The City of Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation have been abuzz since the NFL and VisitPITTSBURGH announced on Wednesday that the 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh.
And on Thursday, key players who helped to bring the Draft to Pittsburgh gathered for a press conference at Acrisure Stadium.
Steelers President Art Rooney II was joined by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and VisitPITTSBURGH President & CEO Jerad Bachar to talk about the exciting time ahead.
"We are excited about hosting the Draft for a lot of reasons," said Rooney. "Number one, we think that Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania really are where the roots of pro football began, even before there was an NFL. There was a team called the Allegheny Athletics that played here on the North Side, what was then the City of Allegheny. And they started paying their players. But that was one of the first teams that began paying their players. There was another team up in Latrobe that started paying players. As far as history knows, those were the first professional football players in the country. From there, obviously football grew, all the mill towns up and down the rivers had their teams. They called them semi-pro teams because some guys got paid and some guys didn't. It's going to be great to celebrate the early days of pro football.
"Over time football grew to be an important sport that was played at our high schools and colleges around here, which resulted in many great players eventually moving into the NFL. So, we're excited to be able to celebrate the history of Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana. It's a long list, and it's going to be a lot of fun to talk about those guys as well.
"As far as the Steelers are concerned, we're proud of our Draft history. We've had a great history in the Draft, and the 1974 Draft, which we celebrated the 50 year anniversary a few weeks ago produced five Hall of Famers. Probably will never happen again. Probably the greatest Draft in NFL history.
"A lot of great themes to talk about as far as Pittsburgh hosting the Draft. We couldn't be more excited. So now the hard work begins to get ready to host this many people and have 50 million or so people watch us on TV. It's going to be fun. It's going to be great. I'm really excited to be joined today by some of the people that have helped make it happen and are going to help make sure it happens the right way."
While the exact date of the 2026 NFL Draft hasn't been announced yet, events will take place outside of Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore and in the downtown area of Pittsburgh, bringing Steelers fans and NFL fans from all over the country into the region.
"It is indeed a great day for Pittsburgh," said Governor Shapiro. "It's a great day for professional football. And it is a great day for this iconic organization. And let me begin just by saying thank you to your owner, a great Pittsburgh citizen, someone who never forgets where he comes from and someone who leads this iconic franchise. And that is the great Art Rooney. Thank you very much for your leadership. We are incredibly thankful to you and thankful to this organization. Let me tell you, Pittsburgh was the absolute best choice to host the NFL Draft. From Point State Park to Acrisure Stadium to the North Shore, we have got it all."
More to come on steelers.com this afternoon.
