Steelers win Super Bowl XL
DETROIT -- These Super Steelers out-rocked the Rolling Stones, out-socked the Seattle Seahawks and walked out of this Terrible Towel-covered city with that long-awaited "One for the Thumb."
Yes, Pittsburgh, your Steelers are Super Bowl champions. Again.
For the fifth time.
This emotionally charged, 21-10 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday at Ford Field elicited tears from tough-guy coach Bill Cowher, who waited 14 years for an NFL championship and brought the Lombardi Trophy back to the Rooney family after a 26-year drought.
In the magical moments after last night's game, Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward and retiring running back Jerome Bettis choked back tears while chairman Dan Rooney accepted the illuminating hardware from NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
"How does it feel to have the trophy back in the Steel City?" Tagliabue said, confetti fluttering all around.
Humble as always, Rooney deflected any credit directed toward him.
"It's wonderful. I could say that's where (the trophy) belongs, but it belongs to these wonderful players and coach Bill Cowher and his staff," Rooney said.
Cowher, flanked by his wife, Kaye, and standing at a podium adjacent to his three daughters, shook his head in mocking disapproval.
"Mr. Rooney," the veteran coach said, beaming, "I've been waiting a long time to do this. This is yours, man."
The 73-year-old patriarch of one of the NFL's model franchises then held the trophy above his head and celebrated this Super Bowl XL title, which put the Steelers in the elite company of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers as five-time Super Bowl champions.
And the thing that will distinguish this edition of the Steelers is the path they took to reach the summit of the NFL mountain. They became the first team in league history to enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed and to win three road playoff games en route to the Super Bowl title.
They embraced their role as underdogs -- even though they were favored to defeat the Seahawks -- and they followed the lead of their fiery, 48-year-old coach, a native of Crafton, who fulfilled a lifelong dream by leading his hometown team to an NFL title.
As the final seconds ticked away, Cowher laughed and embraced his players on the sideline. He thrust his arms high in the air after being doused with Gatorade. And he cried ...
And he cried.
This was a moment of relief for a man who's been accused of not being able to "win the big game," after going 1-4 in AFC finals and 0-1 in the Super Bowl (in 1995) before this unforgettable season. It was also a moment of pure, heart-tugging emotion, as he sought out his wife and daughters and firmly put his arms around them.
No longer will Cowher have to deal with comparisons to his predecessor, Chuck Noll, who won four Super Bowls in a six-year span during the 1970s.
And his players will no longer have to deal with the seemingly never-ending discussions about the Steelers' teams that were led by Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and "Mean" Joe Greene.
Cowher has his own identity now, one that involves the words "world champion."
And his players have their own identity now, as they, too, will be labeled "world champions" for life.
"It's almost surreal," Cowher said, as he accepted the Lombardi Trophy in front of an estimated 50,000 Steelers fans. "This is a special group of coaches, a special group of players. I was one small part of this, trust me. These guys were so resilient ... It starts at the top. I can't be more happy for Mr. Rooney, for the players, for the coaches and for the city of Pittsburgh.
"We are proud. Now, we've got our own little niche right now. We're taking this baby back home. And we're going to enjoy it."
Players such as Ben Roethlisberger, who became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl, surely will savor this win. As will wideout Ward, who put his name beside former Steelers Super Bowl MVPs Bradshaw, Harris and Lynn Swann.
Meanwhile, Bettis got to close out his 13-year career on a cloud, winning the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit.
"I came back to win a championship -- mission accomplished," Bettis said. "With that, I have to bid farewell."
At halftime of yesterday's game, Rolling Stones lead man Mick Jagger belted out, "I can't get no satisfaction," an anthem that could have served as the theme for Steelers' fans the past 26 years.
But when game ended, those same fans, who filled a significant portion of Ford Field, got to witness this franchise's return to glory on the biggest stage in sports.
Yes, they finally got their satisfaction.
"This was definitely a home game for us," said safety Chris Hope, who was asked what he thought it would be like back in Pittsburgh after this Super win. "That's if there's a city there. The city might go under siege." Additional Information:
Super Bowl XL Photo Gallery
View the Steelers Super Bowl Photo Gallery
