Dick LeBeau exceeded his time limit in accepting the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award, but he wasn't about to apologize.

"It's a pretty big night for me, so I'm going to go a little bit long," he said, laughing.

"This really is a great day to be alive. I love you, Pittsburgh. You're never going to get rid of me now."

LeBeau received tributes from players past and present, including Rod Woodson, Jason Gildon, Brett Keisel and James Farrior.

"Playing for him is like having your dad on the field," said safety Ryan Clark.

LeBeau was born in 1939, the year the first Dapper Dan Award went to champion light heavyweight boxer Billy Conn, the original Pittsburgh Kid.

Last night, on what was a celebration of the Super Bowl victory and a tribute to all the sports moments in the city, LeBeau joined Arnold Palmer, Joe Paterno and Dan Rooney as recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"I came from California to be here because of one man -- Dick LeBeau," said Woodson. "He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for what he did as a player, and for what he has done to confound offenses and quarterbacks for the last 36 years as a coach. He's the godfather of the zone blitz. He's true, he's honest, he's authentic."

LeBeau's moment came on the same night that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was honored as Sportsman of the Year and Pitt guard Shavonte Zellous, the school's first female All-American, received the award as Sportswoman of the Year.

Tomlin won the award in his second year after leading the Steelers to an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title, which prompted city council to change the city's name to Sixburgh and prompted Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to change his last name to Steelerstahl before the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.

"I have the best coaching job in professional sports," Tomlin said.

"I want to thank the Rooneys for giving me the opportunity to do what I do. And our players and our coaches are second to none."

Special awards called the Dannies were also announced for individual honors. They included:

• DeJuan Blair, Pitt All-American, as breakthrough athlete.

• Troy Polamalu, fingertip interception against the San Diego Chargers, best play.

• The Penguins and their run through the Stanley Cup playoffs, best sports moment. The awards, the oldest and most prestigious sports honors in Pittsburgh, were presented after a dinner at the Peterson Events Center on the Pitt campus.

Proceeds from the dinner and a sports auction -- about $150,000 -- go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.