Jane Hercules is an Instructor of Communications at Georgia
Perimeter College Newton Campus. After taking her class there is one thing for
sure that you will know about her. She is a huge football fan. You would never
expect such a die-hard fan to be hidden inside the sweet and funny professor.
On the outside, she looks like your typical professor, but on the inside her
veins run , “black and yellow,” with the colors of her favorite team, the
Pittsburg Steelers. She is a fan through and through.
“Oh yeah,
she’s a fan alright, she’s even got their banner on her office wall,” stated
Leila Lawlor, Instructor of Business and coworker of Hercules. Lawlor was
completely serious about the banner but that was an understatement. In
Hercules’s office she has her, “bad call brick,” as well as her “terrible
towel.” The love she has for the Steelers is evident; she even had a Steelers
hand sanitizer bottle.
According
to Reuters.com, the Pittsburg Steelers were founded in 1933 by Art Rooney. One
player, known for his long curly hair, Troy Polamalu plays strong safety for
the team and had this to say of Steelers fans, "If anyone knows Pittsburg
and their fans, they know they're the biggest fans of any sport, I believe, and
more supportive of their sport than anybody." They have won a record six
Super Bowls, the last, Super Bowl XLII was February 1, 2009. Hercules told me
that is another reason she loves them and proudly stated, “What other team has
done that?” Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Steelers since 2007 stated, “I like
to think we are a group on the rise, one that's gelling and coming together,
and solidifying a personality." She has been a fan of the Steelers since a
child.
She also grew up in Western
Pennsylvania in a suburb of Pittsburg. Hercules stated when asked when she
began liking the Steelers, “When you’re from Western Pennsylvania you basically
have to sign a contract in blood.” This professor who has been surrounded by
football her entire life, lives and breathes the game.
Ryan Bolson
who is a past student of Hercules and aspiring sports journalist experienced
her passion first hand. “She has a good connection to the Pittsburgh Steelers
and knows enough about them to say she is a fan. She keeps up with and watches
the games, and has a good deal of apparel for the Steelers that I've seen.”
Ryan said of his former professor. Ryan has been a sports fan since he can
remember and loves having Hercules to banter back and forth with about who
backs the better team.
Hercules’s father and uncles were football coaches. She grew up in
stadiums watching games, and believes that because there was a personal
connection with the game that, naturally she was drawn to it. “Its action
packed, fast-paced, and hard-hitting.” She just has a true passion for the game
like I’ve never seen in anyone before.
Bolson
stated when asked what makes a football fan,” It is the commitment to not
only watch a game or games, but to keep up with certain things around the
league, such as the divisions and injuries of players, things like that. To sum
it up, you got to know the sport good enough to know what's going on.”
Since Hercules has been defined
as an extreme fan of not only the Steelers, but of football itself, I thought
it wise to ask her what I thought was the easiest question yet. “How many
Steelers games have you been to?” The question was a little saddening to her
and what came out of her mouth was by far the most shocking answer to any of
the questions of the day. “Believe it or not, I have actually never been to a
Steelers game.” Hercules then continued to say that she did have tickets to a
game about 21 years ago, but because the seats were really high up, and she was
extremely pregnant she decided it was best to not go. Two days before
that very game, she went into labor.
Hercules
has an extreme passion for her Pittsburg Steelers even though she has never
made it to a game. Football runs deep in her veins and she has a true love for
the game. Her sons also play football and she believes that football will be a
tradition passed on throughout her family, because so far it has been an
important aspect of life.
“I love the athletic aspect of
the game, the players’ abilities and just watching the competition on the
field,” said Hercules. When I asked her if she had anything to add, she
jokingly stated, “Yeah, I think you should begin to watch some football,
and you gotta love the Pittsburg Steelers.”
[Places
that may want to publish this piece:]
The Pittsburg City Newspaper
650 Smithfield Street, Suite 2200
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Editor: Charlie Deitch
Phone: 412.316.3342
Sports Illustrated/ Time Inc.
1271 6th Avenue,
New York, NY 10020
New York, NY 10020
Editor: John Huey
Phone: (212) 522-1212
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