Posted on: Wednesday, December 29, 2004

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Steelers capture Umeda's fancy

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu's Elyse Umeda is now one of the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest fans.

The Princeton sophomore guard was a guest at the home of freshman teammate Meagan Cowher — who is the daughter of Bill Cowher, the head coach of the Steelers — in October.

While in Pittsburgh, she attended one of the team's games.

"It was a big game for the Steelers, I guess," Umeda understated.

It wasn't just any game, but a historic one.

She watched the Steelers defeat New England, snapping the longest winning streak in NFL history. The Patriots had won 21 in a row, including three playoff games.

"I wasn't (a big NFL fan) at the time, but now when the Steelers are playing, my teammates and I are all watching," Umeda said. "Now, we're just like the biggest Steelers' fans."

The 2003 Punahou graduate, who helped lead the Buffanblu to a state basketball title her senior year, said she was never a big football fan, and "rarely watched football games unless it was like, the Super Bowl with my dad (Ty)."

But when the Princeton team had a couple of days off, she and some of her teammates planned to visit New York until the invitation came to go to Pittsburgh.

"We had just started practice, so it was pretty last minute," Umeda said. "We were jumping up and down. We were screaming in the hallways."

She said Bill Cowher sent one of the team's private jets to pick up his daughter, Umeda and four other teammates.

"We were going to catch the train, but it would take kind of a long time (about six hours), so instead of that, we got to fly on one of the jets that they had," said Umeda, who said it was her first time flying on a private jet.

The luxury didn't stop with just the transportation. Umeda and her teammates "got to sit in the box that the family always sits in" at Heinz Field, the Steelers stadium that opened in 2001.

"It was definitely really nice," said Umeda, who was among the sellout crowd of about 65,000. "You got to open the window and it was like you were right there. There was food inside the box you could eat, it was pretty crazy."

It was the first NFL game Umeda attended, and she said walking into the stadium, "took my breath away. You just see yellow and black everywhere."

Umeda said she rarely attended University of Hawai'i football games, and watched Punahou's football team play a lot, "but it was nothing compared to NFL games."

Umeda said Bill Cowher is "the most down-to-earth guy."

"He was talking about how if they actually won the game there would be no team left without a loss," Umeda said. "And that could start them up on a good winning streak."

The Steelers are 8-0 since that day, 14-1 overall, and have clinched the AFC North Division and a playoff berth.

Princeton (4-5) is hoping for some of that magic for itself, and Umeda is doing her part.

The 5-foot-3 reserve guard is averaging 4.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, and is second on the team with 16 assists and 12 steals. She had a career-high 15 points in a loss to St. Mary's (Calif.) on Dec. 14, after scoring 10 second-half points against Rutgers Dec. 9.

"The offense we run this year is different from last year," she said. "In the beginning it was hard to learn, but now it is easier to score in the offense. (Coach Richard Barron) gives me more opportunities to score."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.