Tom McCormack
Ireland
Tom McCormack discovered the NFL & the Pittsburgh Steelers in September 1979 while on a University College Dublin freshman rugby tour to Florida. He adopted the Steelers at the end of their four Super Bowl wins in six seasons. NFL coverage was scant back then, but luckily US Marines that were teammates on the Dublin Celts had US channels in their residence and all listened in to AFN Radio if games were not available!
Tom later worked on PR & Communications with the late greats Dan Rooney and Tony O'Reilly, CEO of Heinz USA, on the growth and development of the Ireland Funds. The American Ireland Fund and the others played a key role in bringing peace to the island of Ireland.
DMR sourced match tickets and mentored Tom's love of the game. Tom attended the pre-game clinics and the July 1997 pre-season friendly between the Steelers and the Bears in Dublin and brought many ideas into the then newly professional Leinster rugby team in Dublin.
Tom organizes the Annual Global Fan Photo and Steelers' Charity Run Walk on Labor Day weekend in Ireland. He volunteered on PR & Communications for American Football Ireland, the national body for the 20 kitted and many flag teams on the island. The Steelers have provided coaches and equipment to both to assist growing these games in Ireland. Ireland hosted the European Flag Championships in Limerick in August 2023.
There is HUGE excitement in Ireland with the recent announcement of the Steelers hosting an NFL regular season game in Croke Park Stadium in Dublin later this year. Tom is looking forward to this dream coming true and assisting visiting NFL fans enjoy their stay. #HereWeGo