HOTEL MAINTENANCE POSITION Seeking motivated... OFFICE Help Needed at Developers Office. Exper... Staffing of St. Augustine Staffing of St. Augustine is seeking Accounting in... TRADES Hardwood Flooring Co. Seeks hardworking... Cap's Now Hiring Now Hiring * Dishwashers * Prep Cooks * Line Cooks... View Full Ad » View all Local TopJobs

Game gives meaning to lives, reason for a Mohawk
Read more Super Bowl 2005 online

By LORY POUNDER
Staff Writer

	click photo to enlarge  Patriots fan Mike Schuster of Foxboro, Mass. poses for a photo with admirer Michael McGuire of Columbus, Ohio while at the World Golf Village hotel lobby on Saturday, February 05, 2005. By MADELYN TROYANEK, Staff

They came decked out in jerseys and striped in team colors Saturday afternoon while they hung around where Super Bowl XXXIX teams are staying in St. Johns County.

New England Patriots fans ate Chowda while Philadelphia Eagles fans waited for autographs.

Some fans were desperate for tickets, offering thousands of dollars to get some. Fans from both sides were excited as they counted down to the big game.

Patriots fans said they came to see the dynasty happen. Eagles fans said they came to see the team do what they've waited more than 20 years for.

People stopping in the lobby of the World Golf Village Renaissance Resort couldn't help but notice Patriots' fan Mike Schuster.

	click photo to enlarge  Eagles wide receiver Todd Pinkston signs autographs while at Sawgrass Marriott Resort in Ponte Vedra on Saturday, February 05, 2005. By MADELYN TROYANEK, Staff

His silver, red, white and blue glued-up Mohawk was merely a part of the ensemble.

In 1994, Schuster swore that if the team ever went to the Super Bowl, he would shave his hair into a Mohawk and paint his head like a helmet. What he didn't know was that he'd have to do it three times in four years.

Schuster's obsession with the team began Sept. 19, 1971, when he saw them beat the Oakland Raiders 20 to 6.

He was born near Philadelphia, but now lives down the street from the team's stadium in Foxboro, Mass. The location makes tailgating convenient.

Schuster was voted fan of the year in 1999.

	click photo to enlarge  Patriots fan David Dostie of Maine walks away from the Legal Sea Foods Chowda Van with his free cup of clam chowder while at the World Golf Village on Saturday, February 05, 2005. By MADELYN TROYANEK, Staff

Although Joe Patterson and Glenn Lesser did not take the look as far as Schuster, they are equally die-hard Eagles fans.

They drove from Naples and Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning with thousands in cash weighing down their pockets, no place to stay and no tickets.

"This is our final destination in life," Patterson said.

The two grew up in Philadelphia and, for the first time since 1980, they will watch their "childhood heros" play in a Super Bowl.

"If this happens, our lives mean something," Lesser said.

	click photo to enlarge  Mark Cubbedge, manager of communications at the World Golf Hall of Fame, holds his football signed by the 1963 Chicago Bears team, including Willie Gallimore, while at the museum on Thursday, February 03, 2005. By MADELYN TROYANEK, Staff

Patterson and Lesser said they came for the entire experience, including partying, which they had embraced with full enthusiasm by Saturday afternoon.

If they don't get in to the game -- as horrible and inconceivable a thought as that is for the two -- they will plant themselves at a nearby bar to join the festivities.

"This is about living for this team," Lesser said.

Patterson added, "I'm sure there are bigger fans than us, but not many."

They shot pictures of players straggling by at the Sawgrass Marriott.

Leah Jimemez stood next to her dad by the door of the hotel's lobby. She held a football proudly displaying two player's signatures.

Her family lives near the hotel and, after this Super Bowl, she may be an addition to the group of Eagles fans.

She only recently started learning about the sport.

Mike Boyle brought his sons, Brian and Kevin Boyle, to the game so they will have a life-long memory.

"Philly is a blue-collar city, and we love hard working teams," Mike Boyle said. "This is the year."

Brian smiled as he took a break from autograph hunting to say, "They're awesome."

Patriots players left for practice in the morning, but fans hung around the Renaissance Resort eating Chowda and talking about the team.

Legal Sea Food Chowda van gave out about 40 gallons of New England Clam Chowder on Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of the World Golf Village.

The company, which has a booth at the Patriot's stadium, drove 1,500 miles to support the team and their fans.

"There's lots of Bostonians down here," said Mark Ortell, director of operations for Legal Sea Foods Inc. in Florida. "We want to be a part of the festivities."

Legal Sea Foods is a name New Englanders recognize and chowder is a symbolic food they take pride in making and eating.

Steve Gravallese, of Boston, grabbed a cup as he scouted for a ticket.

"I'm a sports fan in general," Gravallese said. "I had tickets when they were lousy years ago."

He has seen the Patriots play each season for the past 12 years, but was not the only long-time season ticket holder trying to find a Super Bowl seat.

John and Karen Wardwell drove from Bucksport, Maine, with the hope of getting tickets to see the team they describe as a class act. The Wardwells have been Patriots season ticket holders since 1991. "They're great guys," John Wardwell said.