O’Brien’s a destination for Steelers fans

As it turns out, you don’t have to live in Pittsburgh to be surrounded by hundreds of Steelers fans for a National Football League game.

You just have to be inside the confines of O’Brien’s Irish Pub, 15435 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa.

For the past 21 years, O’Brien’s has been the official destination for Steelers fans to watch NFL games, since partnering up with the Bay Area Black and Gold Club, an organization for Steelers fans living in the area.

Founded by the late Walt Pelc in 1992, members of the Bay Area Black and Gold Club used to watch NFL games at Briedy’s Pub in Northdale up until 1994. However, the club’s membership grew so large they had to find a new location large enough to accommodate everyone.

“O’ Brien’s was a big bar right down the road, so they picked that because that had been there for years,” said Marco Fusaro, vice president of the fan club. “It’s been a Steelers bar ever since.”

Being a member of the club, which costs $10 per season, guarantees a reserved seat at O’Brien’s for Steelers games each week during the NFL season.

Having a reserved seat comes in handy, especially for playoff games, when the bar is overflowing with patrons donning black and gold gear. There are often instances where non-members are forced to vacate assigned seats if there aren’t enough tables to go before game time. In that case, non-members usually move to the bar area or the patio to watch the games.

“We have to change our seating format around quite a bit to fit as many people inside as possible,” said Joe Carey, general manager of O’Brien’s. “The seats inside are reserved for club members up until a half-hour before the game. Last Saturday night (Jan. 16), we had about 300 people here.

“We’re a pretty busy venue as it is, and I just factor that in when I do my (food) ordering. We definitely have to step up our wings for football in general, but definitely for the Steelers.”

O’Brien’s, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Jan. 22, is widely viewed as “the home away from home,” for Steelers fans that move to the area from Pennsylvania.

“Anyone that passes through town knows that we’re the Steelers bar of central Florida,” the general manager remarked. “It’s like you’re in Pittsburgh.”

During a game, the atmosphere at O’Brien’s is often described as “insane,” with patrons donning their Steelers’ jerseys and waving their Terrible Towels as every television inside the pub is tuned in to the Steelers game.

“There’s always wall-to-wall people inside and outside,” said Fusaro, who noted the Bay Area Black and Gold Club has more than 170 members this season. “Everybody cheering and screaming…we have different signs we hold up for players and everybody has all kinds of stuff.”

Pittsburgh native Tom Cupler, who’s been a member of the fan club since 2004, says he’s been at O’Brien’s for every Steelers game since finding the pub.

“It’s just incredible,” Cupler said about the pub’s game day experience. “Everybody moves up and down with the way the game’s going; you know, you’re upset with a bad play, then you’re excited with a good play, and you’re high-fiving and jumping.

“They do such a good job with the club. It’s just amazing the job they do,” he said.

In 2009, Cupler could’ve gotten tickets to Superbowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium, where the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. Instead, he opted to forgo the stadium experience, so he could watch the game with fellow Bay Area Black and Gold Club members at O’Brien’s.

Lori Duke, a friend of Cupler, watched the Super Bowl XLIII victory at O’Brien’s, noting it was one of the best nights of her life.

“At the end of the game…we literally hugged people and screamed for 35 minutes,” Duke reminisced. “All they had to do was have a Steelers jersey on.”

Melinda James and her son, Ray, prefer watching Steelers games at O’Brien’s compared to other area sports bars, where seemingly everyone else is rooting for different NFL teams.

“It’s like a bond, and then we feel like we belong here,” Melinda James said, who joined the Bay Area Black and Gold Club this season. “Here, everyone is wearing the same colors and everyone is cheering at the same time. We’ve met a lot of nice people here.”

Besides the intense atmosphere during games, being a part of the Bay Area Black and Gold Club at O’Brien’s makes the pub have a family-like environment.

Ryan Roberts, an O’Brien’s employee and Steelers fan, said he gets “dual-enjoyment” from working at the pub and from watching Steelers games with fellow fans.

“I enjoy working here,” said Roberts, who works as a bar-back. “It’s one of the most family oriented places where everybody knows each other,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun and we have a lot of fun.”

It’s where Jeremy Frazier, an Ohio native who previously followed the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, officially became a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

“It’s really like family oriented, but you can still come here and have a good time, and crack up with the guys, and at the same time we’ve all got respect for each other,” said Frazier, who actually signed a makeshift certificate transferring his fandom. “Everybody comes and has a good time. It makes you want to be a Steelers fan.”

While O’Brien’s patrons and members of the Bay Area Black and Gold Club were noticeably dejected after the Steelers 23-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, many were glad the Steelers were able to reach the playoffs, despite the wrath of injuries the team faced this season.

“I think everybody was just really hopeful,” Roberts said about the team chances in the playoffs. “They just kept overcoming.”

Published January 20, 2016