Steelers Keisel Shear Da Beard Recap

For the fifth straight year Steelers DE Brett Keisel hosted an epic charity night to show off his annual Mountain Man Makeover where he shaves his notorious beard off to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC.

Last night the party was hosted by Jergel’s Rhythm Grille and included surprise guests like James Farrior and Casey Hampton to join in on the beard cutting festivities.

Keisel started growing his mountain man look back in training camp of 2010 in the hopes it would help get the team back to the Super Bowl. The Steelers did end up going to Super Bowl XLV that year, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. To turn the disappointing loss into a positive, Keisel decided to shave the beard off, for charity, to wipe the slate clean and start fresh for the new season. Since then the event has grown each year.

This year not only was Keisel joined by the surprise past teammates, he was joined by coaches, former coaches and current teammates. Everyone from Dick LeBeau to Mike Tomlin and from Troy Polamalu to Ben Roethlisberger took a swipe at the beard before Keisel emerged back from the crowd freshly shaven and sharply dressed.

The annual event benefits the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at UMPC and it’s been an honor, according to Brett, to continue to support such a worthy cause. His efforts have not gone unnoticed.

"“Over the years, Brett has been a true champion for the kids at Children’s Hospital and he has a special place in our hearts. He’s helped raised money for our cancer research programs, helped support our Free Care fund, and brought endless smiles to our patients with his visits. His heart is bigger than his beard, and that’s saying something.” – Christopher Gessner, president, Children’s Hospital"

Brett has been proud to donate his facial hair to do whatever it takes to bring smiles to the kids’ faces.

"“I think for me the biggest thing is seeing what it has done for Children’s Hospital. Doing this Shear Da Beard event, everything goes to them. Any time there has been a doubt, any time I thought about cutting it off and being fresh, I always think about those kids and the ones I met who told me how much it means to them, you keep going. It’s blessed me unconditionally. It’s been an incredible thing for me as well. I love the beard. I think that is what makes it special, that is what has made it what it is, because of the response. The kids in the hospital, for some of them, it is a symbol of hope. Especially for some of the kids that don’t have a lot of family or people in their lives. They’ve got a big bearded guy thinking about them and trying to find a cure for this disease.”- Brett Keisel"

You can find pictures of the event here and if you’d like to give to Children’s Hospital, you can find out how right here.

Next: Steelers Draft: Anthony's Big Board

More from Still Curtain

Home/Steelers News