A lifetime Steelers fan who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina was so inspired by the team's Super Bowl XL victory that he outbid all others for a crystal ice bucket that belonged to former head coach Bill Cowher.

	Brian Tarantino, 40, of Covington, La., bought the Steelers ice bucket that once belonged to Bill Cowher. He is shown with his wife, Laura; sons Nicholas, 4, and Brian, 2, and their English bulldog. Click photo for larger image.

Brian Tarantino, 40, said the bucket with the Steelers logo will hold a place of honor in the entertainment room of his house, now under construction in Covington, La.

"I love the Steelers and I respect Bill Cowher," he said in a phone interview after receiving the prize that cost him $550.

He and his wife, Laura, had decided to bid up to $800 through eBay for the 8¹/₂-inch-high bucket, one of 134 lots from the Cowhers' Fox Chapel home that were auctioned April 28 at Dargate Auction Galleries.

He wanted it because it reminded him of the excitement he felt as he and his family sat in a rented house, watching the Steelers defeat the Seattle Seahawks.

"I'll never forget watching the whole ride of the Steelers in the playoffs and going to the Super Bowl. Our home had been destroyed. It gave us something to look forward to."

Growing up in Houston, Texas, when they still had the Oilers, Mr. Tarantino said he locked onto the Steelers at age 3 because he liked their uniforms.

While living in Maryland, he met his wife, a Saints fan, and sometimes drove up to see his heroes play at Three Rivers Stadium. She now cheers for both teams and wears his childhood Terry Bradshaw jersey when they watch the Steelers on TV. Their sons, Nicholas, 4, and Brian, 2, wear Ben Roethlisberger jerseys and wave Terrible Towels.

Mr. Tarantino said the ice bucket will go in a display case behind the wet bar in the new entertainment room, right next to a photo autographed by the front four linemen from the 1970s "Steel Curtain" defense. He won't use it for fear of breaking it. But he will make an exception:

"I may use it once or twice when they go to another Super Bowl," he said.