Since 2013, Jeff Metz has asked us to share his fan story at the start of every new Steelers Camp.

Done:

First and foremost I feel honored to share this story with Steeler Nation on Ben’s website.

This is a story about a young man and his courage. Jeffrey Metz was born in San Diego, CA with cerebral palsy. My name is Mickey Metz, Jeffrey’s uncle. I’m originally from the north side of Pittsburgh, but have been living in Orlando, FL since 1985.

We have family in Mt. Pleasant, PA so I decided to invite Jeffrey to go on a road trip to Steelers training camp with me, my son, and my brother. His parents were reluctant to allow him to fly by himself to Orlando because of his physical disability, but Jeffrey won out and flew from Bakersfield, CA to our home in Orlando to start the road trip to Pennsylvania. He flew 3,000 miles and rode for 1,200 miles.

Friday, July 27, 2012, the first day of camp open for the public was the day that changed Jeffrey’s life forever.

We arrived at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA at noon. Upon arriving I sought out several staff members to see if there was any assistance (a wheelchair) for Jeffrey to get to the playing fields and unfortunately they couldn’t provide any. We weren’t sure how to get Jeffrey down the hillside from the handicap parking lot but Jeffrey knew the only chance he had to meet his favorite player, Ben Roethlisberger, was to climb down all the steps to the playing field. So even with a major fear of steps, he made it to the bottom – one slow step at a time, with crutches, to watch the players on the field.

After practice, Jeffrey climbed down the few remaining steps to the field level in hopes that Ben would notice him wearing his #7 jersey. However, Ben walked the opposite way from us to the other side of the grandstand to sign autographs. Still determined, Jeffrey climbed back up the stairs, walked to the other side and then back down the steps to the side where Ben was. Unfortunately, by this time Ben was already a distance […]

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Outside of his faith and family, Dan Rooney had a passion for two other things…his beloved Steelers and equally beloved Ireland.

When the late Chairman of the Steelers passed away last April, many wore shamrocks with the Steelers logo to honor his memory, and his love for those cherished things.

This season, Steelers’ players will do something similar.

Throughout the regular season players will sport a patch on the right side of their jerseys with Rooney’s initial’s DMR, which stands for Daniel Milton Rooney, lovingly enveloped in a black and gold shamrock to honor, remember and show love and respect for the man who was more than an owner, but family to the players.

“We wanted to have something my dad would be proud of and really called out parts of his life that were important to him,” said Steelers’ President Art Rooney II. “The shamrock is something he would be happy about.

“I know he wouldn’t want us to make too much of a fuss. I think wearing a jersey patch, he would be proud of that. It’s a great way for all of us to remember what he meant to each one of us and what he meant to the organization.”

What he meant to the players, to the ones who will wear the patch, was simply the world.

“Today we lost a great one! I wouldn’t be a Steeler if it wasn’t for Mr. Rooney! We will miss you dearly! Love you DMR!” — Ben, from his tribute to Mr. Rooney on April 13th.

“It’s going to mean so much to wear it,” said Maurkice Pouncey. “For me personally, I was really close to him. He was an excellent guy, a great person to be around. He knew everybody. He was really respected. I hope we can honor him as much as possible. It would mean a lot to all of us players and Steelers Nation.”

This isn’t the first time the team wore a patch on their jerseys in memory of an individual. It was previously done for Arthur J. Rooney Sr., ‘The Chief,’ when players wore the AJR patch in 1988 after he passed that August.

The Steelers, as well as all NFL teams, wore a patch to honor Gene Upshaw, the former Oakland Raider […]

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

In just a few days the Steelers will report to Saint Vincent College for training camp, the final preparation before the season begins.

Before they headed to Latrobe, though, many of them went back to the grassroots of football, hosting their own youth football camps in Pittsburgh and beyond, or assisting at the Steelers Youth Football Camps.

Among the individuals hosting camps this offseason were Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Mitchell, Bud Dupree, Roosevelt Nix, Javon Hargrave and Joshua Dobbs.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Roethlisberger. “You see a lot of smiles on their faces. I get to throw a pass to all of them. If I can teach one thing or supply one memory to these kids, just one, to one kid, that’s enough for me. If we can just reach one kid, then that means a lot to me.”

The Steelers held four youth football camps in the Pittsburgh area over the summer, a chance for the team to reach out to young players. The instructional camps feature current and former players, as well as area coaches, teaching the ins and outs of the game, while at the same time making sure football is fun for the kids.


You can read more here.