MARIO NAVA, AKA STEEL MASCARAS, AT A PITTSBURGH STEELERS GAME. | PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIO NAVA

Mario Nava was born and raised in Mexico, but his heart has always been in Pittsburgh.

To say the 49-year-old is a Steelers fanatic is an understatement. He’s got more black-and-gold machismo than Steely McBeam.

MARIO NAVA’S KINDERGARTEN PHOTO. | PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIO NAVA

Nava repped the team in his kindergarten photo, played for a south-of-the-border pee-wee squad called the Acereros (that’s Spanish for “steelmakers”), waved a Terrible Towel in front of the Statue of Liberty and braved the Cleveland Dawg Pound while dressed like a yinzer luchador.

Since 2023, he’s been known as Steel Mascaras, Blitzburgh’s beloved Mexican mascot who turns every tailgate into a bona fide fiesta.

“Following this team is a way of life,” says Nava, an industrial engineer who currently resides in Mansfield, Ohio. “I always try to be a leader. Wrestlers are warriors that inspire other people. I thought I could demonstrate Mexican passion for luchadors with American football.”

Although Nava lives three hours from Acrisure Stadium, on game days, Steel Mascaras (that’s Spanish for “mask”) is a fixture on the North Shore, where he rubs elbows with other costumed gridiron devotees including Steel Man, Pope Yinzer, Steeler Jesus and the woman who wears a black-and-gold brassier dubbed The Terrible Bra. He’s even had his picture taken with Steelers President Art Rooney II.

After a primetime bout with the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football,” he’ll spend Dia De Los Muertos weekend and a painfully long bye week getting pumped for the Steelers’ match-up with the Washington Commanders on Nov. 10.

Nava knows they’ll knock ‘em dead.

Steel Mascaras wears No. 11 as a nod to his birthday on April 11, 1975, which was less than three months after the Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX. His favorite player, however, is No. 43. He believes Troy Polamalu has actual superpowers, including the ability to fly. Polamalu also has his own mascot. (As food editor, I root for players who have their own sandwich.)

Nava’s special talent is converting football novices in Mexico into NFL aficionados. He’s made lifelong connections with people through a shared passion for the game. He plans to launch a YouTube series from his Mansfield garage where he invites gridiron-loving guests to discuss the sport — even if they are Browns fans.

Rivals, he believes, can be friends, too.

One of Nava’s greatest memories is taking his Steelers-obsessed parents to Acrisure Stadium for the first time.

“They had the opportunity to see the colors of the stadium. My mom started to cry. I was crying for at least 15 minutes because of my joy, my happiness,” he says. “The Cowboys are called ‘America’s Team, but the Steelers are the ‘World’s Team.’”