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Seahawks New Owner Makes Surprising Steelers Admission

The Seattle Seahawks' new owner disclosed his long-standing fandom of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jul 29, 2026; Latrobe, PA, USA; A general view of a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2026; Latrobe, PA, USA; A general view of a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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The Seattle Seahawks' new owner has admitted to being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

A group led by Vinod Khosla, who previously was a San Francisco 49ers limited partner, bought the Seahawks for $9.612 billion. That sale was approved unanimously by other NFL owners on August 27 after an agreement with the Paul G. Allen estate was reached in July.

When Khosla spoke at a press conference following the approval, he revealed that he has been a Steelers fan ever since coming to the United State from India in 1976 due to the fact that the franchise was coming off of a pair of Super Bowl wins in 1974 and 1975.

Khosla added that he still tunes in to Pittsburgh's games as well.

"I also happened to come to this country in '76 when the Steelers were winning Super Bowls, so actually I was originally, and still am, a big Steelers fan also," Khosla said. "Little-known fact, but I still watch all the Steelers games too."

Steelers' Steel Curtain Dynasty

Khosla certainly isn't alone in terms of becoming a Steelers fan when they were in the midst of their dynasty run back in the mid-to-late 1970s.

The defining trait of those squads was their imposing defense, which was aptly nicknamed the Steel Curtain. From the defensive line group of "Mean" Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes to linebackers Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Andy Russell as well as cornerback Mel Blount and safeties Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner, among others, there was no shortage of legends and future Hall of Famers on those units.

With Terry Bradshaw at quarterback, Franco Harris at fullback, Mike Webster at center and John Stallworth and Lynn Swann at wide receiver, those Pittsburgh teams had an embarrasment of riches on the offensive side of the ball.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle (68) LC Greenwood
Sep 26, 1976; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle (68) LC Greenwood in action against the New England Patriots at Three Rivers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When it was all said and done, the Steelers took home Lombardi Trophies in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979 all while being led by long-time head coach and future Hall of Famer Chuck Noll.

Pittsburgh had to wait 26 seasons for its next Super Bowl title after that run, which came in 2005. Regardless, those Steel Curtain teams helped bring in a ton of new fans and put the franchise firmly on the map as one of the sport's premier and most recognizable organizations, with that reputation still being sustained to this day.

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Jack Markowski
JACK MARKOWSKI

Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.