Weezer’s Rivers Coumo Dreamed of Playing for the Steelers
With his horn-rimmed glasses and slight build, Weezer’s Rivers Coumo looks a lot more comfortable behind a mic stand than on the gridiron, but believe it or not, the ultra-talented musician grew up wanting to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his favorite NFL team.
“I was a big fan of the Steelers back when they had that amazing run at the end of the 70’s, early 80’s,” said Coumo to Audacy at the NFL Draft. “I had every intention of joining the Steelers. Then by the time I got to high school though, I realized I wasn’t going to cut it physically. I was going to turn out to be very small. It took me a year or two and then I finally figured out I can be a rock star and still hear the cheer of the crowd and get some of the same thrills. It turned out for the best.”
Coumo joins many celebrities, from Snoop Dogg to the Sal Vulcano of the Impractical Jokers, as celebrities not from Pittsburgh that root for the black and gold
During the 1970s the Steelers were the most successful franchise in the NFL as they won four Super Bowls in six seasons from 1975-80. During that stretch they won back-to-back Super Bowls twice from 1975-76 and 1979-80, an incredible feat even today. Including the Steelers only seven teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls in NFL history (New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers) but the Steelers are the only organization to accomplish that feat twice.
The success of the team in the 1970s is a big reason as to why there are legions of Steelers fans across the country including celebrities, as pointed out by Snoop Dogg when he was on the NFL’s Manningcast back in January of this year.
“Watching the Steelers and the Raiders and the Cowboys and the teams from the 70s, I fell in love with they great defense, the way they moved the ball, just the way they played football,” said Snoop Dogg.
Even Vulcano admitted to the success of the team in the 1970s as to why he is a fan. Although Vulcano was born in New York in 1976 and therefore likely remembers more New York Giants’ Super Bowl wins than Steelers’ Super Bowl wins, he still claims to have been a die hard fan of the Steelers since he was a kid. His show even references Pittsburgh on several occasions including one joke were he even referenced a crowd from Pittsburgh as the best they’ve ever had.
@steelers Born in 76. Fan since I'm a kid. I'm freaking out right now. #STEELERSNATION I'd wear all 6 of my jerseys on the show if u let me!
— Sal Vulcano (@SalVulcano) March 9, 2015
It’s unknown if Vulcano or Snoop Dogg would’ve preferred playing for the Steelers instead of their current careers like Coumo did in high school, nor if they even considered a career in professional football. That being said, in the universe in which Coumo did become a member of the Steelers, it’d be interesting to see the debate that his musical talents would cause in the locker room between Cam Heyward and Chase Claypool.
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