Rocky Bleier and Mel Blount suited up for the Steelers like they did 50 years ago on Friday night. Fans cheered when they walked out. Terrible Towels were swirling.
But instead of game time, it was show time. And the field was a runway. They walked a similar catwalk to one five decades ago.
Legends and four-time Super Bowl champions from the Steelers of the 1970s, Blount and Bleier were guests of honor at “Steelers Style,” the annual fashion show that has raised millions for local charities. This year’s theme was “Suit Up.” “We have some special guests tonight,” said Art Rooney II, who chaired the event with wife, Greta, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and his wife, Kiya.
Those special guests? “Players who were in the fashion show 50 years ago,” Art Rooney II said. With the philanthropic event celebrating its golden anniversary — 50 years of Steelers players and their families highlighting their style — the evening at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore included not only players from the past but also a video presentation of the fashion show through the decades. The event has evolved over the years.
It began at the former Hilton Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh as a runway show and moved to then Heinz Field, now Acrisure Stadium, before finding its current home at Stage AE. The show has grown from an evening of fashion to also include musical and dance performances, a disc jockey, video presentations and lighting and special effects. When asked about .