by Larry Snyder
Indianapolis, IN – Two of the Steel City’s Black and Gold squads are in action at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, December 16, at 4:30 p.m. as the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-0) face off against the host Colts (7-6-0). The matchup will be on the NFL Network and heard on the Steelers Radio Network on WDVE 102.5 FM and WBGG 970 AM.
During halftime, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds of the American Ultimate Disc League participate in an exhibition showcase against Central Division rivals, the Indianapolis AlleyCats, to help grow the ultimate disc game. The last time this duo met in competition was the final regular season match on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at Highmark Stadium. The AlleyCats squeaked by with a 21-20 win over the T-Birds.
Looking Back On The AUDL YouTube Channel: Indianapolis AlleyCats At Pittsburgh Thunderbirds – Full Game Highlights: July 22, 2023…
I asked Thunderbirds general manager Andrew Gardner, “Is this the first time for the Thunderbirds to participate in this kind of event to help shine the light on Ultimate Disc?” He responded,
“This will mark the first time the Thunderbirds have participated in an NFL Half-Time show, though we did get the opportunity to play in front of 6,000 “Steel Army” fans at a Pittsburgh Riverhounds half-time at Highmark Stadium last season, which was amazing. Now we get to basically play in front of a 12-fold crowd size, which is incredibly exciting. We’ve always wanted to play at Acrisure Stadium in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers home crowd, but to get the chance to play in the same stadium as our in-city sports friends will be great too.”
My follow-up to Andrew was, “How did this contest come about? When did the AlleyCats approach you about this exciting get-together?” Gardner told me,
“Credit for this happening goes to the Indianapolis AlleyCats ownership team, Derek Tow and Tim Held, as well as their captain and star player Travis Carpenter. Travis came to us with the idea of playing us since the Steelers would be there. In fact – we had the opportunity to play another NFL Half-Time showcase around New Year’s Eve with another AUDL team, but the logistics surrounding it due to the timing on the calendar made this opportunity more feasible.”
He continued,
“There’s been several teams in the AUDL that have had this opportunity, and “non-AUDL” fans at these NFL Stadiums usually have incredibly positive things to say about them. When the Madison Radicals played at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay radio hosts called the half-time show “One of the Best Ever”
You can see that article and reference here
Next, I checked in with Pittsburgh head coach Max Barowski to see, “How do you feel about expanding the ultimate game this way?” He replied,
“The AUDL has been fortunate these past few years to have put on multiple halftime exhibition games for NFL audiences, and they always seem to be well received. Getting the game out in front of a large sports audience like the NFL has can only help, in my opinion, and is a great opportunity for people to see Ultimate in person for likely the first ever time! I’m hopeful that we can do a hometown halftime game at some point in the future.”
Steve Mogielski said on his FB page, “One final Pittsburgh Thunderbirds go around. I realize my dream of playing on an NFL field is coming true. Excited to take the field with the boys again.” Mogielski is an original T-bird, playing for the Black and Gold in their inaugural season, 2015, to this Sunday. He is moving west in 2024.
My inquiry to Barowski was, “Will most of the 2023 regular season T-Birds make the trip this week?”
Barowski acknowledged,
“Steve moved to Seattle at the end of this past summer, and a lot of us were fortunate enough to be able to make it out to Arizona for his wedding this fall. We already miss him! We have a group of just over 10 guys making the trip this weekend with a mix of our top roster and younger players going. I’m sure it will be a good time for those involved.”
Reviewing one more time from the AUDL YouTube Channel And Thunderbirds Facebook Page – Steve ‘The Corn Fed Mule’ Mogielski…
Game Day Info: Thunderbirds Twitter @PGHThunderbirds – Facebook at pghthunderbirds – Instagram at pghthunderbirds
Thunderbirds Roster
Ryan Kindell
Chris Graber
Steve Mogielski
Pete Zaccardi
Drew Thompson
Max Sheppard
Thomas Hansen
Connor Newell
Logan Call
Connor Tipping
Michael Dillard
Kevin Nicholl
Jimmy Towle
Robin Malliard
Thunderbirds Notebook: Barowski is looking forward to 2024. He commented,
“Tryouts are coming up in January, and we will be looking to continue building with the hopes of getting back into the playoff hunt this season.”
There is a ten-dollar discount if you register by Friday, December 15, 2023. Registration information is online at https://shop.pghthunderbirds.com/
