Towels for Troops: Celebrating the Pittsburgh Steelers Trip to the Super Bowl

To celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers seventh trip to the Super Bowl in Tampa on Feb. 1, Pittsburgh-based FedEx Ground and the Pittsburgh Steelers have launched the Towels for Troops campaign. FedEx will be shipping thousands of Terrible Towels® to Steelers fans who are serving in the military overseas. The final delivery will be done by FedEx Express. Short of sending them to the Super Bowl, we can’t think of a better way to bring a little bit of Pittsburgh Steelers fever to our hardworking troops.

No matter if the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing at Heinz Field, or to the dismay of opposing teams, at any stadium throughout the country, Steelers fans can be seen proudly waving the Terrible Towel as they root on the Steelers. On the Steelers' official web site it states that "the TOWEL is a positive force that lifts the Steelers to magnificent heights--and poses mysterious difficulties for the Steelers' opponents only if need be."

We’re working with Military Connections (), a non-profit organization that provides military troops with support, supplies and a connection to the United States while deployed. They are helping us to identify troops in Germany, Afghanistan and Iraq who are part of Steelers Nation. No, Steelers Nation is not a country, but the huge contingency of Pittsburgh Steelers fans who are spread out across the globe.

While football fans may recognize the famous Terrible Towel, I’m sure a lot of them do not know the history. In 1975, the Terrible Towel was created by the late Steelers broadcaster and icon, Myron Cope, to inspire fan involvement in a playoff game against the then-Baltimore Colts. For the past 12 years, the proceeds of the Terrible Towel have benefited the Allegheny Valley School where Cope’s autistic son has received treatment. The school, which serves children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has received more than $2.5 million from the sale of the Terrible Towel and related products.

Launched before the Steelers last Super Bowl win in 2006, we hope that the Towels for Troops campaign will be a long standing tradition