Rob Hamilton grew up in Edgewood and is black-and-gold at heart. He also is true blue to The Boss.

As president of a Catholic college, Jim Towey is usually partial to cardinals. But not the ones from Arizona.

Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Towey, Saint Vincent's leader, may live about 1,000 miles apart, but they share a kinship: a passion for the Super Bowl champions.

Like many Steelers fans, they had a keen interest in Sunday's 27-23 victory over Arziona. Their reasons were far from mainstream, though.

Mr. Hamilton is in health-care sales, but could have been a meteorologist. He predicted "a perfect storm" five months ahead of time.

"It was announced in September that Bruce Springsteen would perform at halftime of the Super Bowl," said Mr. Hamilton, above, a 1980 Edgewood High graduate. "I told my wife, Laurie, that the Steelers will end up playing there and I would find a way to get into the stadium."

Around New Year's, he hadn't found a way. In the meantime, he had contacted friends/fellow Boss fanatics, inviting them to stay at his place on Super Bowl weekend. A Springsteen tribute group, the B Street Band, was going to perform at a Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Fla., and the game would follow.

"About a month ago, I went on a Bruce Springsteen Web site," said Mr. Hamilton, who has seen The Boss perform 100-plus times.

There was a contest seeking halftime show audience members, and Mr. Hamilton entered his group of 15, the "Bruce Tramps."

They were selected, and after 22 hours of rehearsing as audience members with the E Street Band last week, got great seats for the show.

"No one was in front of us but Bruce," Mr. Hamilton said. "When he slid down the stage, we basically could touch him.

"Other than marrying my wife and having our son [Calvin, 16], this was the best weekend of my life."

This was a congenial wager -- until Larry Fitzgerald's score put the Cardinals up, 23-20, with 2:37 to go.

"I reached a new level of prayer," said Mr. Towey, above. "I thought it was a safe bet until then."

Saint Vincent, of course, is the Steelers' summer training camp home. The Cardinals also train at a college, Northern Arizona University.

Mr. Towey and his counterpart there, Dr. John Haeger, agreed that the summer host of the runner-up would wear a cap and shirt of the champion the first day of camp.

"Imagine me going through that gauntlet [of fans] with Cardinals gear," Mr. Towey said. "It would have to be waterproof."