Photography by Duane Reider
Pittsburgh Steeler Brett Keisel revels in his family — which not only includes his wife and kids, but his teammates whom he thinks of as brothers.
The sun beats down with furious intensity on the two playing fields at St. Vincent College. On one field, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, clad in black mesh shorts and white practice jerseys, are running plays. On the other, the defense, sporting the same black shorts, and gold practice jerseys, are slamming into sleds. Defensive end Brett Keisel, sweat pouring off of his face, walks over with fellow defensive end Aaron Smith and nose tackle Casey Hampton. “Can I get my picture taken with these guys?” he asks, wiping sweat from his brow.
He is larger in real life than he looks on the field — he towers at 6’5” and weighs in at a solid 285. Despite the intense heat and humidity — and thunder storms that would pummel the campus, almost flooding the fields during the second full week of camp — the team is thrilled to be back together. The NFL Lockout ended the Tuesday prior to our shoot, bringing to a close four months of negotiations and zero contact between the team and the coaching staff. This meant no OTAs (organized team activities), no entrance to any team facilities, no health insurance, and no free agency for any of the players.
The team reported to training camp 48 hours later. “The best thing about training camp, honestly, especially this year, is being able to be around your brothers again,” Keisel says. “Seriously, this team is so close.”
Because of the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) rules, Keisel hadn’t even gotten to meet his new family members until a few days in to training camp — leaving a little more than a month from the time that the entire team practiced together until the first regular season game on September 11, against the Baltimore Ravens at their M&T Bank Stadium. “It is going to be tough on the new guys,” Keisel says. “We are lucky, because we are a veteran team, so a lot of us can run the defense in our sleep. These young guys have a tough hill to climb, because we usually have OTAs, and they have a chance to learn the defense, so that when they come to training camp, we can run it full speed. But, the strong ones will push through, and the weak ones will perish.”
Born September 19, 1978, in Provo, Utah, Keisel was brought up with strong family ties. The famous Beard actually made its debut during a hunting trip with his father, Lane. Brett attended Brigham Young University, transferred to Snow College, and then back to BYU, where he finished his college career as a defensive end for the Cougars. Along with his wife, Sarah, he’s passing his close-knit family values onto his own children — eight-month-old daughter Grace, and 3-year-old son Jacob. In fact, family time was one of the bright sides to the lockout.
“I had a lot of chances to spend time with my family — usually I wouldn’t have had that time, if we were in OTAs and other things. We spent the summer cruising around the Ohio River, and really just having a lot of family time,” he says.
The Keisels are very involved with local charities, most notably Homeless Children’s Education Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
In addition, teammate Heath Miller hosts the Glimmer of Hope Foundation’s Bid for Hope, which raises funds for breast cancer research — and the Keisels have participated and attended Bid for Hope every year for the 10 years that it has taken place, despite its timing in the middle of football season. “Sarah had an aunt that passed away from breast cancer, so it has always been high on our priority list to do as much as we can for them.”
“There are a lot of very generous athletes in Pittsburgh, and we are really blessed to have athletes to really embrace causes — and the Keisels put themselves out there with it. It really does a great deal of good in the community, and I appreciate their support,” says Dianna Napper, executive director for Glimmer of Hope Foundation.
“Anything that we can do helps,” Keisel says.
Anything, including shaving his insanely huge beard in front of a paying audience at Diesel Club Lounge last year, after returning to the city from the Super Bowl. Steelers president Art Rooney II made the first cut, and the proceeds from the event were donated to cancer programs at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. “Some of my teammates were like, ‘Dude, you look like a hobo, shave that thing, it looks nasty.’ But in the end, it became beautiful. When I shaved it off, I actually missed it, so it’s great to have it coming back again,” he says.
But isn’t it a bit too hot to have a beard right now, in the middle of the summer at Training Camp? “You would think it would be hot, but it actually acts as a cooling agent. Cool air gets trapped inside of it and keeps my face nice and The Beard took on a life of its own last year, spawning its own Facebook page. And now, its own line of swag — Da Beard Gear. “Last year we did T-shirts at the end of the year, and they were a lot of fun. A couple of friends and I got together and created a logo for the new gear. We have gotten some emails about getting some items for the ladies, so we are working on that. I’m just trying to give beard love to the fans,” Keisel says.
Back at Training Camp, players and coaches alike are getting back into the swing of things, and gearing up for this season. Luckily, the Steelers are in the same position as every other team in the NFL. “I personally expected it to go to the 11th hour, like any negotiation does in the NFL,” Keisel says. “But it got figured out and we are back to work. I think that everyone is excited — including us and the fans.”
In light of last year’s Super Bowl loss, No. 99 has high expectations for this season. “I expect us to be really good, he says. “We are all getting older, so there’s no better time than now to get back into the big dance — and we will do that.”
After that big dance, and after Keisel’s NFL career is done, he plans on remaining here. “I love being a Pittsburgh Steeler. I love Pittsburgh. This is home to us now. We will probably raise our family here when I am done with this game. It has been a blessing to be a part of this now for 10 years, and it went by so fast,” he says. “But, we have two Super Bowl rings, and we have been to three, so we have a lot to be proud of.”
A lot, indeed.
Brett Keisel, brettkeisel.com.
Da Beard Gear, dabeard.com.
