Finding her Passion
These days, Chelsea Zahn’s life revolves around football.
“It’s almost 24/7,” Zahn says. “But I like it that way.”
Zahn works as a partnership activation specialist for the Pittsburgh Steelers. She also plays defensive end and tight end for Pittsburgh’s other black and gold football squad, the Pittsburgh Passion, a women’s full-tackle team.
A former standout track and field athlete at Canon-McMillan High School and Duquesne University, Zahn, 25, grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, watching games every Sunday with her family. She had no desire to play football, though, and she had never heard of women’s football until a friend invited her during her senior year of high school to watch former Canon-Mac track coach Erika Kurwaza, who played for the Passion.
“When I watched them play, my jaw dropped. It was hard-hitting, full-tackle football,” Zahn says.
During her sophomore year in college, an athletic trainer at Duquesne who played for the Passion encouraged her to contact Pittsburgh Passion co-owner Teresa Conn about a marketing internship with the football team, and Zahn got the job.
The following season, Conn, impressed with Zahn’s drive and work ethic, offered her a job as marketing director. She ran the website, handled social media, coordinated the internship program and organized photo shoots. Zahn decided she wanted to work for a professional Pittsburgh sports team.
“Chelsea is incredibly ambitious and intense. She brings a lot of energy, and she’s a great member of the Passion team. She’s reliable and very coachable,” Conn says. “I’ve been coaching for more than 30 years, and I know when someone’s going to be successful. She’ll be successful at anything she does because she’s a combination of ambitiousness and hard work.”
Zahn landed an internship with the Steelers during the fall of her senior year of college, and juggled track, her marketing responsibilities with the Passion, and the Steelers job.
When she graduated from Duquesne and began working full time for the Steelers in May 2015, Zahn threw herself into CrossFit. But the former discus, shot put and hammer thrower missed competitive sports. So, she tried out for the Passion.
“Really, that’s the reason I started to play. I wanted to stay competitive,” Zahn says.
Three nights a week, Zahn drives to The Club Sport & Health in Monroeville and suits up for practice alongside teammates who have different backgrounds, but who enjoy the camaraderie of playing with women who share a love of football.
The Passion, a member of the Women’s Football Alliance, play an eight-game season, with home games at West Allegheny High School.
Zahn began her third season with the Passion in January.
Her parents, Joe and Becky Zahn, were surprised when she told them she wanted to try out for the Passion, and they didn’t want her to play women’s football.
“We never expected her to be playing football. She had just gotten her job with the Steelers, her dream job, and we were concerned about her safety and about her missing work if she got hurt,” says Becky, who is now Chelsea’s biggest fan. “But we support her no matter what. We are always behind her.”
Zahn feels lucky to have ties with two model sports organizations.
The Steelers have won six Super Bowl titles and are one of the most respected franchises in the National Football League.
The Passion, co-owned by Conn and Hall of Fame Steelers running back Franco Harris, won the National Women’s Football Association National Championship in 2007, two IWFL National Championships in 2014 and 2015, and captured five division titles.
“I can’t imagine playing for any other team for a million reasons, but one is that Theresa Conn and Franco Harris have built such a great atmosphere and a structure to help us focus on playing and not have to pull any money out of our pockets,” Zahn says.
Unlike their male counterparts, female football players don’t earn multimillion-dollar deals.
Not even close. In order to play, women have to pay fees to cover the cost of equipment, field rentals, travel and other team expenses.
But Passion players get individual sponsorships to cover those costs.
“It doesn’t bother me knowing how much they make, it doesn’t bother me knowing how big the NFL has grown,” Zahn says. “At the end of the day, the reason we’re out there is because we love playing football and we love winning championships and we love representing this city.”
It took Zahn a few hits to get used to the physicality of the game. “I never played a contact sport. The first time I got hit during a contact drill, I was definitely a little shaken up. It was an odd feeling, getting tackled. But the adrenaline was pumping, and I got right back up,” she says. “Some days I wake up with bruises and sore muscles, but I’m used to it now.”
Zahn considers today’s women football players pioneers of the game, and believes the sport will grow in popularity the way the NFL did.
Most major cities U.S. cities have a team, but women’s football needs to find an audience.
“When you think about how hard those original teams in the NFL had to work and how far the NFL has come, I think it’s the same with women’s football,” Zahn says. “It started in 2002 with a handful of teams, and it still has a ton of growing opportunities. It will happen. I really believe that. We’re getting more exposure on ESPN, and people are coming to our games.”
Zahn takes seriously her responsibilities as a role model for other women and girls.
After a hard-fought game last year, a group of girls carrying programs and black Sharpie pens walked over to her and nervously asked for her autograph.
“It was one of the most endearing moments of my life. But it was such an eye-opener to the way I should always represent myself as a player and as a female professional,” Zahn says. “I like to push my limits and see where I can go. That’s what life is all about. Playing football is a unique opportunity that not everybody gets a chance to do. To me, I play for the women who never got a chance to play and for the little girls who want to do it one day.”
The Pittsburgh Passion’s first game of the 2017 season was April 1 vs. the Columbus Comets. They play the Baltimore Nighthawks on April 8 and the Cleveland Fusion April 15, both at home. For a complete schedule and more information, visit pittsburghpassion.com.
Hair by Clint Dulaney. Makeup by Valarie Panei.