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Tampa Bars All For Steelers Fans

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2009

TAMPA - By the end of the first quarter, Steelers' fans who traveled through a blizzard to reach the promised land – Tampa – were far from disappointed.

Their beloved team was already up by 10.

By the end of the first half, they were way past ecstatic.

The end was nothing less than triumphant.

Terrible towels twirled. Beer spilled. And the crowd at O'Brien's Irish Pub on North Dale Mabry was in all its glory. The home of the Black and Gold Club was jumping.

At Tank's Taproom just down the road, hundreds of Steelers fans sat under the stars, their throats raw from so much hooting.

On a normal Steelers' weekend at O'Brien's, black and gold reigns. On this day, black and gold chaos ruled.

Many of the hundreds of Steelers' fans packed in parking lots outside bars, near tricked-out Hummers, rented RVs, and jacked-up SUVs, had driven through a blizzard in Pennsylvania to get here.

"It's in the blood," said Mark Mahovlic, showing off an armful of Steelers' pride with the colorful tattoo that runs from his shoulder to his wrist.

"It's my birthday," said his mom, Karen Mahovlic, sitting in front of a flat screen TV in the back of her son's hatchback. "This was a great present."

Ashley Norris drove from Orlando to be with her parents and try to get game tickets. They ended up at Tank's Taproom.

"I've never been with this many Pittsburgh fans outside of a game," she said. "It's fun being with this many people."

Sharon Higgins showed off a custom skirt made out of two Steelers' Terrible Towels, outside O'Brien's. "They closed the schools and I told the kids, 'get in the car, we are going to Tampa.'"

Her friend, Keri Gallion quit her job as a bartender to accompany Higgins, not to be disappointed.

"It's closer than what I thought, to be honest," said Chris Schull, who drove from East Brady, PA, with his friend, Tait Brady.

"The key to the game was the special teams touchdown," Brady said.

For Mark Mahovlic, the ending couldn't have been sweeter.

"I've lived in Tampa for 25 years and I am moving back home" to Pittsburgh. "This is a story book ending."

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