Throughout his terrific career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, tight end Heath Miller was a fan favorite due to his toughness, durability and consistency.
He brought that blue-collar mentality to the field, which endeared him to fans in the Steel City, leading to the popular, booming “Heaaaaaath” chants after he’d make plays.
While it was a chant of endearment and respect, Miller initially was confused by it. He felt that the fans might have been upset with him being the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
In an appearance on the “Green Light Podcast” discussing his life in football, Miller – who was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor as a member of the Class of 2023 — recalled the origin of the “Heaaaaaath” chant and how he came to quickly realize how special of a bond he had with the fans during his playing career.
“Not right away. Not right away,” Miller said when asked if he knew what they were chanting, according to video via Green Light on YouTube. “I remember the first preseason game, it was kind of, you know, it wasn’t as loud as it became. But people started yelling; it was like a low, mumbly roar through the stadium when I caught the ball. And I remember like, ‘Oh, geez, did they want maybe someone [else]? Were they not happy with the pick? Did they want someone else selected that in the first round that year?’
“But then I quickly realized they were saying my name, and I think just being an introvert, I might’ve been a little bit embarrassed by it at the beginning.”
The “Heaaaaaath” chants that rang through Heinz Field during Miller’s playing career, and even on the road at times, was something to see and hear. It was quite the sign of endearment for the standout tight end who had one heck of a career with the Steelers.
Those “Heaaaaaath” chants were as standard as the “Here We Go Steelers!” chants on gamedays.
During his 11-year, 168-game career with the Steelers, Miller hauled in 592 passes for 6,596 yards and 45 touchdowns, quickly becoming one of the key cogs in the engine that was the Steelers’ offense for the decade-plus.
His 6,596 receiving yards put him fourth all-time in Steelers’ history. He sits third all-time in receptions and fifth in touchdowns.
While plenty of players throughout the illustrious history of the Steelers have been fan favorites and beloved by the Black and Gold faithful, few had their own chants like Miller did.
For Miller, he first heard the chant during the first preseason game of his career on Aug. 11, 2005, against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. It came on his only catch, a 5-yard reception in the red zone on a broken play from quarterback Tommy Maddox.
You can’t exactly hear the chants on the TV broadcast, but Miller distinctly recalls it, leading to some of those questions he had and a bit of embarrassment. But he began to really appreciate it and how it connected him with fans.
“I think throughout my career, and especially toward the end, I kind of realized what a special bond that, not only the team has, but you know, I felt like I had with the fans and, and how much they appreciated what I brought to the team and the way I went about my business,” Miller said reflecting on the chants. “And it was really cool. Very cool.”
Miller’s talents and ultimately what he brought to the Steelers was very much appreciated. He helped them win two Super Bowls and appear in a third. He is the greatest tight end in franchise history and one of the best from his era as both a receiver and a blocker.
He was a quintessential Steeler through and through.
🗣 HEAAAAAAATH
📅: Oct. 24 #NationalTightEndsDay pic.twitter.com/ks058UkzG0
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) October 22, 2021
