TMI Thursday: My Argument With a Pittsburgh Steeler

I am a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and I am about to reveal a story that I've never shared with anyone. Only the people who were there know this story, and I doubt that anyone remembers. In the early 1980s, I attended some type of event at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. I have no idea whether it was the Three Rivers Arts Festival, some type of children's festival or just my dad taking me down to see the fountain. I don't even remember if my mom or brother were there.

Anyway, I'm not sure if Ron Johnson, a Steelers starting defensive back at the time, was there as part of a program (like "Meet Pittsburgh Steeler Ron Johnson") or if he was just hanging out in the park, but a crowd gathered around him. As a child aged somewhere between 5 and 8 (again, I have no idea when this took place), I was small and cute enough to sneak to the front. The following conversation took place when I got there:

Me: Who are you?
Ron Johnson (or someone next to him): I'm Ron Johnson (or this is Ron Johnson) of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Me: Who?
Ron Johnson: Ron Johnson of the Steelers.
Me: You don't play for the Steelers.
Ron Johnson: Yes, I do. I'm the starting cornerback (or possibly safety).
Me: No you aren't.



This continued for several minutes with the people around us trying to convince me that Ron Johnson did indeed play for the Steelers. I knew Dwayne Woodruff (for some reason, my brother and I called him Woodel-Woodel), Donnie Shell, Mel Blount, but I was convinced that Ron Johnson was not on the team. Finally, my dad must have reached me and told me that, yes, the guy I was talking to, Ron Johnson, was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't think that Ron Johnson was happy being challenged by a kid. Naturally, I noticed Ron Johnson every time his name was mentioned in a game during the rest of the season.

So Ron, if you happen to read this, I apologize for not believing that you were a Steeler, and I hope that you're doing okay.


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