In January of 1995, during the Steelers eventual loss to San Diego in the AFC Championship, Chris Rummel approached me about moving to another bar to watch the Steelers' games. Babe's, now closed, was a Steelers bar in Richardson, Texas; I had just started attending during the 94' season. For the first game of the following pre-season I met Chris and his brother at Slider & Blues in Plano, also closed. We were offered a small back room that would seat approximately 40 people. By the middle of the 95' season we filled half of the entire bar. By the time the playoffs rolled around it was standing room only. For the next several years we aligned ourselves with the Black & Gold Brigade and Slider & Blues.

At the beginning of the 2000 season Kathy Sanders came up with an idea for a t-shirt she wanted made. The design was a large state of Texas with the Hypocycloids place where D/FW would be. The phrase "Southern Steel" was incorporated into the design and so began the leap toward a new fan club.

Two years later, a group of fans decided it was time to relocate to a new bar. During the off season, the new fan club found a new home at Austin Avenue in Plano and embarked on a real beginning as an organization.

The fan club maintains it's home in the pool hall section of Austin Avenue. Many fans have come and gone over the years, but we continue to have a strong following. During most televised games we have 75 to 200 fans with an increase to well over 300 for non-televised games. Then there's the playoffs, boasting between 600-700 strong; Steel Strong that is!.

Southern Steel Fan Club of North Texas