"Da Beard"
Keisel began growing "Da Beard" while on a summertime hunting trip with his father. Keisel's facial hair gained fame during the end of the 2010 NFL season. Many NFL players grow "rally beards" during the playoffs to bring them good luck, but Keisel's has a significant following. His beard has its own Facebook page and Twitter account and has been mentioned repeatedly in the media during the Steelers' playoff run. In an interview on Steelers.com, he decided to grow out his beard after having a discussion about the lack of characters in the NFL. In another interview, though, to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said he wanted to change the team's luck, because it missed the playoffs the previous season. Keisel refers to his beard as a "beautiful thing" and "the greatest beard of all time" and has encouraged other Steelers to grow beards as well. After the Super Bowl several videos were made about Keisel's beard, including one that portrayed him as a Hasidic Jew. On February 24, 2011, The Beard was removed during a ceremony titled "Shear The Beard" in downtown Pittsburgh. The event raised over $40,000 for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Keisel stated that "Da Beard" will most likely return for the upcoming season. He stated, "Da Beard will decide when the time is right to come back," he said, "and it will all of a sudden appear." Keisel dubbed the 2011 season "Da Beard Revenge Tour." On February 9, 2012 Keisel held "The Second Annual Shear The Beard Event". Just as in the previous year, proceeds raised went to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
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Famous quotes containing the word beard:
“He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)