On Saturday, September 9, numerous black buses and SUVs arrived at Titan Stadium with a police escort. However, the scene resembling something out of an action movie was not as it seemed. In those buses and SUVs were players from one of the best teams in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers had a problem. They needed to find a venue for one final practice before their week one game against the Pittsburgh Steelers the following day. They did not like the field they originally planned to use which which left them looking to find a more suitable location to practice. They called Shaler Area Athletic Director Mr. Clint Rauscher, who was more than happy to help.
“It was very last minute. They were scheduled to go to Central [Catholic] High School. They saw the facility and said it wasn’t private enough,” Mr. Rauscher said. “They called Thursday afternoon [the 7th] and came out Friday afternoon [the 8th]. It was kind of a whirlwind thing and they were really pleased. When they come back again, they’ll call us first.”
Hosting the 49ers was great, but there were a couple of problems that came from having to host an NFL team. First, the field and facilities had to be cleaned and prepared for their use because the Shaler Area football team played at Titan Stadium the night before, giving the custodial staff and the police officers around 14 hours to prepare for the 49ers.
Additionally, there were a couple of minor scheduling conflicts. The JV football team was returning from their Saturday morning game and were met with quite a surprise about 15 minutes away from the middle school.
“We were told that we weren’t going to be allowed to go in the locker room right away because the 49ers were coming to practice at our stadium. I instantly thought that was going to be really cool because we’d be able to see them,” junior football player Mark Povich said. “They were unloading when we got there, and I saw Deebo Samuel and George Kittle getting off the bus. The team was all running to the front of the bus, pulling out their phones, and hitting record. It was such a cool experience seeing players we all knew.”
On top of the JV football team returning, the boys volleyball team was hosting a car wash at the middle school and got a great view of the 49ers pulling into the parking lot.
“Whenever you hear all these sirens and county sheriffs coming in with six tour buses and a couple of blacked out window SUVs, you begin to wonder what is going on here. So, we walked up towards the field and looked,” boys volleyball head coach Mr. Paul Stadelman said. “The county sheriff was pretty tight lipped, but we figured that after a little watching that it was the 49ers getting off the bus. We were hoping that they were going to stop at the car wash, but I think they were on a pretty tight schedule.”
The JV football team and the boys volleyball team were grateful to happen to be in the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of a professional football team. Logistically speaking, it made sense that a team like the 49ers would want to use Titan Stadium. The stadium has great privacy, yet it is easily accessible from downtown Pittsburgh.
“I thought it was really neat that they picked our stadium for the privacy that it offers. There isn’t really anything higher than it nearby, you can’t see the field from the street, and there’s nothing on the other side of it with the cliff that goes down to Butler Plank,” Mr. Stadelman said.
The stadium’s proximity to the city and its seclusion were a perfect match for 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch, who were so impressed with their visit that they recommended it to another NFL team that will be visiting Pittsburgh later in the season.
“I’m sure the rumors will get out there at some point, but Monday (after the Steelers 49ers game) another NFL team called us and said that they heard the 49ers really enjoyed their experience here and they’d like to consider using our stadium for a walk through the day before their game,” Shaler Area School District Superintendent Dr. Sean Aiken said.
Dr. Aiken was proud that Shaler Area was able to work with the 49ers and help them out.
“It was a great experience and they really appreciated it,” Dr. Aiken said.
