GARDNERVILLE, Nev. " There's no doubt who John and Jaime Anzelone will root for when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals play in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday.
Glance around the dining room at Jumbos Sub Shop & Catering, which they've owned in the Ranchos for seven years and it's clear they bleed Pittsburgh black and gold.
Two walls are decorated by Pittsburgh sports memorabilia. On one side is a poster-size copy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Feb. 6, 2006 sports page celebrating the team's 21-10 victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Nearby is a photo of another landmark moment in the city's sports history, Bill Mazeroski scoring the winning run for the Pirates after his home run ended the 1960 World Series.
Across the way is a Jerome Bettis jersey, as well as a "Terrible Towel" that is framed along with tickets from a 1994 game at Seattle. In between are photos of such Steelers celebrities, past and present, as Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert, Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu.
"We have people who come into the shop from all over the country," John Anzelone said. "Some are Steelers who hear about us, but not all of them are. We get football fans in general, which makes it fun. It sparks good conversation."
John Anzelone says he has been a Steelers fan for 50 years. His father, Guy, became a fan when Art Rooney founded the team in 1933.
"My dad used to stand on the sidelines to watch games at Forbes Field in the '30s and '40s. You could do that back then because the crowds were so small," John Anzelone said.
"We still go back to watch a game once a year," he said. "We try to go see them when they play out West, too. We've gone to games in Oakland, Seattle and Arizona."
His wife, Jaime, became a fan while going to school at Ohio State, where her roommate was a Steelers fan.
"Steeler fans have to be the greatest fans ever," she said. "They travel with the team wherever they go. It's Pittsburgh football.
"Last year, we went to Arizona and the Steelers had more fans than the home team. They were all waving towels. It was great ... except they lost the game," she added, flashing a smile.
It seems there never a lack of fellow fans in any stadium.
"It's a phenomenon," John Anzelone said. "No matter where you go, it's like a home game. I don't think there's another team that has a fan base all over the nation like the Steelers do."
He believes that base can be traced back to the 1970s, and a time of poor economic conditions. John Anzelone left Pittsburgh in 1977 "because I wanted to see the country" and wound up taking a road trip with a small group of friends that ended in the Lake Tahoe area.
"There wasn't much work after the steel mills began closing, so people began moving and they spread out all over the country. They all remained loyal to the Steelers, and now, the children of those people have grown up as Steeler fans," he said.
"Before the '70s, the Steelers struggled. But when they began winning those Super Bowls, they made Pittsburgh proud. The city went nuts."
Naturally, there will be a Pittsburgh flavor when the Anzelones host a Super Bowl party on Sunday.
"The Steelers will be playing, it's my daughter's 18th birthday, it's going to be great," he said. "They (the Cardinals) deserve to be playing, they have a good team. So do the Steelers. I think it's going to be a good game."
