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Student Interns with Steelers
Keeping the
Steelers on the Field
From practice
to game day, this SF grad helps treat the city’s favorite
athletes
By Tim McNellie
 For
South Fayette graduate Brandon Mazza (Class of 2004), the end of
the school day at Duquesne University means it’s time to head
over to the South Side, specifically to the training facility
for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since May, Mazza
has been a physical therapy intern with the Steelers, preparing
players for games and practice. His mission is to help keep the
squad healthy during the grind that is life in the NFL. “They
definitely take their lumps,” says
Mazza, who played football for South Fayette. “A lot of
injuries don’t hit the news. They’re just everyday things
that they deal with — simple foot or hand problems, nagging
injuries, or colds, flus, and other viral and bacterial
infections.”
Each year, the
Steelers select two local college students to intern with its
physical therapy team, one from Pitt and the other from
Duquesne. After an extensive application process, Mazza was
chosen as this year’s representative from Duquesne.
Starting with
mini-camp in May, Mazza will continue his internship until the
end of the season. He works with the Steelers 30 hours a week,
prepping players for practice — taping, wrapping, bandaging,
and helping injured players through rehab.
Though the prospect
of working with the city’s biggest celebrities might leave
some star struck, Mazza says that wasn’t an issue for him,
especially in a sport where players are clad head-to-toe in
safety equipment and therefore barely recognizable. “My first
day there, someone told me to go grab [linebacker] Clark Haggans
for treatment,” he says. “I started looking around and
realized Clark Haggans looks like.
“When you work
with them, it’s not like there’s this high status thing.
They’re just a bunch of regular guys who happen to play
football for a living.”
On game days Mazza
is on the Steelers’ sideline, working with the trainers to
keep the players on the field. Oddly, he says, game days are the
most relaxed day of the week for the trainers. “During the
week the players can go through some pretty intense rehab
exercises, but on game day, they’re all in a good mood,” he
says. “That’s their pay-off day.”
After he graduates
from Duquesne this spring, Mazza will most likely head to grad
school. He’s considering pursuing several professional paths,
from athletic training to corporate orthopedic work. Regardless
of which path he takes, the Steeler experience will be an
invaluable addition to his resume.
“Our job is to be
here all day for just 50 guys, and we get to work with the most
up-to-date equipment available, things I wouldn’t see in high
schools or other settings with more limited funds.
“And besides,
there’s no feeling like being in the stadium on game day.”
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Game
Night Traditions
