The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of fierce rivalries throughout their history. Most notably are rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys, a franchise they have played in multiple Super Bowls, and the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have obviously been the biggest rival for Pittsburgh since they were introduced to the NFL back in 1996. Pittsburgh also had a decent rivalry with another expansion team from the 1990s, and that team was the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Jacksonville were all in the same division until the NFL realigned in 2002.
Los Angeles Times
Steelers' former head coach Bill Cowher.
Bill Cowher was the head coach of the Steelers while they had their rivalry with the Jaguars. He was always known for his intensity and his quick temper, which was often on display. There was already a hatred for Jacksonville just because they played in the same division as the Steelers, but Cowher had other reasons to hate the Jaguars. He even had a bit of a back and forth with their former mascot, Jaxson De Ville. On a recent episode of the Between The Fur Podcast, former mascot performer for Jacksonville, Curtis Dvorak, shared how he got under Cowher's skin.
News4Jax
Former Jaguars mascot Jaxson De Ville.
Dvorak spoke about a time when Cowher went on NFL Films and spoke negatively about the mascot, and the next time Pittsburgh came to Jacksonville, the mascot played it on the video board when the Steelers ran out on the field. This, of course, resulted in a lot of booing from the crowd.
"They come into town the next year and I'm like ‘that is gold’, I play it on the video board. I didn't care, I was like whatever man you said it on NFL Films, I'm putting on the board for everyone to see. They boo the h*ll out of him and I walk out to midfield and he is standing right there at the 50 and I'm on the 50 doing stuff with the crowd getting them pumped up. I look over at him and he's just got that jaw sticking out and he's just sitting there with spit coming out of his mouth."
All Steelers fans probably know the exact look of Cowher's that Dvorak is describing. It was essentially a staple of the long-time Steelers coach. He obviously allowed the mascot to get under his skin, and the fact that the matchup was a big rivalry at the time didn't help either. It seems like even today when the Jaguars and Steelers face off there is still some unexpected animosity.
Gene Puskar / AP
Steelers former Head Coach Bill Cowher on sideline during some rough weather.
Steelers Embarrassed By Mascot In Local Paper
Jacksonville wound up beating Pittsburgh during that game that was being described by Dvorak. The mascot had obviously struck a chord with the entire Steelers organization. He didn't beat the Steelers, but his antics had crossed the line. Cowher spoke to the media following the loss and berated the mascot according to Dvorak. Dvorak spoke more about the aftermath.
"Rooney, he goes off at the end of that game. He's in this press conference and he goes, 'The actions of that mascot are banked in my memory; he was unprofessional', blah blah blah. You know we had beaten him, whatever, and I'm like what the h*ll, I'm laughing. He is literally talking about me in his postgame press conference."
The outcome of the game combined with Cowher's comments afterwards led to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reaching out to Dvorak for a comment. He had caused such a stir. Since then, rules have been put in place to keep the mascots out of the game, and the NFL seriously limits what they can do. Dvorak spoke about what he said to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
"So I get a call from Ed Bouchette who was a writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and he asked if I had any comments regarding what Cowher said. This is before we had to check with teams and stuff, so I was like, 'I guess. My only comment is that I don't make a single tackle, I don't score a single point, I don't catch a single pass. He should probably worry more about his guys fumbling that the furry guy on the other sideline.' Printed that in the Pittsburgh paper, and that didn't go over well either."
Cowher probably didn't look all that great after getting called out by a mascot. Especially after losing the game. This was one of the instances where he let his anger take the reigns, and he probably regretted it shortly after. Dvorak has since retired from the mascot game, but had an impressive run in Jacksonville that lasted nearly 20 seasons.
What do you think of the story between Cowher and the Jaguars mascot? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
