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Steelers Celebrate Super Bowl Win

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2009

PITTSBURGH - Just for today, it's Sixburgh.

Thousands of Steelers fans lined downtown streets Tuesday cheering and twirling Terrible Towels at a parade celebrating the team's victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's Super Bowl, the sixth for the storied franchise.

Fans of all ages came from across the state, and country, and one youngster even brought along a replica Vince Lombardi trophy made with tin foil. In buildings along the parade route, office workers cheered through open windows. Dozens of people packed the floors of a parking garage to get a better view and some shelter from snow showers and temperatures in the 20s.

"It's history in the making," said Chad McGown, 31, who staked out his place on the parade route hours earlier.

Even the police got into the spirit, waving their own Terrible Towels from atop horses as they led the parade. Coach Mike Tomlin followed behind in the back of a red convertible, while players holding their personal video cameras cheered and waved from the back of pickup trucks.

"What do you say to this?" Tomlin asked the massive crowd. "Steeler Nation, you leave us all speechless, man, we just appreciate the love.

"How about the Steelers? How about the greatest fans in the world? How about number six? Thank you, we love you guys."

City officials prepared for as many as 250,000 fans, an estimate based on the number of fans at the 2006 parade celebrating the team's previous Super Bowl victory.

Many fans showed up hours before Tuesday's parade, including a handful of hardy souls who were camped out on the route before dawn.

CARDINALS: President Barack Obama was rooting for Pittsburgh, but that didn't stop him from making a congratulatory call to Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt a day after the Cardinals lost in Sunday's Super Bowl.

Whisenhunt said the call came shortly after he returned to his home Monday afternoon.

He said Obama was "congratulating our team on the success we had had and was very impressed with the way our men had played. And that was quite special."

CHARGERS: Defensive tackle Jamal Williams was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Williams was pulled over for speeding early Sunday on a freeway outside downtown, the California Highway Patrol said.

Williams gave a blood sample for a blood-alcohol test, but the results were not yet known. Williams was booked into county jail and later released on bail.

RAIDERS: Oakland will retain Coach Tom Cable, officially removing the interim designation from his title more than five weeks after the season ended.

BETTING: Gamblers wagered $81.5 million in Nevada sports books on the Steelers' 27-23 Super Bowl win over the Cardinals, the smallest amount bet in five years.

Nevada's 176 sports books earned $6.7 million in revenue from Sunday's game in Tampa, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said in a news release.

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