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Hines Ward Thanks Fans After 'Dancing With The Stars' Win

LOS ANGELES (KDKA) -- Hines Ward is a champion once again.

He and his professional partner, Kym Johnson, have won season 12 of "Dancing With The Stars."

On Wednesday, Hines posted this message to his fans on Facebook:

"OMG! I can't believe it! First I want to say THANK YOU to all my fans and Steeler Nation, Bulldog Nation, and HineKym Nation for voting us to the Mirror Ball Trophy victory. Kym and I worked our butts off in this competition. Hats off to Kirstie/Maks and Chelsea/Mark each well deserving of the Mirror Ball. But you fans pushed us over the top. Kym and I are so thankful. Pittsburgh is back on the map! Hope I represented well. I still can't believe it! Hines"

A bunch of fans gathered at the Jerome Bettis Grille 36 on the North Shore to watch the results on Tuesday night. One woman from Wexford drove to the restaurant after losing power.

"And I said to my girlfriend, 'We are going down to Pittsburgh and we are watching this if it's the last thing we do today!'" she told KDKA-TV. "He has a lot of heart and soul and everybody loves him."

The Black N Gold Girls, a local group, got some national attention on "The Insider" for their voting efforts for Hines and Kym.

They have 30,000 members in 27 countries and all 50 states.

"We decided it was time for Pittsburgh to identify, unite and activate the female fan base of all the Pittsburgh sports," one of the founders of the group said.

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