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 truck, completely wrapped in Steelers colors and logos, as well as four tickets to Sunday's game against the Bills at Heinz Field.
Lynch, a Steelers season ticket holder since the early 1980s, registered for the contest on the Steelers app in early November and recently got the exciting call that he was the winner.
"I didn't believe it at first," said Lynch. "They called me and texted me. I didn't believe it. I verified who the person was before I called them back. Then when I found out I thought well maybe I am one of the five finalists or something. They verified all of my information and then said you are the winner of the truck. I told them nobody gives me anything but a hard time. I couldn't believe it."
Lynch, who is from the Garfield area of Pittsburgh, was presented the keys to the truck on the field at halftime.
"I had a little bit of stage fright with everyone seeing me up there on that scoreboard," said Lynch. "It's a sharp looking vehicle. It's impressive. It's a head turner. And who isn't a Steelers fan in Western Pennsylvania?
"It's going to be a good way to start the new year."
The truck giveaway has become a fun tradition for the final regular season game, built on the relationship the Steelers and Neighborhood Ford Store have established. This is the eighth year for the contest, and the ninth year of the partnership.
"Our Board of Directors was so happy that executives from Ford Motor Company – John Savona, Heidi Shaffer and Paul Bucek – were able to join us for this presentation," said Joseph Thurby, 2019 Neighborhood Ford Store Chairperson. "The support for this sponsorship at Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, is as Built Ford Tough as this special F-150."
