20071127pd_steelers1126f_330.jpgLast night I was at my parent’s house, and my dad pulled out some old footage of one of the most ridiculous football games I’ve ever seen.  It took place 20 years ago, and it was the Steelers playing the Miami Dolphins on a nationally televised Monday night game.  At the time, the Dolphins were utterly terrible, and the Steelers were doing pretty well, but the amazing part of that game was how insanely terrible the field was.  I could hardly believe my eyes–it reminded me so much of some Turkey Bowl games I’ve played with friends of mine where by the end the game resembles a mud-wrestling match much more than football.  The game ended with a score of 3-0 Steelers, and it was a huge national embarrassment.

My dad told me that after that game the Steelers came under a lot of pressure to improve the conditions of their field.  They tried different things during the next few seasons with moderate success, but it still was never great.  It was an interesting watch and an interesting story, but I couldn’t help but ask my dad why in the world he kept the video for so long.

Then my Mom came in and told me about a friend of hers who was living in Pittsburgh at the time.  She was an engineering student at Pitt, and she was at that game.  After she got home and dried off, she suddenly got the inspiration for a totally new type of turf, and five years later, she developed it into the product that almost the entire NFL uses to this day.  It completely revolutionized the fields of the league, especially the outdoor ones, and it made her a very rich woman.

She told me that the company she founded is still in Pittsburgh, and since the initial breakthrough they’ve worked on a lot of other material science R&D which has produced other useful innovations.  It takes a lot of guts to take an inspiration and run with it, but man, when it works out, it sure is worth it!