For former Penn State students and current gridiron warriors Deborah Casiani, Rhonda Donahoo, Shelley Wain and Melissa Yeck, football has been a way of life. And who would expect anything less? They're from the Pittsburgh area.

"I didn't always have a lot of opportunities to play [football]," said Wain, a defensive end. "But I am a huge Steelers fan. I'm one of those people that you can't walk in front of the TV when the game is on."

The city is home to three major professional sports teams. All have had their moments of glory, but through it all football has always been king in Pittsburgh.

The void left behind when the season concludes for the city's beloved "Stillers" has been filled with disappointment as of late -- another Penguins season without a playoff berth, another Pirates campaign mired in mediocrity. This year could be different. Pittsburgh could quench its football thirst this spring because the Black and Gold will be taking the field.

The NFL season hasn't been extended to springtime, but there is a new game in town. It's the Pittsburgh Passion, a team that plays in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the National Women's Football Association and dons the classic colors that have come to symbolize the city.

The team began as a collection of female athletes selected at open tryouts. There are former high school athletes like left guard Donahoo, who earned her paramedic certification from Penn State Fayette, attempting to rekindle past glories with new achievements.

"It makes your heart pound when you hear the crowd screaming for you to do something," she said. "I thought when I left high school I wouldn't see that again."

Wain, a former education student at Penn State, was on a mission to test her physical capabilities. When CBS said no, Wain found the Passion.

"I wanted to get on Survivor, but they took the swimsuit model instead ... their loss," she said. "I like challenges and this sounded like a good one."

There are women on the team who opted to cheerlead in highschool like starting defensive end Yeck (class of '96 - human development) and free safety Casiani (class of '91 - molecular cell biology) because, as Yeck puts it, "we wanted the best view of game." Women who as young girls were relegated to backyard football with their brothers have seized the opportunity to play full-contact, full-padded, NFL-style football.

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A crowd of 2,479 packs the home stands of James Weir Stadium on April 10 to watch the Passion in its inaugural game take on last year's Mid-Atlantic division champs, the Baltimore Burn. The home team and league newcomers, the Passion is said to be a heavy underdog.

The excitement in the stands reaches its climax of the night as the Passion lines up to kick the ball away at the start the first half. The team, along with nine other NMFA expansion teams for the 2003 season, bring the league to a total of 30 teams -- a very ambitious total for a young league.

The Passion is able to force the Burn to go three-and-out in the game's first series. The initial stand is keyed by disruption created at the line of scrimmage by Wain and Yeck's defensive line unit.

The Passion starts its first offensive series in Burn territory. It wastes no time, going for a game-breaking play on first down. With Donahoo leading the way, wide receiver Teresa Conn picks up nine yards on a reverse.

The Pittsburgh Passion is off to a good start.

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For the fans watching the game, the opening moments marked the genesis of a new sports franchise, but the team had actually been practicing four days a week for over a year in preparation for its first game. At this stage in the league's history, its players are not paid. Many are holding down full-time jobs, going to college, or perhaps juggling both. All of the players have made sacrifices to be on the team.

"I made a lot of adjustments to be able to play," Casiani said. "If I had the opportunity to play football when I was growing up I would have; now is my chance."

Casiani devotes most of her time to running her hypnotherapy practice. She often works with athletes to help them overcome problems focusing on their technique. She says that her expertise in hypnosis has already helped her to overcome a problem with her tackling form.

Describing her play as "like Ray Lewis with a skirt," Casiani is anxious to get back into the starting lineup after sitting out the season opener with an injury.

Donahoo continues to persevere as a student; she is currently working to finish up nursing school. If her future patients know her tenacity on the field, they'll be sure to take their medicine without complaint.

"As soon as I peek my head out on those [pulling trap] plays I see who I have to go for and I can't wait to hit them," she said. "I hear that smack and I know I've done my job."

For Wain, football is her relaxation. While raising four children and owning her own business, Crafter's Showcase in Pittsburgh, she says football "gets me away from things ... I've made some great friends."

Yeck has found her family to be supportive and her biggest fans.

"They're here tonight. My foster son asked for my autograph," she said with a laugh.

Yeck played football with boys when she was in seventh and eighth grade. Though her father made her stop playing football when she entered high school, Yeck could not be kept away from the game. She was a cheerleader in high school, and Yeck says Penn State's big-game football atmosphere was the reason she went there.

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The Passion is on the ropes.

In the second quarter the Burn had already put seven on the board with a touchdown pass to the corner of the end zone and a successful point after. The Burn again drives deep into Passion territory, but this time the Passion defense stands tall. After holding the Burn to minimal gains on the first three downs, the Passion digs in for a key fourth-and-goal. With Yeck applying the pressure, the Burn quarterback's throw is intercepted at the goal line by Passion cornerback Kelly Stoner who has perfect position on the play.

The Passion runs out the clock, and went into the locker room to start planning how it would attempt to overcome the 7-0 deficit.

But in the second half neither team would score. The Passion crosses into Burn territory many times, but each time penalties or a botched handoff stall the drive.

After the game the players express how proud they are of their performance on the field.

"This was the team to beat for the division tonight," says Passion head coach Larry Camorata. "We lost 43-0 in our first preseason game. These ladies have come a long way since then."

In the locker room there is an unusual amount of optimism for a losing side. Smiles are everywhere. The Passion act more like the game was a victory. And for women who had been told all their lives that football was a men-only sport, it was.