Black and gold was everywhere on Monday night as the team hosted the annual Ladies Night Out, presented by UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, at Heinz Field. It was a lively and enthusiastic group that was on hand, sharing their love of all things Steelers.

If it has the name Steelers on it, the ladies were decked out in it. From jerseys to hats, shirts to socks, purses and everything else you could possibly imagine, they were ready to go.

"I love football. I have always loved football," said Niki Crouse from Canonsburg, Pa. "Any time I can get together with other women who love football, here I am. I like hearing the players talk. I like to be able to go on the field and see what it is the guys do on a regular basis and do my best at it. It's amazing to see this many ladies out here who appreciate the game of football and understand it the game of football as much as I do."

Vance McDonald and Terrell Edmunds were the special guests, sharing some insight as to what their week is like with the ladies, and just enjoying being around such passionate fans.

"They are amazing," said Edmunds. "The fan base as a whole is amazing, but you see the ladies out there in their jerseys, out there on game day. All decked out. It's great to see.

"A lot of people might not know all the aspects of how things operate for a football team. How our days go. How we balance life and football. It is nice to just talk to them about it, give them some insight.

"It's fun to go out and speak to people. We are behind the helmet all of the time. Sometimes people want to know the real you. This is the chance to show them the real me and that I am more than just a football player."

One of the highlights for the ladies is the opportunity to ask the players questions, some of them showing their knowledge and others more on the fun off the field side.

"Just getting to know Pittsburgh, I know the female fan base is strong," said McDonald. "This is to show our appreciation for what they do, the support they give. But it's always intimidating to talk to women. I have always felt that way. It is fun, though.

"You get to lend a word of advice or appreciation for a group of people, I think it's powerful. I enjoy looking at it from that perspective."

After hearing from current players the ladies had an opportunity to take part in mini-skill sessions with Steelers legends, including Charlie Batch, Arthur Moats and Matt Spaeth. And then it was on to a tour of Heinz Field, from the locker room to the press box and everywhere in between.

"I like seeing the different players, getting to hear from them, what they have to say and seeing them as real people, not just football players," said Jaime Ruffing from North Versailles, Pa. "It's a lot of the same ladies who are here so you get to see familiar faces. It come with my mom and sister-in-law, so it's just fun to share the experience with them and have fun."