Police declare Sunday a success

Despite a disappointing Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Green Bay Packers, Pitt’s Chief of… Despite a disappointing Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Green Bay Packers, Pitt’s Chief of Police Tim Delaney declared the night of Super Bowl Sunday a success.

Compared to the celebratory havoc that proliferated around Pittsburgh and Pitt’s campus after the Steelers’ 2009 Super Bowl victory, fans were much quieter and less frenzied this year — likely because of the loss. Delaney said the area on Bigelow Boulevard proved ample for student celebrators. During and following the game, students gathered there around a big screen that televised live updates and scores while a DJ played various dance tunes.

“The screen was a success on Bigelow,” Delaney said. “It took the crowd away from the business district.”

The crowd of 250 students that gathered on Bigelow Boulevard after the Super Bowl presented minimal problems to police, Delaney said. After officers noticed some people setting off firecrackers within the celebratory area, they asked the DJ to make an announcement to cease the firecrackers. Everyone adhered.

Delaney said that Pitt didn’t receive any damage to its property. One couch fire occurred on Meyran Avenue, but the fire department quickly extinguished it. By contrast, 2009’s Super Bowl celebrations saw 40 fires reported within a 45-minute period in Oakland.

The University and police’s plan to keep celebrators contained to Bigelow Boulevard meant minimal clean up was centered in one area, said Rob Kaczorowski, director of Pittsburgh’s Public Works department.

The South Side — which hosted thousands of fans watching the game in its multitude of bars — saw no property damage and just one arrest, according to Kaczorowski and police. Clean up was not much different than a regular busy weekend, Kaczorowski said.

Given the 2009 Super Bowl’s aftermath, the city was braced for a much messier scenario.s

“Every time you experience something like that — be it a Super Bowl or a snow storm — you learn from it,” Kaczorowski said. “So the city was prepared for the worst.”

The throngs of black-and-yellow-clad fans who watched the game in Oakland’s bars were feeling pretty blue by the end. Shane Drennen, a cook and bartender at Peter’s Pub, described the fans’ reactions as “very, very, very distraught.” Drennen noted several girls in tears and one man hanging his head sullenly. The bar, however, stayed full after the loss.

“Surprisingly a lot of people stayed. It gave them an excuse to just keep drinking,” Drennen said.

Drennen — a Philadelphia Eagles fan — felt little remorse, and he was relieved he didn’t have to face the chaos that could have resulted from a Steelers win.

Others in Oakland reported similar feelings of relief.

Nathan Patterson, a bartender at Spice Cafe, usually parks his car on the street while heading to work, but opted for the garage on Sunday in case the situation became crazy after the game. He too witnessed customers’ depressed mood when the game ended, but about 15 minutes later their spirits lifted with the help of a little music.

“Overall it was a really good night. Bad game. Good night,” Patterson said.

Fans at Bootleggers seemed quite angered by the Super Bowl’s outcome, but also calmed down after a few minutes, said Ryan Skinner, a bartender at Bootleggers. But disappointed fans found a common remedy: “Nobody was drinking light,” Skinner said.

Skinner said the bar’s location on Semple Street near Bates made the possibility of uproarious celebrations less of a concern.

“We’re lucky enough to be off the beaten path where we don’t have to worry about that,” he said.