By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
They came in jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts and anything else with Steelers on it. They brought their Terrible Towels and had their essentials in the Steelers purses they carried.
And they came out in a record number as 450 women were on hand for the Steelers annual Ladies Night Out at Heinz Field.
Enthusiasm certainly wasn't lacking, especially when they heard from the team's number one draft pick Ziggy Hood and quarterback Charlie Batch, who both shared a little bit about themselves with the ladies, and told them what a normal week is like for them before taking questions.
"When you come to a city with a fan base as large as this, you expect it but not as much when you walk through the door," said Hood about the huge female following. "They showed a lot of team colors. It was amazing to see how much knowledge they had about the game of football."
Questions touched on just about everything, from football to personal lives, but overall the line of questioning showed the female Steelers fans know their stuff.
"They asked about holding penalties and just the basic knowledge of the game, knowing each player and what each of them do out there on the field," said Hood. "One person asked if there is anything I can do about getting more offensive holding calls for holding on James Harrison, which I have no control over that."
After hearing from the players the ladies went for a tour of Heinz Field and to watch a taping of the PNC Steelers Huddle TV show hosted by safety Ryan Clark.
"It was an enjoyable night," said Hood. "I would do it again. The fans continue to impress me every day. I learn something new every day."