Mary Beth Shaw ran a route, caught a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Rodney Williams and gave wide receiver Calvin Austin III a little shove to reach the end zone for the touchdown.
Shaw was one of 1,000 women on the Acrisure Stadium field Wednesday evening. It was the first SteelHERS Social, a new women-centric event, presented by UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital as a way to celebrate Steelers’ fans ahead of the 2024 season.
Women of all ages attended the sold-out event.
“Yes, I tried to tackle (Austin III),” said Shaw, of Marshall, a season-ticket holder who was wearing a former Steelers NFL Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu No. 43 jersey. “When you get moments like this, you take it all in.”
She said Austin and Williams were really into the event. They moved their setup closer to the end zone.
The event was the first of its kind at Acrisure, but not the first one hosted by the Steelers. The team has held clinics during training camp in the summers at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
Tonya Norman of New Kensington, who said she was “born a Steelers fan,” attended those clinics. She invited her 19-year-old daughter Jada Norman, who played powder puff football, a variation of flag football in high school.
“I loved going to those clinics at training camp,” Tonya Norman said. “Everyone in my family played or plays sports.”
The women did drills, which included the agility ladder, a row of connected squares on the ground designed to improve footwork.
The event was fittingly timed to the news that the city will host the 2026 NFL Draft.
In addition to field access, guests spent time in the FedEx Great Hall where Steelers NFL Hall of Famer safety Troy Polamalu and his wife Theodora welcomed fans and answered some questions. The couple, along with Steelers host and sideline reporter Missi Matthews, took a selfie with the crowd.
The evening includes a tailgate-like atmosphere with Steelers mascot Steely McBeam, disc jockeys providing entertainment, a paint and sip area, a black and gold bouquet bar with flowers from Pittsburgh-based And Flowers and light refreshments and football-shape brownies.
Artist Kait Schoeb of Baldwin did a live painting of Polamalu, which he autographed for a raffle prize. A live painting is when an artist paints some or none ahead of time and then paints onsite at the event. Schoeb said she started the piece at home and finished it at the stadium.
Lonnie Isenberg and four friends traveled from Cortland, Ohio, halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Isenberg bought new shoes — limited edition black and gold tennis shoes from Brooks. Polamalu signed all their jerseys, Isenberg said.
“Troy is a gem and he is so gracious with his time,” Isenberg said.
Sporting matching Steelers logo tattoos were best friends Kathy McLafferty of Lower Burrell, who has one on her leg, and Sherri Polhemus of New Kensington, who has one on her back.
“We watch games together and we go to training camp,” said McLafferty, clad in a Polamalu jersey. “I have wanted to be a Steeler since I was 10 years old. We grew up in the 1970s — the Super Bowls and the City of Champions.”
Rachelle Warnock of Baldwin said women are more knowledgeable about sports than ever.
Polamalu agreed.
He said with the evolution of the game, athletes are seen as human and they have stories as real people — and women connect with those stories.
“For me, seeing my wonderful wife and how much she has been the backbone of my life and career and success, women connect with that,” he said. “Football is 4% of our life and in the other 96%, my wife is the star.”
Being part of the event is a way to take on some of the roles the players before him held, Polamalu said.
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“Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Franco (Harris), Lynn (Swann) they did so much for this city,” he said. “It comes full circle and that isn’t something that is preached in about in the organization. It kind of just naturally happens.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.