DeAngelo Williams silly string

Pittsburgh Steelers running back continues to stretch after Cameron Heyward and Ramon Foster sprayed the veteran running back with silly string for his "birthday" Friday night at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

(Jacob Klinger/PennLive.com)

LATROBE -- The man in the crowd outside the fence at Latrobe Memorial Stadium who shouted "Happy Birthday" at DeAngelo Williams as the Pittsburgh Steelers running back signed autographs before practice Friday night was far from the last to make the team's running joke.

Williams' Steelers teammates, and one at least one occasion head coach Mike Tomlin, have been wishing Williams a happy birthday every day to make fun of him for being old, 33. They've encouraged the crowd at Chuck Noll Field to sing "Happy Birthday" to Williams during team stretches and fans have largely played along.

After Chris Boswell, Greg Warren and Jordan Berry successfully planted "700" balloons in Williams' dorm room Thursday night, the Steelers further upped their public pranking of one of the team's known locker room jokers.

Markus Wheaton, Cameron Hayward and Ramon Foster again urged the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to Williams as the team stretched. Fans gleefully complied.

Moments later the PA announcer told the entire stadium it was Williams' birthday and led the 12,100 attendance in another rendition of the song. Hayward and Foster sprayed Williams with silly string before the veteran running back was given an inflatable crown.

After practice, his teammates surprised him once more, getting the Greater Latrobe High School cheerleading team to present Williams with a banner, balloons and another chorus of "Happy Birthday."

James Harrison put the crown back on Williams' head Williams kept the balloons before giving them to his daughters.