The Super Bowl is only days away! We all know what that means! Amazing snacks! The best commercials! A fun half-time show! Oh yeah….also a football game.
This year the L.A. Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Since these aren’t necessarily teams that people in Iowa typically root for, the Monitor went on a search to find fans of the Super Bowl-bound teams. While they might be few and far between locally, we rounded up Monte Leichsenring and Dee Huntley to talk about their teams.
“I thought their uniforms were cool”
Retired Clarion-Goldfield-Dows teacher Monte Leichsenring is a diehard Rams fan. He explained that he was a fan as a kid because he liked the look of their uniforms. He remembers rooting for notable Rams like quarterback Roman Gabriel and one of the best running backs of all time, Eric Dickerson. Leichsenring added, “I played defensive tackle for a couple of years myself, so of course I idolized Rams d-tackle Deacon Jones.”
When the Rams move to St. Louis in the mid-90s, Leichsenring says he was happy since that allowed him to attend games occasionally. Then when Iowa native Kurt Warner joined the team in 1998 that was just icing on the cake, especially since Leichsenring grew up in the same area as Warner.
He says he liked the direction the team went this year, starting with acquiring former Detroit Lions QB Matt Stafford. “He has always been a good player on a bad team and can really take a beating,” said Leichsenring. He states that he was nervous about adding former Cleveland Brown Odell Beckham Jr. to the team but is glad it worked out well.
Leichsenring says that he is looking forward to the big game. He admits that he looked into tickets but they were just too rich for his blood “unless we won the lotto,” he laughed. He plans to watch the game in the comfort of his recliner with a few friends. In the end, Leichsenring has a positive outlook, no matter what happens in the game. He said, “I hope the Rams win, but if the Bengals pull it off, I won’t be heartbroken.”
“Who DEY!!”
The Cincinnati Bengals are headed to the Super Bowl for the first time in 34 years. Leading the charge is Iowa native, quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow was born in Ames and attended Louisiana State University. If the Bengals win the Super Bowl, Burrow would be the first quarterback to win the Heisman, a college national championship and the Super Bowl. Backing Joe and the Bengals is Dee Huntley from Goldfield.
Huntley explains she is an Iowa import but is a “Cincinnati girl” by birth. A big sports fan all around, Huntley didn’t let her distance from Ohio separate her from loving the Bengals. And considering they started the season with 200 to 1 odds of winning the big game, it has certainly been an exciting time to be a fan.
“The fact that we haven’t made it to a Super Bowl since 1989 makes it even better,” said Huntley. As far as her game predictions go, she added, “Of course I predict that the Bengals will win, but honestly, the fact that they made it this far is great within itself. We have a young team, so this is only the beginning.”
She plans to spend the big game at home, screaming “Who dey!” with friends. “We will celebrate the Super Bowl out in our man cave with friends, watching the game, and eating too much food,” she said.
Next week…From Belmond to the Big Game!
Make sure to grab the Monitor next week as our Super Bowl coverage continues. We will bring you a special story about the Christensen family from Belmond. Monica and Darwin Christensen’s son-in-law, Justin Hill, is a running backs coach for the Bengals. Consequently, the Christensen family find themselves in the lucky position of being able to attend the Super Bowl! We’ll detail their family story and Super Bowl experience next week.
