WTAE Channel 4 Viewer Exclusive camera picture: President Obama welcomes the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers at the White House. Slideshow: More Exclusive Photos From Inside The East Room

WASHINGTON -- It's a tradition for the president to welcome the Super Bowl champions to the White House -- and President Barack Obama continued that tradition with the black and gold Thursday.

In a brief ceremony on the south lawn, Obama congratulated the Steelers for turning Pittsburgh into "Six-burgh" with their sixth championship in franchise history.

He then put the Super Bowl XLIII champs to work boxing up supplies for troops in the Operation USO Care Package program, alongside about 50 patients from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center.

Raw Video: Watch Obama's Speech To The Steelers
Video: Obama Meets Super Steelers
Video: President Honors Pittsburgh Police During Steelers Visit
Slideshow: Steelers Visit The White House

Also meeting the president were Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper and officers Steven Hitchings and Edward Dent, who were at the scene on April 4 when three fellow officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in Stanton Heights.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was there, too, with Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

And of course, Steelers owner Dan Rooney was there.

"He and his family have been such an extraordinary pillar for the city of Pittsburgh," Obama said Thursday, asking for a round of applause. "He's humble. This kind of attention embarrasses him, but he has no choice."

Transcript: Complete Text Of Obama's White House Speech To Steelers

Rooney endorsed Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary and campaigned for him in the run-up to the November election. In March, Obama tapped Rooney to be the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

But one big name in Steeler Nation was not at the White House.

In a story that broke on Channel 4 Action News last week, Steelers linebacker James Harrison said he didn't want to attend Thursday's event and had decided to skip it.

Video: Watch The Video Of Harrison's Comments

Harrison's record-breaking 100-yard interception return for a touchdown was one of the biggest plays in the Steelers' 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

He also skipped the Steelers' White House visit with President George W. Bush after the franchise's fifth Super Bowl victory in 2006.

Many of the players from that 2006 team -- like Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, James Farrior, Jeff Reed and Troy Polamalu -- were making their second White House visit on Thursday.

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