The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

About The Podcast

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Football Podcast.

If you ask my family, my wife, my friends, or my kids, they’ll all tell you the same thing: I physically cannot stop talking or thinking about football.

She’s a saint and listens patiently. But let’s be honest: nobody in my family actually wants to hear those hyper-niche stat breakdowns at 9:00 PM.

I created the Pittsburgh Football Podcast to give everyone in my personal life a well-deserved break — and to build a community with people like you who are just as ridiculously passionate about Pitt and Steelers football as I am.

Why This Podcast Exists

I love podcasts, but over the last few years, sports podcasting has started to feel way too much like traditional radio.

It’s flooded with surface-level hot takes, rushed headline-chasing, and constant commercial interruptions cutting off actual conversations: “Hey, we’ll be right back after these messages!”

Where are you going? It’s a podcast!

I didn’t want to build that kind of show.

The Pittsburgh Football Podcast isn’t about breaking news first or throwing around outrageous takes just to farm clicks. It’s about having the real, detailed, in-the-weeds conversations you’re already having with your friends and family:

• Why did they call a pass on 3rd-and-2 instead of running the ball?
• What was the turning point in Saturday’s game that didn’t show up in the box score?
• What are the tactical storylines to watch heading into this weekend?

During the season, you can expect multiple episodes a week breaking down the previous game’s results and previewing what’s ahead. In the offseason, we dive deep into original feature stories, historical deep dives, and player profiles that usually get forgotten by mainstream media outlets.

No filler, no artificial outrage, and no corporate radio fluff — just pure, unapologetic Pittsburgh football talk.

Who Is Chris Gates?

So, who am I, and why should you give me a spot in your audio feed?

1. The Media Creds

I’m a former sports journalist. I went to college specifically to study journalism so I could come back home to cover Pittsburgh sports.

For two to three years, I worked as a beat reporter for Pitt football for 93.7 The Fan / CBS Radio. I was inside the South Side facility daily, covering Dave Wannstedt’s final season and Todd Graham’s whirlwind tenure. I was in the press boxes, at the practices, and spent plenty of time covering the Steelers during the prime Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell eras (plus two seasons covering Pirates baseball).

While I loved the sport, I realized mainstream sports journalism wasn’t the lifestyle for me. I wanted to be in the tailgate lot with my family, not stuck in a press box working until 2:00 AM.

I eventually transitioned out of media, built a career at the University of Pittsburgh for 12 years, and launched my own full-time health and fitness coaching business. But across 300+ podcast episodes in other industries and over a decade away from sports reporting, I never stopped thinking about coming back to cover the teams I love — on my own terms.

2. The Fan Creds

Beyond the media credentials, my real qualification is a lifetime of die-hard Pittsburgh fandom.

• Hooked Early: My first game was in 1994 at Pitt Stadium during a dark era of Pitt football. We got blown out by Louisville, but standing near the turf as a seven-year-old with my dad hooked me for life.
• Witnessing History: I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the stands for some of the most iconic moments in local sports history — from Tyler Palko throwing five touchdowns at Notre Dame in 2004, to Bostick’s triple-overtime sprinkler game, the legendary 13-9 upset in 2007, Blewitt’s game-winner at Clemson in 2016, and Pitt’s 2021 ACC Championship victory in Charlotte.
• Three Rivers & Beyond: On the Steelers side, I grew up in the nosebleeds of Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field, crowd-surfing as a kid during the 2003 Tommy Maddox Wild Card comeback against Cleveland — the first time Renegade was ever played twice in one game.

Football in Pittsburgh isn’t just a pastime; it’s a family tradition passed down to me by my dad, who grew up during the golden era of the 1970s Steelers and Pitt’s 1976 National Championship team.

Join the Community

Whether we’re breaking down film from Sunday’s Steelers game, analyzing Pitt’s upcoming recruiting class, or revisiting an underrated game from 15 years ago, this show is built for true fans.

• Listen Everywhere: Audio is available on all major streaming platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).
• Watch on YouTube: Full video episodes drop weekly on YouTube.
• Get Involved: Follow along on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for regular polls, show clips, and community discussions.

Thanks for stopping by, subscribing, and listening. Let’s get after it.