PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Whatever happens at the NFL Draft stage, one of the best moments of the day happened Thursday afternoon at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside.
As part of the NFL Crucial Catch intercepting cancer program, Steelers and former Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis and Steelers Hall of Famer Lynn Swann visited some patients and gave out blankets.
It was on the way to give one of those blankets that a gray-haired man in a wheelchair was waiting in a lobby area. Swann went over and said hi to him and exchanged a few pleasantries. As the four-time Super Bowl champ walked away, the man was told it was Swann. He announced so Swann could hear it, that he had some of the best hands in the game.
Swann paused and came back over to the man and took one of his Super Bowl rings out of his pocket and told him to wear it to his appointment. The patient was stunned. He wasn’t sure if it was real or not, but Swann walked away, leaving the ring with the man and headed to a room to hand out a blanket with Adomitis.
Both Swann and Adomitis spent time in each of the rooms they visited not only answering questions, but initiating conversations. They were gracious with their time and only left each room so they could attempt to see as many patients as they could.
In leaving the last room on the fourth floor, they headed into another common area and ran into the patient Swann gave his ring to. He was waiting for Swann return it. That’s when the Steelers Super Bowl X MVP took the other three Super Bowl rings and his Hall of Fame ring out of his pocket and gave them to the man to try on.
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“They are my rings, but they belong to the fans and the people there,” Swann told 93.7 The Fan. “Having an opportunity to be able to share that experience, that moment with someone, makes it worthwhile to have them.”
The California native and USC star said he learned quickly playing with the Steelers how important the sports teams were here. Yes, the Steelers, but also the Pirates and Penguins.
“The Steelers have always engrained to the players in Pittsburgh to be a part of the greater community,” Swann said crediting the late team founder Art Rooney. “People in the city supported this team when they weren’t winning at all. They kept them going until the got to the point where they were able to stand on their own feet.”
“Its all because of the support of the people of Pittsburgh, always being behind their team. Traveling to away games, way before we started winning Super Bowls, to see the team play.”
As the patient was wheeled out of the area following wearing the rings at the cancer center, he said it was one of his greatest days. There is obviously nothing great about what he is dealing with, but for a few short minutes, a Hall of Famer made it all a little better.
