Chiefs spoil Steeler fan club’s expected victory party

They came, They saw. They came to conquer.
They came flying the colors of the Steeler Nation.
This was one invasion that the innkeepers, tavern and restaurant owners throughout the Greater Kansas City area welcomed with open arms, as did the proprietors of Johnny‘s Tavern in Overland Park, Kan., headquarters for the Kansas City Chapter of the Steeler Nation.
They came from Sioux Falls, S.D., Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, Altoona Iowa, Altoona, Pennsylvania, Cheyenne, Wyo., Denver, Colo., Tulsa, Okla., Cook City, Mont., and even Monterey, Mexico. It was New Year’s Eve in November except the chant “Here we go Steelers” replaced “Auld Lang Syne.”
Tavern owner Kyle Witherspoon is ecstatic “Steeler fans are knowledgeable, passionate and loyal and they come out in huge numbers.” Amber Barnes, the stunning general manager, is amazed at the number of fans and notes that their business has doubled since Johnny’s became their headquarters. The tavern now features Iron City Beer and a Pittsburgh ethnic food.
The Saturday night rally overflowed from their private room into the general bar area and in that jubilant sea of black and gold, not one would concede to me that the Super Bowl Champs would lose to the lowly Chiefs. The majority of them have never been to Pittsburgh but became fans in their youth by watching the Steelers on television, others by indoctrination from their transplanted family and relatives who had to find employment outside of the economically stressed Steel City.
Fan club president Ed Kovac is from Overland Park and has never been to Pittsburgh and claims to be a Steeler Fan since age 4. He took command of the Terrible Towel crowd in 1999 only six years after the fan club’s inception. Jason MacPhearson is on the fan club steering committee. He proudly boasts that he never roots for the Chiefs because, “they don’t wear black and gold.”
Only 70 of the 270 members are originally from Western Pennsylvania. There you will find Michelle Bradley, now of Blue Springs.
“I grew up just outside of Pittsburgh and black and gold runs through my veins,” Bradley said. “I moved here in 2004 to take a job with Cerner.”
Ed and Judy Buchett make the long drive each game from their home near Smithville. They were part of a fan club in California before moving to Missouri. Judy, a Duquesne University alumnus, states, “It’s just not the same watching the game at home.”
Perhaps the oldest member is 82-year-old Louise Evans from Overland Park. Her looks belie her age, for she is very active in the community and teaches line dancing. She joined the club 13 years ago.
Richard Coleman of Little Rock, Ark., who now resides with his three daughters in Independence, says, “In 1967, all we had was Arkansas Razorback football. We had to pick a pro team and I chose the Steelers because I saw them a lot on television. I’ve been following them ever since. I like the Chiefs but I am loyal to the Steelers.”
The same story comes from Darell and Amy Butcher and Jeff and Sally Vetter, who grew up watching Mean Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw. They drove down from Altoona, Iowa, to be at the rally and go to the game. They sat next to a group from Altoona, Pa. They kept coming, Buddy and Leo Gaertner and his group from Austin, Texas, and Larry Ciarkowski and son Matt from Fort Worth. Todd and Romy Meyers from Shreveport, La., and a busload from the Tulsa, Okla., fan club. All throughout the Greater Kansas City area an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Steeler fans were all celebrating and anticipating a blowout.
Not one was ready to predict what was to happen next – a day of infamy in their 2009 season. Game day started out cloudy and by 10 a.m. the parking lots at Arrowhead Stadium were filling up fast with one of Arrowhead’s greatest claims to fame – tailgating.
So if the game was a forgone conclusion then the question was, “Who are the best tailgaters, Pittsburgh or Kansas City?” In full red and gold regalia were Dave and Carolyn Storey of Independence. Dave wanted to thank all of the Pittsburgh tailgaters for coming to Arrowhead to learn how it’s done. That comment came from many of the Chiefs’ faithful.
John Lavern of Olathe, and Darrell and Steve McCluhan of Lee’s Summit agreed that the Steelers were not professional cookers but did have a good football team. They thought the Dallas Cowboys were better cooks.
Matt Zych from Lee’s Summit and his group took issue with his fellow Chiefs fan. “While the Steelers can’t compare to us, they are better than the Dallas Cowboys’ cooks and there are more of them.”
The battle of the tailgaters continued. Duane Johnson and some of his Steeler Nation buddies from New York agreed and said he came to learn from Cary Marion of Neosho, Mo., a longtime Chiefs fan. Marion met the group for the first time and fed them steak.
Lauren Yadon of Raytown, a Chiefs fan since 1987, said, “We know how to cook and we know how to party, rain or shine.”
Tom Smail of Erie, Pa., disagreed. “We do better in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, there would be no empty spaces in our parking lots at 10 in the morning. Still, it is impressive.”
Brad Allen of Independence said, “No way! Look around you, it’s obvious who is the best.”
Belinda Halberstadt of Excelsior Springs went even further, “We brought tailgating to the NFL. We showed them how it is done.” Her friends Bobbie Thatcher and Peggy Clark echoed her sentiment.
Mexican-American Daniel Tinoco is a lifelong Chiefs fan and his party of 20 celebrate each game with a variety of Mexican food. They even fly Mexican flags over their red and gold encampment.
And sitting among the throng amid the beanbag games, and the tossing of footballs, sits four people at a table adorned with a tablecloth, a candelabra and silverware. There sits Dr. Darrel Nicholas and his wife, Carol, and guests. They are ticket holders since 1965 and they drive up from Starkville, La. Carol smiles and say, “We add a touch of class to this great outdoor event.”
A nearby Chiefs fan yelled to me, “I doubt if Pittsburgh can match that display in their parking lot.”
As for questions on the game, 12-year-old Matthew Opanz summed up what everyone was thinking, saying, “The Steelers will win.”
Little did he, or the 70,261 who attended the game, or the millions listening on radio or watching on TV in Pittsburgh and in Kansas City, know that the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers would be the team to breathe new life into a team that was on life support. That they would be the team to rejuvenate the city and the Chiefs nation into one of pride if only for a day or a week.
It was indeed shock and awe for both teams. Chiefs 27, Steelers 24 in overtime.
The Steeler fans returned to their homes around the country while the fan club had to cancel a victory rally. The Steeler Nation is a phenomenon in the NFL, but this time, they came in huge numbers, they saw a beatable foe but they could not conquer.