PITTSBURGH - At Hines Field, Steelers fans whip themselves into a frenzy and turn the stands into a sea of gold by waving their Terrible Towels.

Scantily clad cheerleaders waving pompoms are nowhere to be found. That's exactly the way Steelers chairman Dan Rooney wants it.

"What we really want to do is let our fans be the thing," Rooney said Thursday. "Let them be spontaneous. Let them create the atmosphere. Let them decide what they want to do. We don't think the atmosphere should be canned, and just because some other team is doing something, that doesn't mean we should do it. We want to be unique."

And old school.

Is there any NFL team more old school than the Steelers, with their black helmets with the logo on only one side, the legacy of the famed Steel Curtain defense and a franchise that dates back to 1933?

This is a gritty team - ranked No. 1 in defense and ranked second in rushing - that will host the New England Patriots Sunday in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers coach - Pittsburgh-born Bill Cowher - once said that Steelers fans might be the only fans in the NFL that truly appreciate a 4-yard run.

Old school also is about pride and loyalty, which explains why over the past 36 years the Steelers have had just two coaches, Cowher and Chuck Noll. During that time, the Colts - be it in Baltimore or Indianapolis - have had 15.

Noll brought four gleaming silver Vince Lombardi Trophies back to the Steel City in the 1970s.

Cowher led the Steelers to one Super Bowl, a loss to Dallas in the 1995 season, but he's lost three AFC Championships. When Pittsburgh stumbled to a 6-10 record in 2003, there were rumbles within the media that Cowher's run was nearing an end. Instead, Cowher was awarded a two-year contract extension that bound him to the Steelers for four years at about $4 million a season.

"I think when you have a good coach you want to stick with him," said Rooney, the son of team founder Art Rooney and father of team president Art Rooney II. "We weren't the least bit excited or depressed last year. The media was, but I think our fans were fine and we had every intention of keeping Bill here."

This is Cowher's 13th season as Pittsburgh's head coach, and no other current NFL coach has lasted as long with the same team. Rooney said it made no sense to fire Cowher, who has led the Steelers to the playoffs nine times.

"When you make a coaching change you are starting all over," Rooney said. "I think that's foolish because it's almost like you are an expansion team when you are going back to the beginning."

Cowher is not afraid to show his respect and affection for the Rooney family.

"I feel very fortunate and very blessed to have been here this long," Cowher said. "Certainly in other places I probably wouldn't have lasted this long. I think they've been very supportive in the tough times, and I've been very appreciative of that. They are class people. This is a class organization."

Just as Cowher - with his jutting tough-guy jaw and sideline glower - is the epitome of an old-school football coach, Jerome Bettis is an old-school running back. "The Bus" would rather run over a linebacker than drive around one.

Bettis loves being a Steeler, which is why the 12-year veteran took a $2.5 million pay cut so he could stay in Pittsburgh.

"My decision was largely based on the quality of life, in terms of staying in Pittsburgh," Bettis said. "And it was also about being a part of this football team because I wanted to be a part of something special for this team and city."

Rooney calls Pittsburgh a smart and savvy football city.

"One thing about the fans here, they know the game," Rooney said. "They know when to boo, I'll tell you that."

Bettis, who began his career with the Los Angeles Rams, said Pittsburgh's love affair with its football team remains as strong as steel.

"People here are passionate and I think it's unique that this city supports this team - win, lose or draw," Bettis said. "In (Los Angeles) it didn't matter if a team was there or not. Here in Pittsburgh, it means everything."