By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
PHOTO ALBUM
The Steelers hosted the Annual Dean's Dairy Football 202 for Women at their practice facility at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex and over 180 ladies decked out in black and gold from as far Florida, Texas and Idaho were on hand to take part in the fun.
"This is first time I've done it," said Tannis Mohr, who came by herself from Rimersburg, Pa. "I like the Steelers. I saw it and thought it was something I would like to do for me. It's wild being here. You don't imagine this part of it in your mind, how everything is set up. It's really neat."
The ladies spent time in the team meeting room learning the X's and O's of the game from assistant head coach/defensive line coach John Mitchell and running backs coach Kirby Wilson.
They had the chance to put that knowledge to work when they headed to the indoor practice field where kicker Jeff Reed taught them the finer points of kicking and special teams, running back Mewelde Moore showed them offensive moves while handling running back drills and nose tackle Chris Hoke had them working on defensive line drills.
"It feels real to me," said Patty Fox, who made the trip from Cary, North Carolina. "You meet real players and coaches. They talk not just simple things; they talk real football things with you."
Dinner was served in the team cafeteria and there was also a tour of the locker room, which provided everyone a chance to have their picture taken in front of their favorite player's locker and marvel over how many shoes the players have.
"You pick up things about their personalities by seeing their lockers," said Fox. "It's more than just seeing their locker space because their stuff is there. In front of Hines Ward's I saw a bible verse. I saw some special mementos in Troy Polamalu's locker. It gave away a little more of their personality."
