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By Roger Lajoie
Detroit - For the Pittsburgh Steelers, just getting to the Super Bowl is not good enough.
The franchise has a legacy of winning Super Bowls, not just playing in them, so the Steelers' 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL on Sunday brought both celebration and relief to the whole club.
The Steelers were in four Super Bowls in a six-year period from 1975 to 1980 and won them all. With a tradition like that to live up to, it is easy to see why the pressure was on the 2006 Steelers even more than on the Seahawks, who were playing their first Super Bowl.
 
| 'We're so thrilled to bring that (trophy) back to Pittsburgh' |
The relief was especially evident on the face of Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, who first handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy to owner Dan Rooney before raising it above his head.
"It's a rewarding feeling to give that trophy to Mr. Rooney," Cowher said. "I couldn't be happier for him and for the city of Pittsburgh. "I am excited for everybody."
Rooney and his family have owned the franchise for decades and have had just two coaches since 1970, Chuck Noll, who coached from 1969 to 1991 and won the four previous titles, and Cowher.
"It's wonderful," Rooney said. "We're so thrilled to bring that (trophy) back to Pittsburgh."
Pittsburgh join the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers as the only teams to win five Super Bowls. The city's passionate fans, who often follow the team to road games, have been waiting for the fifth "ring for the thumb" since 1980.
"This is the one for the thumb," said Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward. "We are bringing the Super Bowl back to the city of Pittsburgh."
The majority of the 68 206 fans in Ford Field cheered the Steelers lustily, waving their yellow towels and creating a home game atmosphere for their team.
Many of them expected the team would win that elusive fifth title and so did some of the Steelers' famed alumni.
Terry Bradshaw was the quarterback in the Steelers' four Super Bowl championship teams. In a television interview he predicted a Pittsburgh win, acknowledging that being in the big game is an honour, but winning it is all that really matters.
"I am so glad I didn't have to tell people what it's like to lose a Super Bowl," Bradshaw said.
The 2006 Steelers will not have to tell people what that is like either.
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