Super Steelers Super Trophy Haul

 

Here is a story I wrote for the Butler Eagle about the exhibit of the Steelers’ six Super Bowl trophies and photos by the team’s photographer that opened Monday  at the Heinz History Center:

While Art Rooney Sr. named his team after the metal that made Pittsburgh famous, the Steelers now are closely associated with a more precious one: silver.

That's because, after winning six Super Bowls, the team now possesses six Vince Lombardi Trophies made of it.

Through Aug. 30, citizens of Steelers Nation will have a unique opportunity to get a close  look at the precious hardware, which rarely leaves the team's South Side offices, in the Great Hall of the Heinz History Center and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

"We're delighted to be the host of six Lombardi Trophies right here in Pittsburgh," Andy Masich, president of the history center, said Monday. "It's a rare opportunity for people to come down and get up-close and personal with the evidence of the Steelers' triumphs over the years."

After the Steelers won their sixth NFL title by beating the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla., the history center approached them about bringing the spoils of victory to the Smallman Street facility.

"If the Steelers have won six Super Bowls, we've got to have them here at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum," Masich said.

While Steelers fans are at the history center to marvel at the six Super Bowl trophies, they should head to the fourth floor for a new exhibit titled "Behind the Scenes with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Photographs by Mike Fabus," which features some classic shots by the longtime team photographer.

"Following everything, it's a lot of fun being with the team," Fabus said. "I've been traveling with the team since 1984 trying to get things that other people don't get."

"I'm very proud. ... (The exhibit) looks pretty good up there," he added.

The photographs on display through January run the gamut from action shots -- one of Hines Ward catching a touchdown in last year's victory over Jacksonville is his favorite in the exhibit -- to owner Dan Rooney standing amid the rubble of Three Rivers Stadium to a smiling bunch of Steelers meeting President Barack Obama at the White House.

"Mike's photographs on the fourth floor of the museum are really very special," Masich said. "They're photographs you won't see other places, stuff only the team photographer can get.

"They give you a sense of who these characters are. (The Steelers) are larger-than-life personalities, but they're people, too," he added.

For Fabus, it was a case of a hobby turning into a career.

After suffering a heart attack in 1978, Fabus took up photography during his rehab stint. He later bought a camera from then-team photographer Harry Homa. When Homa had heart troubles of his own, Fabus was hired in 1980 to assist in the darkroom.

Fabus was given the position after Homa's death in 1984.

Fabus said he and his camera were accepted immediately by the team's coaches and players.

"I made my amends with the head coaches, first Chuck Noll, then Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin," he said. "I told them that anything that's off limits, just give me the look and I won't be there."

Below: Steelers photographer Mike Fabus’ Super Bowl ring