Sharing crazy habits

Frank King likes to watch Steelers games alone in his basement.

“My lucky seat is in the… Frank King likes to watch Steelers games alone in his basement.

“My lucky seat is in the basement, by myself,” the Pitt graduate said. “I was at a friend’s house when we were down by 10 to Cincinnati. I got home, and the lucky seat took over. That’s just how it has to be.”

King believes sitting in his seat can help ensure a Steelers victory and he plans on doing it again this Sunday.

“For the Super Bowl, it is going to be all the same. Same spot, same food, same everything.”

The Steelers’ improbable run in the playoffs landed them in Super Bowl XL, and has many fans nationwide believing their quirky and unusual superstitions are helping the team win.

At home, people are doing anything they can to secure a Pittsburgh victory in the Super Bowl. Pitt student Jon Meck is a dedicated fan leading an anti-shaving campaign for the Steelers.

Meck, along with friends, started www.bensbeard.com, a Web site full of fan’s signatures pledging not to shave until quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does after the big game. Big Ben garnered media attention in late November when he pledged not to shave until the day after the Super Bowl.

The site was up and running around 1 a.m. Monday. Thirty-six hours later, there were already more than 1,800 signatures. As of Thursday, the site had more than 8,500 signatures.

While some signatures appear to be fake – including Santa Claus, Batman and Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer – the Web site is continuing to grow as a rally point for superstitious Steelers fans.

“We’re asking that guys stop shaving until after the Super Bowl,” Meck said. “We know some people can’t grow full beards, but grow stubble. Stubble for the Steelers.”

The Web site features fan signatures from North Carolina to Texas to London. This superstitious practice is not limited solely to men, either.

“Girls can sign it to, just to show support for their team,” he said. “This is our way of saying we support Ben Roethlisberger. This is our way of showing Steeler pride.”

Jim Keener, one of the founders of www.bensbeard.com, has other superstitions to go along with his anti-shaving campaign.

“We have set positions for every game,” he said. “We won’t sit in any other place at any time. If we do, we always start losing. If we go back to our positions, we start winning again.”

The superstitions reach all the way to head coach Bill Cowher – who, despite his team being the designated home team in Detroit (a neutral arena), decided to have his team wear their white jerseys, usually reserved for away games. The Steelers have played three games on the road this post-season, and won all three.

Some Steelers fans possess entirely unique superstitions. Matthew Walluk, a junior at Pitt, falls into that category.

“I always start a fire in the fireplace,” he said. “But I always throw a log into the flames with the opposing team’s name on it. I always watch the game at the same place with the same people, everyone wears the same shirt for every game.

“Oh yeah,” he added with a smile, “I’m also under the influence of alcohol for every game!”

Editor’s note: The Pitt News encourages readers to let us know your crazy superstitions by posting feedback to this story.