Steelers' fans are die-hard.

USMC Major Chris Raible listened to updates from the Steelers playoff victory over the Colts while patrolling the skies over Iraq on Sunday in his Harrier jump jet. Maj. Raible is a native of Irwin and a 1995 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.



From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

For die-hard Steelers fans, Jerome Bettis' fumble as he tried to score from the 2-yard line was a heart-pounding moment in Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts.

For Terry O'Neill, of Rinne Street in Arlington, it was a heart-stopping moment - literally.

As he watched the game on TV at a South Side tavern, his heart stopped seconds after the crucial play in the final moments of Sunday's divisional playoff game.

"Jerome is my hero," O'Neill, 50, said Monday from his bed at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Oakland, where he was in stable condition.

"I wasn't upset that the Steelers might lose," he said. "I was upset because I didn't want to see him end his career like that. A guy like that deserves better. I guess it was a little too much for me to handle."

Amen to that, Brother.

O'Neill credits two city firefighters who also were watching the game at Chupka's I at 27th and Jane streets for saving his life.

"If it wasn't for Tommy Herbster and Dave Grady, I probably wouldn't be alive today," said O'Neill, an engineer with Local 95 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. "I'm very thankful that they were there."

Grady, of Carrick, who works as an instructor at the fire academy, said he and Herbster, a firefighter at Engine Company 22 in Arlington, began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation after seeing O'Neill on the floor of the tavern.

"He was out," said Grady. "We called 911 and started working on him until help arrived a few minutes later, and they were able to use a defibrillator to get his heart started again."

O'Neill, a former weight lifter, said he did not believe he was seriously at risk of a heart attack, but doctors at Presby diagnosed him with hypertension, or high-blood pressure, which runs in his family, and an erratic heart beat.

When asked yesterday how he was feeling, O'Neill said: "The Steelers won the game and I'm still alive, so I guess I'm doing pretty good."

O'Neill said doctors who are treating him have prescribed medication to deal with the hypertension, and he is scheduled to undergo a procedure this week to have a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat.

Even though O'Neill likely will be out of the hospital before Sunday's AFC championship game against the Denver Broncos, he plans to take in the game in more relaxed environs.

"If I can, I'd like to go down to Chupka's to thank the guys who helped me, but for the most part I guess I should probably take it easy and watch the game at home."

Amen to that too.

Update from ESPN.com:

He's Doing Fine Now...
Moments after Jerome Bettis fumbled near the end of Sunday's game, Steelers fan Terry O'Neill had a heart attack and was hospitalized. On the Dan Patrick Show, Bettis told O'Neill he won't fumble this week.
Listen here: Jerome Bettis and Terry O'Neill


BONUS Steelers Update:

NFL: Ref botched Polamalu call
Steelers emotions take roller-coaster ride
The final five minutes of the Steelers' 21-18 divisional playoff victory over the Colts on Sunday might have been the most riveting in NFL history.
Rookie corner grows up quickly
Notebook: Bettis' fumble troubles come in playoffs
Denver tickets sell out quickly
Ind. mayor loses bet, gets invite to Steelers camp
Prisuta: Mistaken identity